A recent article on Spectrum Magazine regarding a study that finds older moms having a higher risk of having autistic children. For more information regarding this study and Dr. Nelson Mane’s perspective on the subject click on the link below:
http://www.spectrumpublications.com/index.php/news/total_load_phenomenon/
Those of you that have heard me speak regarding autism spectrum disorders as it relates to functional neurology and hemispheric integration therapy many times here me discuss brain development from the bottom up and also brain function from side to side. Although this is an older video it’s still briefly discusses brain development and function from the lower centers to the higher centers as well as between and about the cerebral hemispheres. Carl Sagan who is featured in the video does discuss brain development from an evolutionary perspective , if that bothers you consider it an exercise in comparative anatomy and not dealing with evolution. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPfBKZYrxgM&feature=player_embedded.
This is a link regarding a new therapy to help kids with ASD with socialization sent to me by one of our U.K. members. This doctor is doing the therapy in Greece but I think if you look at the concept it might want to discuss with your doctor to see how you might be able to apply and/or implement this type of technique. This might be something to show your IEP teachers or perhaps if you home school implement there. http://www.neoskosmos.com/news/en/Greek-program-autistic-children
Making family events and traditions as ” normal” as possible is always helpful in de-stressing our lives. A group gluten-free life is part of the routine for many with a child that has autism. With Thanksgiving coming up and family members gathering together, I thought a few tasty recipes that all could enjoy even family members “that don’t quite understand” might make your holiday a little easier. Here are three nice gluten-free sites with some helpful recipes. Enjoy!!!
http://glutenfreeeasily.com/super-easy-turkey-breast-and-surprise-stuffing/
http://glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com/2009/11/gluten-free-dinner-rolls.html
Here is the link to an editorial regarding children on the autism spectrum and bullying in schools. This is a negative aspect of life but is something that is realistically occurring and parents as well as others need to be made aware of the situation. On the positive front, this article shows that there is more awareness regarding this subject and that possible legislation and political pressures are coming to bear on the situation. My hope with this post is to perhaps open some eyes regarding this subject and possibly motivate the more politically active to follow-up with what is going on in Massachusetts. Here is the link
I am always looking for tips to share and help others in the Autism community. I found this one on a moms’s web site. I have a few patients for whom this would be a good idea and thus thought I would pass it on. Here goes, let me know what you think. http://recoveringnoah.blogspot.com/2009/01/cheap-communication-devices-for.html
Every once in a while I run into someone who expresses their feelings frankly regarding autism and how it affects lives and families in a way that I think others can relate to. Living with, or having a loved one affected by an autism spectrum disorder is a lifestyle and culture within itself. As it affects children, it is a highly emotional entity by its very nature. I thought this post reflected wonderfully the feelings of frustration and the feelings of love. I hope you all can relate to it.
http://www.autisable.com/715909345/yesterday-i-hated-autism/
I had written an article regarding how screen time (Internet, television and video games) can be a negative factor regarding those with ADHD. One of the articles that I referenced from the scientific literature dealt with ADHD and Internet addiction. This past Friday happens to have been the 40th anniversary of the Internet. I was fortunate enough to have been contacted by Shannon Mulaire from the local Fox affiliate to comment regarding the Internet and addiction. As the story was about the 40th anniversary of the event and not purely about Internet addiction or ADHD, I only make a brief cameo appearance. Thus, the title of this post 15 seconds of fame. It is still always nice to get some television exposure and I thank Shannon for giving me the call. Here is the link to the video clip as well as the original article. http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.myfoxtampabay.com%2Fdpp%2Fnews%2Fscitech%2Fthe_internet_at_age_40%3A_farmville_rules&h=3a65184086aef55551b2a8d53bfbedf0
You all know that I am always a stickler for clearing up any intestinal hyper permeability before addressing other biomedical issues. It is most important that you deal with the leaky gut and any dysbiosis and/or yeast as a primary focus when addressing autism spectrum disorders from a functional medicine perspective. There are many diets that are commonly used in order to treat children with autism spectrum disorders. The most common of course being the gluten free/casein free diet. Other types of diets such as the elimination diet, Feingold diet and specific carbohydrate diet among others have been found to provide beneficial results for autistic children. The specific carbohydrate diet is one that is modeled to address dysbiosi(bad bacterial overgrowth in the gastrointestinal system) and yeast overgrowth. At times, I write articles to explain areas of treatment for autistic children that I feel have not been well addressed. I also like to write and comment about newer research that has been published. But many times, I find somewhat has written on a particular subject in such a clear way that to write a new article would be redundant. For this reason, I just provide the link, when I find such a situation. In this case, I found a beautiful explanation between the interplay between leaky gut, dysbiosis, yeast and the specific carbohydrate diet. In general, the specific carbohydrate diet attempts to combat bacterial overgrowth by limiting their food source. For a child that has had recurrent yeast infections and/or is constantly on antifungal medication, this may be a good tool to consider when developing a treatment plan along with natural antifungals and probiotics. Remember to space out the natural antimicrobials and the probiotics when using both tools to treat the yeast and bacteria.I will try to write about this in more detail perhaps in combination with a particular patient case. Here is a the link http://www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info/autism/autism_and_gi_problems.htm
This is an interesting site I found relating to Special education law with a section on Autism. I used the link below to take you to the site and this particular post which I thought was eye opening. This type of information is always beneficial to share. We all have experiences that we may have learned from that could help someone else that hasn’t been there yet.
http://specialedlaw.blogs.com/home/2008/09/painful-failure.html#more