Health Guidance

Many families I meet just need a little help. Not a lot, just a little help. It goes a long way. Children with Autism need more attention than typical children. It is almost like having a much younger child. Parents have to be constantly ‘on’ like when watching a toddler. Sometimes this toddler is bigger than we are though.

One parent used to say she just needed a little help. She needed someone to pick up her child from school and watch her child until she got off work. At around twelve years old most daycares do not want children. It is just uncomfortable for babies, toddlers, and preteens to be with teenagers. Many people say it is just not healthy.

The parent wanted to work and just needed a little help. Luckily that state’s system for people with developmental disabilities was able to help this child and her family at twelve. This is a parent who was able to remain a tax paying citizen because of a little help. Continue reading ‘c Services – Why Do Parents Need Support?’ »

Some of the most upsetting behaviors to parents of children with Autism are self injurious behaviors. They are so hard to understand. We do not like anyone hurting our children. When they are hurting themselves it is even more confusing.

My first reactions to my child’s self injurious behaviors were that she must be in pain herself. Eventually I began to realize it must be something else. That is when I started to search for reasons.

Sometimes I realized my child was hitting herself because she was frustrated. She thought she had made a mistake. She also would hit herself for attention.

Biting herself was a little harder. She could bite herself and leave an imprint of every single one of her teeth in the bruise she left. Biting herself usually happens when she gets so upset that she is screaming. After time, I have gotten better at getting to her before she actually bites. Continue reading ‘Autism Behaviors – Why Do Our Children Use Self Injurious Behaviors?’ »

Autism – Learning Styles and Life/Educational Skills Attainment

When ascertaining what may be the best ways to help your child with autism to learn various educational, social, behavioural and emotional (etc.) skills; gaining accurate knowledge of what may be your child’s learning style will greatly enhance and promote a higher success or achievement in your child’s learning of such skills.

Understanding their particular learning style/s is imperative too in respecting the unique individual that they are.

Imagine if someone was trying to teach you a skill in a language you didn’t understand and they expected you to get it? This would place an unnecessary stress on you in trying to understand what you were being asked to ‘get’; you would feel frustrated; possibly even feel inadequate or saddened that you can’t understand the method/s or message and misunderstood as an individual. Continue reading ‘Autism – Learning Styles and Life/Educational Skills Attainment’ »

Autism cannot be described in one single statement because it involves the thought process, the perception and the attention level of an autistic child. When you watch such a child for a reasonable time span, you will realize the seriousness of the wide range of disorders. The characteristics of behaviors change from one situation to another and also on the severity of the disorder and specifically with the change in the age of the child.

The medical world has its own parameters to judge different levels of symptoms and their manifestations in an autistic child for effective diagnosis of the disorder. A common man, on the other hand, has to depend on the careful observation of the changing behavior of the child regarding social interaction and allied communication ability of the affected individual. It is never judged by one single characteristic of changed behavioral pattern, but on the cumulative of several alterations in attitudes and reactions of the autistic child. This includes the change in eating habits, which suffer marked deviation from the usual pattern when it is monitored minutely. It may not be a very common trait in all the autistic children, but certainly it is seen among many such children. Continue reading ‘Autism Signs In Children – An Overview’ »

Doctors prefer to analyze possible signs of autism when children are at the ages of 3 to 4 years old. As a parent, identifying the problem early can help in giving the right response and care. The effects of autism can be controlled when addressed properly at the right stage. It is this fact that makes detection of early signs of autism a crucial responsibility for every parent.

Young babies generally mimic the facial expressions of their parents. They smile back when you smile to them. They give an excited expression when you try to tease them with a peek a boo. They cry when you pout. An autistic child does not give these specific reactions.

The absence of reaction is one of the early signs of autism. An autistic child does not respond to loud noises. By the early years, normal children would have the ability to recognize their own names and to the common voices in their surroundings. Since they do not react to the sounds in the environment, autistic children at the early stages tend to be judged as hearing impaired. Continue reading ‘Detecting the Early Signs of Autism’ »

Behavioral therapy for autism is popular as it reportedly has a high chance of success. In this type of therapy, your child quickly learns that only appropriate behavior is rewarded while inappropriate behavior is not encouraged and in fact, they will be ignored. The success rate of behavioral therapies increases if the sessions are started at an early age; that is before your child turns 3 years old.

You would probably find that your autistic child will often challenge your parenting skills by exhibiting extremes in behavior. Extremes of behavior would include such things as temper tantrums, self injurious behavior, aggression and agitation. Essentially, he is dictating to you what he wants and his preferences. If he does not get what he wants, you are made to suffer the consequences. Rather than giving in, you should in fact learn how to teach your child a more appropriate way in which to get what he wants.

Continue reading ‘What Is Behavioral Therapy For Autism’ »

Autism is a neural advancement condition and is characterized by damaged communication and social interaction. Out of every one thousand children, up to six could possibly be autistic. In an c, the information processing capabilities of the brain are altered. How this specifically happens, then again, is not still entirely understood. Due to this fact, parents are concerned. What is the actual reason behind autism- That yet remains unknown. However, many specialists do come to an understanding that there is genetic together with environmental factors involved. Even though genetic factors such as rare mutations are strong reasons for the source of autism, questionable environmental causes such as pesticides and heavy metal have in addition been blamed for autism.

There are many signs which suggest that autism is observed in the kid. Most of the time these symptoms are observed by the time the child is 3 years old. According to a study, the signs of autism cannot be identified in children who are under six months old. Only by the time the kid reaches the age of two or three are the signs established. It’s right that there’s no cure for autism, yet. Nonetheless, you can find a lot of intervention techniques and methods which you can use to assist your baby. With the help of these strategies, your baby will be able to develop social and communication abilities. Continue reading ‘6 Signs Or Symptoms of Autism’ »

I’d like to discuss my feelings about biomedical interventions for Autism and talk about the reasons why I think it is important to begin a biomedical approach for your child. I lecture around the country and talk on these videos on my website about how important biomedical intervention is. But one thing to recognize is that when we look to implement a biomedical protocol whether that is through diet, supplements, etc, we are really assessing the underlying medical issues.

What that can entail is the use of diagnostic testing, urine, stool, blood, etc. in order to look for imbalances. The imbalances could be nutritional like vitamins and minerals, essential fats or amino acids. Or the imbalances could be biochemical or involve digestive problems. Kids may not be digesting their food appropriately and they may have chronic diarrhea or chronic constipation. So regardless of the diagnosis of the child, I think we can all agree that the right assessment is still needed. But often a label of Autism can exclude a child from getting the appropriate assessment for these underlying medical disorders.

First and foremost I want to know what is going on with my patient’s health, as their biomedical specialist. That is the reason for the testing that we use. But that does not mean that I can say that one specific therapy will treat a certain core set of symptoms or eradicate them completely. But, when you address the underlying medical issues of a child with Autism and you look at the diagnostic results and treat accordingly, in many cases you can have an improvement in the individual’s Autism and in some cases it can go away. When we use a biomedical treatment approach what we really are doing is optimizing the individual’s potential. Continue reading ‘Autism Treatment – A Biomedical Approach’ »

There are many products, food items, and food supplements that can supposedly help a child with autism. The number of such products in the market is a proof that there is an overwhelming need for such, and that the number of people with autism are growing by the minute. If you take a good look at the available products in the market claiming to provide help for autistic children, you will definitely see how varied and numerous they are. From acai berry to enzymes, there is a vast array of autism supplements available. Many of these products are obviously helpful, such as the use of probiotics and antioxidants. Some, on the other hand, are somewhat surprising, such as melatonin. One of the more popular products being used for treatment is colostrums.

Now, before discussing why colostrums is one of the most supplements for children with autism, it is important to know how colostrums works. What exactly is colostrum anyway, and when should it be used? Continue reading ‘Colostrum – The Miracle Product For Autism Treatment’ »

Many refer to it as an epidemic now that, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in every 110 children born in the United States is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, also known as ASD. For boys the numbers are even more alarming, standing at one in 70.

Some suggest this is the result of better diagnosing and record-keeping–plus, in the past, only severely affected children were identified. Moreover, the definition of autism has been expanded to include a range of milder, related conditions, and recently the American Psychiatric Association officially moved Asperger’s into the autism category.

AUTISM FACTS:

• If one identical twin has ASD, there’s a 60%-90% chance that the other will be affected.

• In non-identical twins, if one child has ASD, there’s a 2%-8% chance the other will, too.

• The median age of an ASD diagnosis is between 4.5 and 5.5 years.

• 51% to 91% of the time, developmental concerns are noted before the 3rd birthday.

• Diagnosis is up 10% to 20% annually.

• About 40% of affected children do not talk at all.

• 25% to 30% affected children have some words at 12 to 18 months and then lose them.

• Some children may speak, but not until later in childhood.

• Studies suggest that the cost, over the lifetime of an ASD-diagnosed child, is $3.2 million.

So, of course, we worry. What’s “normal” anyway? Aren’t all kids kind of quirky? Plus, everyone knows you shouldn’t compare one child with another, so… Continue reading ‘Info 101 – Autism Spectrum Disorder’ »