About Autism

What is autism?

“How would I know if my child has Autism?”
The diagnostic criteria may give you an idea of what the current definition of autism spectrum disorder is. If you are beginning to suspect your child is within the autism spectrum disorder, there are certain red flags that hint at an atypical development.

Please note the following is not meant to be a diagnostic checklist or replace professionals. Please consult qualified professionals for an assessment/diagnosis:

Typical Development	Atypical Development
By age 2,	By age 2,
Child enjoys being snuggled and held by familiar adults and responds to gentle physical contract as a means of calming. Child shows a wide range of facial expressions, including big smiles, directed toward others during social interactions	Child tends to avoid snuggling, squirms out of your grasp, or goes stiff, tends to rely upon self-calming measures, such as rocking or other repetitive behaviors rather than accepting nurturing from others. Facial expressions tend to be unanimated and smiles that do occur are usually not directly related to social interactions.
Child initiates and sustains eye contact	Eye contact is brief and rarely initiated. Child may tend to look at others or objects via peripheral vision (i.e. out of the corner of his/her eye)
Child responds to own name when called.	Child inconsistently responds to own name when called (Parents often worry that the child is deaf)
Child is beginning to use basic gestures such as pointing, putting arms in the air to indicate a wish to be picked up, putting finger to lips while saying Shhh, etc.	Child doesn’t use basic gestures to communicate needs or wants. Instead, the child may whine or cry without any awareness that others need more information to discern his/her needs.
Child begins to speak in one-word sentences that are communicative in nature; i.e., the child is clearly attempting to communicate with others rather than just babbling.	Speech is absent or delayed. Sometimes child’s speech may develop appropriately but is generally non-communicative (e.g. he/she may repeat dialogues from videotapes to him/herself, known as “delayed echolalia”)
Child is relatively flexible (when well-rested and content) regarding changes in routine or the environment.	Child finds even minor changes in routine or the environment discomforting. Responds with challenging behaviors such as prolonged tantrums or physical aggression.
Child begins to bring items to others or point out objects to share enjoyment or interest (e.g. points to a cow while making eye contact and says, “Cow!”)	Child tends to bring items to others only when assistance is needed (e.g. brings cup when thirsty or broken toy that needs fixing). The child may take someone by the wrist and lead them to a desired object but then let go as soon as the person’s purpose has been served. There is minimal enjoyment in sharing something that is exciting or interesting with others.
Child engages in appropriate concrete play activities (e.g. builds simple block structures, rocks baby dolls, has figures “talk” to each other by babbling or short phrases). Child may not play interactively with others yet, aside from basic games like “chase”. Child may tend to exhibit “parallel play”, i.e. playing near peers without attempting to interact.	Child seems disinterested in most typical toys although finds objects (such as strings, fans, etc.) engaging. May play with toys but in an unusual fashion (e.g. lines up blocks in a ritualistic manner, spins the wheels of toy trucks). May be especially adept at visual-motor tasks such as completing puzzles, stacking blocks into intricate towers, or matching objects.
Child is clearly aware of and interested in others in his/her environment. Initiates interactions. Responds differently to familiar versus unfamilar people.	Child at times seems “in his/her own world” and oblivious to others. Does not become upset when left with an unfamiliar babysitter. Has not developed strong and personal relationships with family members.
Child is able to engage in various imitative activities and games such as “Peek-A-Boo” and “Wheels on the Bus”.	Child shows minimal ability to imitate the actions of others.
By age 3,	By age 3,
Child is beginning to develop strong relationships with certain peers and other familiar people such as preschool teachers or neighbors. May have a “best friend” as well as a few other close friends.	Child has not developed any strong attachments with peers; tends to play alone; Will almost invariably actively avoid group activities.
Child is now speaking in full and relatively complicated sentences. Vocabulary is extensive and varied. He/She can communicate experiences. Speech continues to be clearly communicative in function. Uses common physical gestures to support communication (e.g. waving hello)	Child’s speech continues to be delayed or is peculiar (e.g. child frequently insists on talking about the same topic repeatedly with little understanding of the give and take of a conversation). There may be some loss of previously used words. The quality of speech may be unusual, such as using a monotone or talking with an unusual rhythm.
Child engages in play activities that involve pretend play such as playing “house”, being a superhero etc. Play scenarios can be rather sophisticated and drawn out involving a clear plot.. Child enjoys interactive play and will initiate game with peers.	Child’s play style continues to be rather ritualistic and repetitive. Some pretend play may be existent but clearly reflects rote learning (e.g. the child is merely imitating a simple scenario that has been modeled by others or on TV or videos).
Child may exhibit some unusual behaviors but not frequently or repetitively. Although some young children may be occasionally enjoying activities such as rocking, rubbing surfacces, or hand-flapping, they are able to be redirected to other activities easily.	Child spends prolonged periods of time engaged in repetitive movements that have no clear purpose. It may take a bit of effort to prompt child to stop, as she seems immersed in the behavior when it occurs.

Certain red flags to be on the lookout for:

1. Easily startled
2. Echolalia (repeating words/phrases he/she has heard, could be immediate or delayed)
3. Repeating same words/phrases to him/herself or other (i.e. preservative speech)
4. Difficulty understanding and following simple instructions; or, he/she may seem to understand a given instruction today but appears oblivious to its meaning tomorrow.
5. Disturbed sleep (inability to fall asleep, waking up during the night, staying awake for prolonged periods of time, needing much less sleep than expected)
6. High levels of distractibility
7. Limited awareness of dangerous situations
8. Mood swings that appear to be out of the blue or difficult to understand
9. Physical aggression that can be random and inexplicable
10. Self-injurious behavior (hitting head, biting hands, slapping face)
11. Over- or under- reactions to sensory input, e.g. high tolerance for pain, upset over noises, refusal to wear clothes of a certain texture or style etc
12. Limited food preferences
13. Inability to warm up to others no matter how much time had passed
14. For children aged five or older, there is a difficulty taking others’ perspective and understanding that others don’t think or feel exactly as they do (typical children under 5 year old have difficulty with this concept)

Alternative Intervention

Disclaimer: The alternative methods discussed herein are not, in anyway, enforced to parents whatsoever. These are some of the supplements some parents and doctors recommend and suggest. Should you chose to try any of these, please consult your child’s doctor beforehand.

What are the recommended supplement for kids within the ASD?

Some supplements are, but not limited to:

• Vitamin B6 and Magnesium
• Vitamin B12 and Glyconutrients
• Probiotics
• Melatonin
• Omega 3
• Glutathione
• Zinc

Vitamin B6 and Magnesium

Vitamin B6 and Magnesium are given by some parents to their kids with ASD for alleviating some autistic symptoms. Numerous researches about the effects of these two supplements have been conducted and showed that they do have some benefits.
For example, vitamin B6, which can also be referred to as pyridoxine, is responsible for more than 60 biological processes in the body. The human body converts this vitamin into pyroxidal-5-phosphate (also known as PLP) that breaks down proteins and releases energy from carbohydrates and starches that the body has taken.
Magnesium, on the other hand, is a mineral that is needed to keep every cell in the body healthy, as well as contributing to the proper functioning of the brain and muscle cells.
Some parents combine these two to serve as an alternative therapy for autism.
Here’s why:

• The enzyme that is needed to convert Vitamin B6 into PLP may not be working well to kids with autism. An additional dose of Vitamin B6 may prove to be beneficial to supply more PLP to the child’s body than what the child is regularly getting from his or her regular diet.
• Magnesium has a calming effect, as seen with kids with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
• These two are combined because some researchers say that magnesium eliminates the side effects of vitamin B6 treatment.

Contact your child’s pediatrician before giving your child any supplements.
For more questions about the topic and other related issues, feel free to contact us by clicking here.

Adapted from
http://autism.healingthresholds.com/therapy/vitamin-b6-and-magnesium

Vitamin B12 and Glconutrients

Vitamin B12 and Glyconutrients are given by some parents who believe that combining these two would provide remarkable benefits to their kids within the ASD.
Here’s why:

• Vitamin B12 helps kids with autism by maintaining them with healthy red blood cells and nerve cells
• It is also necessary for the production of the body’s DNA
• Glyconutrients allow intercellular communication within the cells of the body
• When glyconutrients are present, it was found that the body can recognize the nutrients better, like vitamin B12, therefore, allowing for the proper construction of the body’s DNA and for keeping healthy nerve and red blood cells
• Glyconutrients, which are Saccharides , are safe for diabetics and hyperglycemics do not have negative effects on a person’s blood sugar because they work on a cellular level

Probiotics

Probiotics are known to be live micro-organisms that benefit the person taking it. The World Health Organization defined probiotics as “Live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host”.
According to various research, probiotics have numerous health benefits, including:

• Managing lactose intolerance
• Prevention of Colon Cancer
• Lowering Cholesterol
• Lowering Blood Pressure
• Improving Immune Function
• Helps treat antibiotic-associated diarrhea
• Reducing inflammation
• Improving mineral absorption
• Preventing harmful bacterial growth under stress
• Reducing Irritable Bowel Syndrome and safe treatment of Colitis
• Managing urogenital health

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Probiotics

But how do probiotics particularly help kids with autism?
In a small research done in 2006, 40 children, ages 4 to 8 proved that it was so effective that it actually “failed.”
Half of these children received the actual probiotic substance, while the other half was given “mock” substance, meaning a substance that looked and tasted like the real one, but was fake. None of the parents of both half knew which group was given the real one or the fake one. This was done to prevent the possible subjective conclusion of people involved in the experiment (placebo).  The parents of the children from both groups were asked to record their children’s behavior during the research.
It seems that the results were too obvious. Those kids who received the real probiotics had dramatic changes in their behavior that they cannot keep secret anymore who received the real substance from the fake.
When it was time for the two groups to change substance to compare differences of effect, the parents of the children who received the real probiotics refused to switch with the ones who received the fake material because they didn’t want their kids to regress to their old behavior. Therefore, the experiment was a “failure,” but their objectives were met, that is, to see if probiotics have effects on children with autism.

The Principle Behind
Our body has trillions of bacteria. Most of these bacteria are found in the gut. Here, both good and bad bacteria dwell. The good ones keep the bad ones from completely over-producing and therefore cause infection and illness. When this imbalance happens, the immune system weakens as well, making the person more susceptible to sickness.
Now, according to Prof Glenn Gibson at Reading University, UK, kids with autism often suffer from bowel conditions and may have higher amount of “bad” bacteria called clostridia than most kids.  Taking probiotics aimed at replacing these bad bacteria with good ones.
It was revealed that the children who had the  real probiotics showed fewer signs of autism. Dr. Gibson speculated that the numerous amount of clostridia could be the cause of autism OR a contributing factor. He also added that if the gut is not behaving, you don’t behave as well.
Although probiotics have many benefits, like improving the immune system, it seems that it can also have positive effects on mood and behavior.

http://www.autism-nutrition.com/probiotics-for-autism.html

Melatonin

Body Clock
People generally have a pattern of sleep that tells when they should be sleeping and when they should be awake. This pattern is imprinted in our biological make up that it can be seen in different cultures and social settings, though this pattern can be usually ignored when we want to.
Some people, though, have sleep pattern problems, manifested by having difficulty sleeping in the night no matter how they try to sleep, while they may feel very weak, groggy and sleepy during the day. While this sleep pattern problem may not be common for lots of people, it seems that to kids with autism or those within the spectrum, it is.

Dysfunctional Body Clock of Kids with Autism
Almost all kids with Autism have irregular sleep patterns. They may wake up very early in the morning, say around 4:00 AM even if they slept late at about 11:00 PM. This pattern may happen in irregularities, meaning, there may not be a definite pattern in their sleep. Sometimes they would have the full eight hours of sleep without any problems at all, while sometimes the waking up in twilight hours happens more often.

The pattern of sleep we are talking about that is innate to almost every creature is actually dictated by a naturally occurring compound found within the pineal gland in our brain called melatonin. Most people would like to call melatonin as the human clock as it usually influences the body, causing sleepiness in particular times of the day.

While kids within the autism spectrum usually exhibits disruptive behaviors, like throwing tantrums, hyperactivity, and defiant behaviors, some speculate that these behaviors may be caused by lack of sleep if not contributing to it. It was also found out they may have lower than normal levels of melatonin. A 2008 study also showed that parents of kids with ASD also show this low level melatonin content in the body.

Melatonin as Clock Fixer and Health Provider
With these speculations and conclusions, melatonin has been suggested by some physicians and tried by some parents as an alternative and supplementary therapy for autism.

Though it was primarily used as a supplement to regulate sleep, it gave a rather more benefit to autistic kids. Here’s why:

• Behavior of some autistic kids became better; whether it is because they were more well-rested or melatonin directly influenced their behavior remain to be in research, but the result with autistic kids seem to be favorable.
• Melatonin also has powerful antioxidants. These antioxidants have tremendous health benefits, like disease treatment and disease prevention
• It may help in processes of learning and memory as it is used to treat Alzheimer’s Disease
• Several clinical studies show that melatonin is an effective preventive treatment for migraines and cluster headaches
• It is also used to treat mood disorders and one form of depression called seasonal affective disorder and is being considered for bipolar and other disorders where sleep problems are involved
• Melatonin in the gall bladder helps regulate cholesterol
• It regulates body weight and may be helpful in treating obesity together with calcium

http://www.udaan.org/drugs/autrx2.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melatonin

Omega 3

Omega 3 is a family of fatty acids that is needed by the body for a number of health benefits. Generally, Omega 3:

• Stimulates blood circulation
• Reduces blood pressure
• Reduces secondary and primary heart attack
• Might be helpful in alleviating depression and anxiety
• Might prevent Cardiovascular disease
• Improves immune function
• Promotes proper cellular function
• Helps proper function of the brain cells by enhancing brain cell membranes
• Maintains energy levels
• Normalizes blood sugar
• Assisting concentration and mental clarity
• Promoting healthy skin by eliminating eczema
• Reducing Inflammation
• Ease anxiety and depression
• Treats aggression
• Increases language and learning skills, as some research say

Here are more trivia tidbits we ought to know about these healthy fatty acids:

• Although our body needs it, we cannot produce it. That is why we need to have it through other means, like eating food rich in Omega 3. A good example are certain types of fishes
• A balance ratio of 1:1 between Omega 6 and Omega 3 should be maintained if optimum effect is to be expected; one example is, Omega 6, though has its benefits on its own, promotes inflammation, whereas Omega 3 reduces the risk of it
• It was found out that kids in the Autism Spectrum Disorder has low amounts of Omega 3 than most kids
• Low levels of Essential Fatty Acids, like Omega 6 and Omega 3, are associated with a wide range of psychological disorders, like depression, post-partum disorder, bipolar (manic/depression) and Rett’s Syndrome, a case similar to autism.
• Studies have found that two months of fish oil supplement rich in DHA improved social skills, both in adults and in children within the ASD
• There are three types of essential fatty acids that the body need
  • Alpha-linolenic acid or ALA
  • Eiscosapentaenoic acid or EPA
  • Docosahexaenoic acid or DHA
• What the body gets from outside sources is actually ALA. The body then converts it to EPA and DHA so that we benefit from it.

However, there are some hazards that we need to consider before giving Omega 3 in our kids:

• Fish and fish oil supplements may contain harmful contaminants, including mercury, dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB’s).
• Mercury, most importantly, is a toxin in the body because it cannot be absorbed in anyway. It produces mental disability and other harmful effects
• For fishes caught in the wild, the Environmental Protection Agency of the US suggest that a 6-ounce meal per week for pregnant and nursing women and 2-ounce meal per week for children.
• For farm-raised, imported or marine fishes, the US EPA recommends total abstinence from eating fish with high-mercury content, like mackarel, shark, swordfish or tilefish and 12-ounce per week of other fish types

Glutathione

Glutathione is a natural antioxidant found in the body that helps in the maintenance of the body’s well-being by combating toxins and flushing them out.

Glutathione’s General Functions
There are innumerable benefits that can be derived from glutathione. This is primarily because of its function in the body, like:

• Directly helping in the eradication of free radicals and maintaining outside sources of antioxidants, such as vitamins C and E
• Detoxifying the body from foreign compounds and cancer-producing carcinogens, both organic and inorganic
• Being essential to the body to keep the immune system in its fullest potential
• Since it is responsible to many reactions in the body, every system in it can be affected by Glutathione, like the immune system, the nervous system, the gastrointestinal system and the lungs

Its Benefits

• Glutathione protects the body from damages caused by cigarette smoking, exposure to radiation, cancer chemotherapy, and alcohol. It also helps in the treatment of blood and liver problems by detoxifying the body from heavy metals and drugs.
• It protects not only individual cells but tissues of various internal organs, like arteries, brain, heart, the immune cells, the kidneys, lenses of the eyes, liver, lungs and skin against oxidant damage.

Most of the body’s glutathione is found in the liver; from there, it detoxifies the body of harmful substances then flushes them out by the bile. Some of it, however, are released directly from the liver and into the body’s bloodstream by strengthening the red blood cells while protecting the white blood cells.

Glutathione can also be found in the lungs and intestinal tract to help out in carbohydrate metabolism. It also helps in slowing down aging by breaking down oxidized fats that contribute in aging. It was also found out that as we get older, the levels of glutathione in our body decreases. So that means, increasing the amount of glutathione in the body, in supplement form or another substance that helps the body increase it, will really help in slowing down aging.

Problems of Glutathione Deficiency
Some of the effects of deficiency in glutathione content in the body are coordination problems, mental disorders, tremors, twitching, nervous system disorder and balance difficulty. The deficiency may be attributed to lesions in the brain.

Glutathione and Autism
There has been some parents, research institutions and doctors who are looking at Glutathione as a treatment (not a cure) for autism. For example, the Kosair Children’s Hospital and the University of Lousiville are planning a study about Glutathione and its effects in Autism. The medical director of Kosair Children’s Hospital, Dr. Stephen Wright  did a little experiment with three kids with autism; two of them showed remarkable results. This has been inspired by the experience shared by the Riggle Family.
Mrs. Riggle said that the glutathione treatment helped their child’s own glutathione production increase and they attribute some of their son’s remarkable progress because of it.
Dr. Wright is optimistic about it, but doesn’t want parents to rely too much on it unless thorough research and study has proven its efficacy.
Glutathione can be taken as a supplement, but experts suggest that the best way to get enough of it is taking substances that helps increase the glutathione production of the body, rather than taking it as a supplement alone.

Growing Interest
Because of these issues, various autism societies and communities consider Glutathione treatment as one of the “Hot Topics” in conferences and symposiums. What Glutathione can do to kids with Autism is still a complex process. It is not a perfect solution nor a cure. But it could be an important piece of what may not be working well within the system of an Autistic child.