|
Consensus
Raising
a child on the autism spectrum places extreme pressures and stress on
the whole family. If the parents cannot agree on an overall plan of
action, the problems will be compounded enormously for the parent trying
to recover their child. Also can extended family, early intervention, kindergarten,
school, etc. be relied on to maintain dietary restrictions? How will the
balance be met between the needs of the ASD child / children and other
neuro typical children in the family? Who will decide on the therapies
for the autistic child and will both parents agree? Will the whole
family join in eating a special diet designed for the one sick child?
These are some of the many and difficult questions that must be
addressed, preferably at the outset of treatment. One fact is very
clear: the sooner an effective and total intervention is established,
the better the outcome for the child with autism.
Learn
As Much As You Can
As
each child is unique as to their individual issues and needs, you are in
the unique position to determine what works best for your child. Most
practitioners have little experience in treating children on the autism
spectrum. By learning as much as you can, you it will quickly become
obvious whether a practitioner has the experience and knowledge to
effectively treat your child. This site was compiled so that parents
like yourself can quickly access reliable information and resources, to
give your child the best help that is currently available.
I
would recommend the following excellent DAN! video that explains Biomed
and diet to get a grasp of the basics:
http://www.talkautism.com/video/McDonnell/Maureen_McDonnell_DSL.wmv
Choose
A Biomedical Practitioner
Choose
a Biomedical Practitioner that you are comfortable with and is easily accessible,
as there will be plenty of questions that will need to be answered,
advice required and reassurance given that the path that you have taken
will help your child. If a practitioner tells you that they can cure
your child, turn around and leave, as your child needs a multimodality
approach and no one practitioner can do it all.
Initial
Test Considerations
Initial
testing is guided by the Biomedical practitioner treating the child. I
prefer non-invasive tests (urine, hair, stool) to blood testing as it is
less traumatic to the child and parent. Basic testing should include the
following:
Organic
Acid Testing -
to check for biochemical abnormalities
Gastrointestinal
Function - poor digestion and "leaky gut"
Stool
Analysis - to check for an imbalance of gut flora, pathogenic
bacteria, fungi or parasites
Hair
Analysis - for heavy metal toxicity and imbalances of minerals
A
Biomedical doctor will often also order the following blood tests:
FBE (Full Blood Examination), iron studies, TSH (thyroid), vitamin B12,
gliadin antibodies, zinc copper, viral titres.
Additional
Testing
Additional
testing that a Biomedical practitioner may consider, depending on the
child's clinical history. Many of the tests listed below may only be
ordered once treatment has been initiated to help refine the treatment
protocol:
Allergy
Testing - to see which foods your child may have allergies to. Often
useful for those children that don't appear to benefit from the GF/CF
diet, or who responded to at first but then regressed. Testing may
include IgG or IgE allergy testing or the ALCAT
Test (a new sensitive blood allergy test)
KUB
X-ray - to rule out faecal impaction. Some doctors may order an
abdominal X-ray.
Kryptopyrrole
- A test for pyroluria which is often found in people with ADHD,
schizophrenia, autism, bipolar disorder and depression
Amino
Acids (Blood) - to check for amino acid imbalances since these children
often have poor eating habits or poor digestion and absorption of
proteins
Fatty
Acid Analysis (Blood) - often indicated in ADD/ADHD or bi-polar children as treatment
with specific fatty acids may be helpful
Metallothionein
Dysfunction - metallothionein protects the body from the harmful
effects of oxidative stress, DNA damage, and the toxicity of heavy
metals
Thyroid
Function - a significant number of children suffer from hypothyroidism
despite normal TSH readings
Dietary
Modification
Many
if not most children respond favourably to:
-
Removal
of artificial colours and preservatives
-
A
gluten and or a casein free diet
-
Soy,
corn, phenols
(salicylates),
oxalates, etc may be an issue.
Avoid
replacing everything with rice
as in time your child may develop a sensitivity to rice. Therefore
rotate foods and explore alternatives like bean flour, amaranth and
quinoa.
Basic
Nutritional Supplementation
Multivitamin
Mineral Formula - a good quality multivitamin mineral formula not
containing copper and possibly iron. If the child reacts to the supplement,
individual vitamins, minerals may need to be supplemented.
Essential
Fatty Acids - usually supplied as a cod liver oil for the additional
benefits of vitamin A and D.
Additional
supplements such as vitamin B6, zinc and magnesium and a probiotic
if indicated from clinical history
Gastrointestinal
Repair
It
is imperative to repair any gastrointestinal inflammation, dysbiosis and
"leaky gut". Many behavioural issues are markedly improved
when the bowel is repaired and functioning properly
Addressing
Specific issues
There
are some issues that
parents consider a priority (sleep disturbances, aggression, eye
contact, etc) and if possible the practitioner will make this a short
term priority
Specific
Nutrients
Specific
nutrients can be prescribed individually for specific
symptoms or behaviours or can
be guided by the results of an Organic Acid
Test. Individual supplements
can also be compounded into a formula based specifically on the results
of tests like the Organic Acid Test. These tests are able to
individualize a formula based on your child's abnormal biochemistry
Other
Therapies
Homoeopathy
Applied
Behavioural Analysis (ABA)
Relationship
Development Intervention (RDI)
Kumon
|
