Help With Autism

When you consider how little autism information we have, it can be somewhat discouraging. Nobody knows what causes the spectrum of disorders and there isn’t even a clear set of symptoms. But if you read autism news, you’ll see that every week new findings are being made that give us reason to be optimistic about the future of autism treatment. Just in the last month, we’ve seen several new methods for testing autism arise, and there was another new one out today.

Researchers in Britain recently used a brain scan to correctly diagnose autism in over 90 percent of adults. More research will be needed before this becomes a common practice of course, but if physicians adopt the technology, it will be possible to test for autism in just 15 minutes. The scientists are planning to try the tests on children and say the technology could be ready for use by the public in the next few years.

Identifying autism early is essential to treating the disorder and providing help and resources to those parenting a child with autism. As such, scientists are always looking for early indicators of autism. The baby babble, which we all find so adorable, could actually be one of these crucial indicators. Researchers have created a program that they believe could help identify autism in toddlers by differentiating the speech of toddlers with autism and those without.

For the study, researchers place a small voice recorder in the pocket of over 200 young children, recording 12 hours of audio per day for six to eight days. Autistic children generally form jumbled syllables for a longer period than other children do, and the software works to identify these anomalies. Preliminary research found the software to be correct in 85 percent of its identifications.

For parents seeking out autism information online, one thing is for sure: there is a lot of it. And while this can be helpful for those who are unfamiliar with the disease, much of what is reported and prescribed is pure speculation from unqualified sources. The internet is rife with alternative treatments and cure-all claims, but be wary of where your information comes from. I am going to discredit myself a little bit, but the most reliable information will typically come from sites with the .gov or .edu suffix.

Before you try a treatment you discover online, be sure to consult with your physician. That being said, there are some noninvasive measures with little downside that may be worth trying. One of the most popular theories on autism treatment centers on holding the child and creating boundaries around their body. Many claim that this helps develop a bond between the parents and the child while stimulating the child’s brain. Weighted blankets, which utilize the same principles of security, are available as well.

It seems like everyday there is a new study released that sheds more light on the autism mystery. But with every new discovery, more questions are being raised—it’s as if autism is the hydra of the medical world. With so many different theories pointing to separate causes of autism, it appears that scientists may never be able to pinpoint a singular cause of the spectrum of disorders.

A recent study by Dr. Ditza Zachor of the Sackler School of Medicine at Tel Aviv University found that there is a strong correlation between mild to moderate autism and in vitro fertilization. Dr. Zachor found that 10.5% of the 461 children with autism that she studied were conceived through in vitro fertilization. In the general Israeli population, the autism rate is just 3.5%.

In the last few weeks, we have been writing on the developments in the vaccination and autism study that was retracted by The Lancet. The study, which led countless parents to forego the MMR vaccine, was the main point of reference for a link between vaccination and autism. In the next couple of months, a new study will be released that further disproves the vaccination/autism causation.

That still leaves many parents feeling distraught and searching for reliable autism information and answers. Researchers at UC-Davis believe that they may have uncovered one of the contributing factors of the disease: parental age. Following an investigation of over 5 million Californian births in the 1990s, researchers have concluded that older mothers and fathers are more prone to giving birth to autistic children.

For over a decade MMR vaccinations—those preventing the measles, mumps and rubella—have been considered one of the possible causes of autism. This hypothesis was generated by Dr. Andrew Wakefield and two other researchers who were then employed at the Royal Free Hospital’s medical school in London. Since this finding, there was been significant controversy surrounding the validity of the study and the practices involved in garnering the research.

This week, the General Medical Council ruled that Wakefield was guilty of serious professional misconduct. Some of the allegations against Wakefield include dishonesty in the report and invasive testing methods. Wakefield runs the risk of being struck off of the medical register because of the ruling. In the years since his report, vaccination rates have fallen significantly, which has led to a rise in measles cases.

As most parents of an autistic child would readily attest, the disorder makes kids very particular and oftentimes compulsive about the smallest organizational details. In the mind of an autistic child, order and predictability are very important. Even slight deviations from the norm can be upsetting, and they can set behavioral patterns back as well. That’s why decorating an autistic child’s bedroom is such a delicate process.

Pamela Downing of the Brownsville Herald suggests a few tips for attempting the task. The idea, according to Downing, is to keep the room’s organization simple and well defined. Depending on the child’s age, a play center and work area should be set apart and even labeled if necessary. The play center will be the area where the child plays with his favorite toys, and the work center should be used for completing homework assignments, using a computer and so on.

It’s crucial for parents to seek out as much autism education as possible in order to learn about how to cope with the disorder. Making special accommodations – like the setup of a bedroom – isn’t the half of it, however. Parents should explore treatment options even outside the realm of traditional medicine, always searching for a treatment that’s effective for their child. Remember that the earlier autism is diagnosed, the sooner it can be treated and its effects reversed.

Autistic kids truly are creatures of habit – to the extent that minor deviations from a set routine can trigger temper tantrums and full-on freakouts. Luckily the Autism Society has offered a series of tips for family members dealing with autistic kids during Thanksgiving, Hanukkah and Christmas. Kids with the disorder generally like to be kept aware of what is going on around them. It’s up to each parent’s discretion as to when to tell kids about the impending holiday plans.

Seemingly minor household changes – including the presence of visitors and decorations – can be troubling to a child with an autism spectrum disorder. Try involving them in the process of decorating the house or picking out a Christmas tree so that they won’t be shocked to discover a jarring difference in the way the home looks. Since autistic kids often become fixated on receiving particular gift items, it’s best to negotiate with them about the number of times it’s permissible to mention the gift.

Seeing distant relatives and acquaintances can be problematic for an autistic child as well. According to most articles on autism, you should prepare the child well before the visitors arrive. Bring out a photo album and reintroduce the family members to your child gradually and repeatedly. By the time they show up for the holidays, your child will be mentally and emotionally prepared for company.

We spend so much time highlighting the symptoms and potential treatment options for autism on this blog that the rest of the autism spectrum disorders occasionally go unacknowledged. The fact is that parents of children with Asperger syndrome can be equally distressed and frustrated as they try to diagnose the disorder and seek a cure.

Asperger’s is unlike autism in that a child’s linguistic and mental development continue unabated by the disorder. But as soon as the child is put into a social setting, the disorder makes its presence felt fast. Kids with Asperger’s tend to be loners as their disorder often prevents them from demonstrating empathy for others. They instead seem to lack any social graces that would come naturally to other children: making eye-contact, displaying an interest in others, appropriate facial expressions and so on.

As is the case with other disorders on the autism spectrum, some medical professionals have theorized a link between thimerosal – a mercury-based preservative used in some vaccines – and the onset of Asperger’s. The onus is on parents of afflicted children to seek out as much autism information as possible – both online and from trusted physicians – before seeking a remedy.

The birth of a child is supposed to be one of the highlights of a mother’s life. It offers her a chance to display a whole new side – that of caregiver and nurturer. Unfortunately, the joys of childbirth are occasionally tempered by disturbing circumstances. When children are found to have birth defects, parents immediately think of all of the special care and costs associated with the condition.

Although the precise cause of most birth defects is difficult to pinpoint, there are a number of well-known risk factors that have been shown to be contributors. For example, women with high rates of exposure to heavy metals during pregnancy put their unborn children at significant risk. The effects of birth defects mercury poisoning causes are lasting and far-reaching.

Luckily, the general awareness about mercury and its dangers to humans is more widespread these days than ever before. Mercury exposure is rare, but an overabundance of seafood – especially shark, swordfish, halibut, salmon and canned tuna – can cause harm to pregnant women. After childbirth, it’s crucial that parents pay close attention to the vaccines their kids receive. Mercury has been used as a vaccination preservative in the past, and parents can never be too careful.