What is Autism?
Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by developmental delay, speech delay, decreased socialablity, stereotypical movements (ie; body rocking, head banging, hand flapping), self stimulatory behavior, and sensory integration issues. In addition to the characteristic symptoms, many children on the spectrum present with additional complaints including, but not limited to, digestive complaints, immune dysregulation, skin complaints (eczema, bumpy skin on the back of the arms), sleep disturbances, and allergies or sensitivities to food and/ or the environment.
How is Autism diagnosed?
Autism can be diagnosed best by a family pediatrician/ doctor, developmental pediatrician, neurologist, or pediatric psychologist that utilize the standardized tools to assess for the three basic criteria, or behavioral impairments/ dysfunctions that distinguish autism from other developmental disorders: 1. impaired social interaction, 2. impaired communication and 3. restricted and/ or repetitive interests and activities. Autism is usually diagnosed before the age of three and is often recognized by caregivers or parents as delays in their "social interaction, language as used in social communication, or symbolic or imaginative play" (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders). The severity of autism can vary greatly, from the more mild high functioning autism or Asperger's to the more severe PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder).
Is Autism Treatable?
The more we learn about autism the more understand that it is a constellation of symptoms with multiple triggers. With genetic and environmental (both internal and external) influences it can be challenging to isolate one specific cause of your child's symptom picture. More often than not, there are multiple factors that have shaped the development of autistic behaviors. Through extensive history evaluation and laboratory testing we can target specific pathways that may be running slowly (genetics) with orthomolecular medicine (the therapeutic use of vitamins and minerals) to support optimal utilization of nutrition. We can also eliminate toxic influences (from food, infectious processes, heavy metal toxicities) thereby decreasing the total load on the body which can be appreciated as a decrease in the characteristic autistic behaviors. Put another way, once the inside environment is less distracted with slow pathyways and toxicity then the child can handle more of their external environment and is less overstimulated. Each child is an individual and not every child responds to every treatment. Some children do lose thier diagnosis of autism, while others maintain a diagnosis with a decrease in severity. In essence, with biomedical interventions most children will have improvements in their co-morbid symptoms (digestive complaints, sleep disturbances etc...) and many will show some kind of improvement in the degree of their autistic symptoms. Biomedical interventions do not guarantee a cure for your child but it does offer hope for improvement and a decrease in your child's complex individual complaints.