Jordan & Me


Autism:A Mother's Thoughts


Autism for many years was thought to be a psychological disorder caused by uncaring and unloving parents. Particularly on the part of the mother. It was thanks to Dr. Rimland that this was disproven. Autism is a complex neurological disorder that is believed to be caused by several imbalances in these children's bio-chemistry. Toxins introduced through vaccines and/or antibotics like augmenten seem to be the most common triggers referenced by parents with children with Autism.
In the case of my son, Jordan, I believe a HepB vaccine he received as a newborn triggered his Autism. My son, Joshua, however, was completely typical until approx. 18 months. It was around this time Joshua had a reaction to an antibiotic called Cezvill and during the same month received his MMR. It was a month later that I noticed Josh had quit speaking, was banging his head on objects, lining up cars, and began stemming with his hands. He also became tactile defensive, overly fearful of often,very common things. This is what convinced me of the link between vaccines and neurological disorders. It was at this time that I decided to stop vaccinating my children.

Josh and Jordan are both doing much better today but still have a host of difficulties that we as his parents have to deal with and try to manage. Jordan is still on the Autism Spectrum but is considered to be mildly impaired or a "High Functioning Autistic". He is highly verbal and very intelligent.
Joshua on the other hand has made quite a turn around. He is no longer considered to be "autistic" at all but is still quite the "sensory" kid. It is a delight to see the turn around he made with intensive early intervention before the age of 5. I just wish I had known what was going on with Jordan sooner but I still believe his prognosis is good over time.It is just going to take a lot of work. Parents , please don't wait ! Start intervening as soon as you know your child is suffering with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Early intervention before age five is key to recovery and improvement.
Since there is quite a bit of evidence that the toxic overload is affecting these children's bio-chemistry, immune function, and gastro-intestinal function there are quite a few tests that can be done to help pinpoint an individual child's difficulty. There are also quite a few doctors across the united states that specialize in helping these children. They are usually referred to as DAN! Doctors. DAN! Stands for "Defeat Autism Now" and is a protocol developed by doctors and researchers from around the world based on the best research available.

I am a big fan of DAN! And many children have completely recovered following this protocol. So, if you have the luxury and can do it, I highly recommend it. Below are a few links to some centers that do testing to help identify specific problems your child may be experiencing

Testing:

Great Plains Laboratory -- Provides a battery of test using blood, hair, stool and urine samples to determine bio-medical disturbances in our kids. Also, has a test to detect if gluten/casein maybe causing your child issues.


DAN! Doctors:

Northern Kentucky:

Dr. Maureen Pelletier , Living Longer Proactive Strategies for Health. Dr. Pelletier is the first DAN! Doctor available in the Northern Kentucky area. She is well respected and knows her stuff. If you are interested in researching the bio-medical approach to treating autism and are in the Northern Kentucky area then visit the Living Longer website at Living Longer for more information.


Florida:

Dr. Jeff Bradstreet--- Well respected DAN! Doctor in Florida.
The Good News Doctors



Tennessee:

Dr. Mary Megson and Michael Payne , Spectrum Biogenics
OK, I have to say something here even though I don't take my children to see Dr. Megson or Michael payne . I have seen them both speak ; however , and they are phenomenal and to date are accredited with the most recovered autistics compared to any DAN! doctor across the country. I am not sure what they are doing that the others are not but it is worth exploring. It appears they have the approach down very well and are keen at identifying specific challenges with each unique child. Even if you are not local to Franklin ,TN. , their site is worth visiting: Spectrum Biogenics

Utah:


Dr. David Voss , Children's Biomedical Clinic of Utah , Inc.Dr. David Voss


To locate a DAN! Practioner in your area , visit the following link on the Autism Research Institutes website:

Autism Research:

Special Diets:

Fiengold -- Eliminates artificial colors, artificial flavorings and artificial preservatives from the diet. Jordan is just began this diet last December. We haven't seem any dramatic results from it but will leave him on this diet anyhow because it is healthier for him and the family. Research has shown that many autistics are unable to effectively discreet toxins from their bodies causing them to collect throughout their bodies, which ultimately impairs bio-chemical processes,brain function , and sensory processing. These toxins can also cause damage to the blood brain barrier allowing the toxins to enter the brain which can ultimately cause central nervous system damage.
Unfortunately, artificial colors, artificial flavorings, and artificial preservatives are all derived from petroleum. Something I wouldn't feed to my dog let alone my children. That's just my opinion. It's up to you whether or not you decide to use this type of diet. By the way, this diet has been proven very effective for children with ADHD. Follow the link below to learn more about the Fiengold program:

Fiengold Program:


Gluten/Casein Free Diet (GF/CF Diet) -- This is a tougher diet to implement. Gluten is a protein found in Wheat and Casein is a protein found in Milk. Both of these proteins have a similar chemical structure and both often cause autistics gasto-intestinal trauma. it can also effect brain function in these children. It's unknown exactly why this happens but the theory is that the toxic build up in the body may be effecting naturally occurring bio-chemical processes. This may in turn affect enzymes production. It's possible these children either have reduced enzyme production or possibly some of the enzymes are formed incorrectly leaving them unable to adequately break down the protein. Whatever the case, some of these children cannot adequately break down gluten and casein into individual amino acids for proper absorption. Instead the proteins remain in small chains called peptides (several amino acids linked together).
Oddly enough these peptides act like 'Morphine'. For that reason, these peptides are often referred to as casomorphin and gliadorphin. No wonder so many of these children seemed spaced out or act strange. They are all doped up. Literally many of these children limit their diets so that they are only eating these substances. It may seem at first sight that simply eliminating milk and wheat wouldn't be that difficult but have you ever considered how many products actually contain milk and wheat? Unfortunately, there are a lot of them. Who ever would have thought that ketchup might have wheat in it. Believe it or not many ketchup products do, but there are a couple that are safe for this diet, like Hienz. For this reason, this diet significantly restricts food options and can be costly but the results are often worth it. About 50% of Autistic children will significantly improve. Another 25% will show some improvement. The other 25% will show no improvement at all. For that reason, I believe it's worth at least a six month trial for any autistic child

Gluten Free / Casein Free --- Offers a support group , a starter packet and a kids GF/CF snack pack and more....Worth looking into.... Also , offers a form of liquid calcium. It is important to supplement kids on a GF/CF diet with calcium since they will not receive an adequate source of calcium through their diets.
While your local health food store will carry many food items your child will be able to eat. It may be necessary to purchase some items through mail order. Here is a link to an online grocer that carries GF/CF foods:

Online Allergy Grocer

---Online Allergy Grocer , Miss Robens has many products that are GF , CF ,corn free , soy free,egg free and so on....


Other Diets parents report have helped:

  • Specific Carbohydrate Diet
  • Yeast Free Diet
  • Maker's Diet

Omega 3 Supplementation: -- Many of our kids will benefit from DHA and EPA or Omega 3 fatty acid supplementation. Cod Liver Oil is the most common way these kids are supplemented as long as the version you are providing your children is pure and toxin free. Some forms of cod liver oil can include toxins. I use Carlson's brand Cod Liver Oil since the fish they use come from cleaner water and the oil is regularly inspected for contaminants like mercury. This can usually be purchased through your local health food store but it can also be purchased through New Beginnings. You can also increase the amount of Omega 3 fatty acids by feeding them organic/natural meat or eggs. Here's a few links to companies that offer organic/all natural meat:


Vitamin 6/Magnesium supplementation --About 45% of our kids will improve when on high doses of vitamin B6/Magnesium. It isn't a cure but a child supplemented with high doses of B6 and magnesium may show decreased tantrums, improved eye contact, less aggression, improved awareness, etc…. It's unknown at this time why this works in a significant number of our children. It appears they just need higher amounts of B6 to function than the average person. I use this with Jordan and have noticed decreased tantruming, improved language, improved eye contact, and improved ability to follow directions. He also stems a lot less. An excellent supplier of a nice multi-vitamin that already contains the correct ratio of vitamin B6 to magnesium is Kirkman laboratories. They have a product called Super NuThera that actually comes in several forms and flavors. It also Fiengold and GF/CF friendly. I actually use this with all three of my children and they all take it readily. I use the liquid form and usually mix it with an equal amount of orange juice. It's a lot more expensive than your average multi-vitamin for kids but the supply you buy should last you several months and if it helps your child then it's well worth the cost. The good news is that Kirkmans offers a trial size for $3.25 plus shipping and handling on most of their supplements.Kirkman Labs


Music Therapy:

My son loves music , dancing , and singing. For that reason , music therapy has been very beneficial to him. We are currently taking him to Rising Star Studios in Northern Kentucky for music therapy.

Rising Star Studios is a non-profit organization dedicated to provide supports to meet the social needs of older youth and adults within autism spectrum and related disabilities. Our center contains a full - service art studio and gallery , dance studio , lending library , parents lounge , and computer classrooms.

        Rising Star Studios
        City of Covington
        638 Madison Avenue
        Covington, Kentucky 41011
        Rising Star Studios


We have also tried horseback riding therapy. There are several horseback riding therapist in the area. I highly reccomend it. It wasn't at all what I thought it would be. The kids really enjoy it and they incorporate all kids of training into the horseback riding sessions. You'll be surprised at the structure and how much the kids really get out of it. We ultimately decided on music therapy for Jordan because it works better for him considering his interests. There is definitely a noticeable difference in him if we stop. He doesn't seem quite as happy.

I also know parents who enroll their children in soccer , swimming , etc. as a form of therapy. Every child is different and do whatever works for your child.

Books:

  • Put of Sync Child---Explains Sensory Integration Dusfunction
  • Children with Starving Brains--- Explains the bio-medical approach in layman's terms. Excellent read!
  • Facing Autism---This book is an excellent overview of autism and every form of reliable treatment you can think of.
If you are going to read a book then start here !Facing Autism

These books are all available on Amazon .com. There are many many more and you will find references to books on many websites.
In summation there is a lot more I could add here. If you are new to the Autism diagnosis, then this can all be overwhelming. It's devasting enough having your child's dreams dashed with news of such a profound neurological disorder. Couple that with the overwhelming amount of information available , it can be difficult to digest. Find support , talk to other parents , attend conferences , and don't try to go at this alone. There are others out there that have gone before you. So, plug into a local support group. There are a couple of local support groups that I attend and highly recommend.


Thanks,

Toni L. Wade


www.website-hit-counters.com