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DIAGNOSIS “AUTISM”: A
MOTHER’S ADVICE
My youngest daughter, Raigan,
was diagnosed with autism when she was 23 months of age.
After hearing this diagnosis, I cried for days.
I wanted to hear that she had an infection or a medical condition that
was curable, get a prescription from the doctor, and in ten days she’d be all
better. Instead, I heard that
dreaded word, “Autism,” that made me cringe.
Hearing your child has autism is not what any parent wants to hear and in
the beginning, there can be more questions than answers.
There is still so much that doctors and therapists don’t know.
The question, “What can I do to help my child have some semblance of a
normal life?” becomes the topic of everyday thought and conversation.
Raigan
turned 3 in November 2006. She
currently has no usable language - Raigan lost her words after receiving her
18-month vaccinations. And, in
regards to what I believe may have caused Raigan’s autism – there are two
main contributing factors. First, I
believe Raigan received vaccinations when her body was too weak to process them.
And secondly, the constant need for antibiotics due to recurring ear infections
which began at one month of age. The
overuse of antibiotics can damage the gut lining which may lead to malabsorption
of nutrients, yeast overgrowth, and other negative side effects.
Vaccines aren’t a bad thing, they have a great purpose, but “one size
does NOT fit all.” A child who is
consistently sick is at risk of a reaction.
If you have a child who is consistently ill, wait until your child’s
immune system is stronger. Point:
Healthy child = healthy response. Sick
child = sick response.
The best advice for parents to
follow in regards to vaccinations is READ. Don’t
take a shot in the dark. Study what precautions can be taken to minimize the
risk of reactions to vaccinations which include, but are not limited to:
Educate yourself before your child is vaccinated; only
vaccinate a healthy child that is free of antibiotics (It takes
approximately 2 months for a person’s body to rid itself of antibiotics);
request single dose vials - they contain less to no preservatives which
may be harmful to the body; if you have a child who is consistently sick, delay
giving him/her vaccinations until his/her body and immune system is stronger (a
child’s immune system is not fully developed until age three); and last,
remember that too much of a good thing is not a good thing – meaning, break
them up – don’t allow your pediatrician to give too many vaccinations at one
time, especially if your child is not feeling up to par.
Allow your child to be given no more than 2 to 3 vaccinations in one
visit and come back at a later date if more are needed.
If your pediatrician doesn’t want to delay, but you believe it’s in
the best interest of your child to delay vaccinations, always go with your gut
instinct and find a new pediatrician – one who listens and responds to your
concerns. Never be afraid to
put your foot down when it comes to the well-being and health of your child
because no one knows your child better than you do – believe that.
Parents - I encourage you to
read all that you can. There is help
out there and the diagnosis of Autism is no longer a death sentence.
If your child has been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD),
there are many things you can do to help your child, but it takes research,
patience and perseverance. Go
online, search the web, find the right pediatrician (one who’s willing to go
the distance, not one who says “Nothing can be done”), go to the bookstore
for resources, then begin to put into practice what you learn.
From a gluten free/casein free diet, to the right vitamin supplements and
minerals, to cod liver oil, to chelation – there are so many things now
available to help recover our precious children.
And, often, it’s not just one of these, but rather, a combination of
many of these things accompanied with physical, occupational, speech, mild
hyperbaric oxygen therapy, and/or music therapy that often makes the most
difference with ASD children. 
Earlier this year, you could call Raigan’s name all day long and never get her
attention. She looked through us,
not at us. Her muscle tone was very
weak (sometimes a symptom of autism and, ironically, a symptom of
mercury-poisoning as well). She had
had many ear infections beginning very early in life - a common denominator
among many autistic children. About
75% of autistic children suffered from chronic ear infections during infancy and
early-childhood. And, I felt Raigan
had serious allergy problems, but we didn’t know how or what to eliminate from
her environment or from her diet for which she was reacting.
There were days when she would scratch at her eyes, face and head so
intensely, I feared she would physically hurt herself.
I had visited more than one allergist with the only outcome being high
doses of allergy medications, yet I was given no answers as to what was causing
her allergy symptoms.
In February 2006, we switched to
a gluten free/casein free (GF/CF) diet. And,
a warning to parents, you can transfer to this diet gradually to minimize
withdrawals. I’ve talked to
several parents who said they stopped the diet because their child actually
regressed. Unfortunately, these
children were not experiencing regression, they were experiencing withdrawals
from gluten and casein which to our child’s bodies is a drug.
Most autistic children cannot break down and properly digest gluten
(found in wheat, barley, oat & rye) and casein (milk & dairy).
These products can cause an opium-like affect on the brain of autistic
children making them feel foggy and leaving them unable to concentrate or focus.
A parent has to fully commit to this diet and give it time.
It can take as much as 6 to 9 months for the body to rid itself of gluten
and only about 3 days to purge casein. We
went full speed ahead with the diet and Raigan experienced horrible withdrawal
symptoms for close to 2 months, but when the fog lifted – wow! – She saw us
for the first time in months. I
cannot tell you how awesome it was to have my child look AT me again and
recognize me – it still brings tears to my eyes.
Also, prior to the diet change, Raigan’s stools were loose to wet -
always. Within 3 days of the diet
change, her stools were more normal, her ability to focus improved daily, and
her constant runny nose stopped constantly running. Gluten
and casein intolerance as well as other food sensitivities can cause diarrhea,
constipation, both or neither, as well as skin conditions like eczema and
changes in behavior. Point: It’s
worth researching food sensitivities.
Unfortunately, there has been no one therapy or dietary intervention that has
given us that miracle cure. Like
most autistic children, improvements have come from the use of many
interventions - the GF/CF diet, specific vitamin and mineral supplements, and a
variety of therapies mentioned above accompanied with education from special
schools that are trained to teach autistic children using Applied Behavior
Analysis (ABA) or other teaching techniques known to be successful in these
children. It’s finding the right
doctor – preferably a DAN! (Defeat Autism Now!) Doctor who will inform you,
guide you, and run the appropriate tests on your child to give you specific
answers about the underlying health of your child and how to improve his or her
health (a child who is physically ill whether they appear to be or not,
doesn’t feel much like learning, participating or focusing).
In March of 2006, after the
initial consultation with our DAN! Doctor, Dr. Julie A. Buckley of Pediatric
Partners of Ponte Vedra, we got the results from a 90-food sensitivity test to
discover that Raigan had multiple food allergies.
Expanding on the GF/CF diet, we eliminated those additional foods from
her diet and, yet again, she showed improvement.
In regards to the GF/CF diet and other food allergies, the most
informative and helpful book I have read is Special Diets for Special Kids
written by Lisa Lewis, Ph.D. If you
have a child with food allergies, I believe this book is a must-read.
This book not only has recipes to help you get started, but information
on hidden ingredients, yeast and bacteria in the stomach that can be a major
problem for autistic children, and so much more.
After the diet change and the
introduction of several vitamin and mineral supplements, Raigan’s progress
began to level off. We began mild
hyperbaric oxygen therapy in April 2006 with positive results.
After one visit in the hyperbaric chamber, Raigan stared directly at me
as we left the clinic that day and smiled at me in a way that I hadn’t seen
her smile in months. As we walked to
our car, I choked back tears feeling a renewed hope in my heart – I was slowly
getting my daughter back. Oxygen
therapy helped Raigan’s focus tremendously as well as her sleep patterns which
had been horrible (often sleeping only 2 to 4 hours a night, no naps).
In late June 2006, we began chelation (detoxification of heavy metals) in
hopes of seeing continued improvement in the months and years to come. Besides a
modified diet, oxygen therapy, chelation treatments, and supplements, we’ve
had Raigan in a variety of other therapies offered by the our state’s Early
Steps Program including physical, speech, occupational and early intervention
therapy. Everything has contributed
to Raigan’s improvement. She has
come a long way in a short time because we started intervention early and
strictly adhered to the advice of our DAN! Doctor.
Don’t Wait!
That’s the best advice. Autism
doesn’t improve or go away on its own. Children
don’t outgrow it without INTERVENTION, and the earlier you act, often the
quicker your child will respond and the possibility of permanent damage may be
avoided. Making the necessary
changes in your child’s diet, the multitude of supplements, the therapies –
it can all be overwhelming at first, but it gets easier with each passing day,
week, and month. And, the reward of
seeing the light bulb come back on inside your child’s mind is priceless.
Also, because the cost of treatment can add up quickly, there is
financial help available which varies by state.
INQUIRE. Go to or call your
Department of Health and ask if they offer programs for children with autism or
other developmental delays. Go
on-line to the different Autism societies for help and guidance.
You are not alone in this
battle.
If your child has been diagnosed
with ASD, Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD)/Not Otherwise Specified (NOS),
ADHD, Asperger’s, or you fear your child may be affected by one of these
disorders, I strongly believe a must-read is Children with Starving Brains: A
Medical Treatment Guide for Autism Spectrum Disorder by
Jaquelyn McCandless
,
MD.
Then, find a DAN! Doctor.
For a list of DAN! Doctors in your state, go to www.autismwebsite.com/ari/dan/dan.htm.
Also, there are many websites regarding Autism and Recovery, Vaccine
Injury, and the Gluten Free / Casein Free diet available that may be helpful to
you which include, but are not limited to: www.autismndi.com,
www.generationrescue.org, www.healing-arts.org/children,
www.tacanow.com, www.gfcfrecipes.com,
www.gfcfdiet.com, www.autismwebsite.com/ari/index.htm.
By: Kat M. S., the
mother of a recovering autistic child
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Click
here to watch clips from Flip This House featuring a hyperbaric chamber
Click here to read article
about Sylvester Stallone and his
use of a hyperbaric chamber
during the filming of ROCKY BALBOA
Click here to see pictures of
Mike Ashley's Racecar with the
Autism Awareness Ribbon
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