Autism Contributions by sshowalter

The spirit section for autism comprises energetically oriented treatments that have to do with intention, energy healing, prayer, and in some cases god. These terms may be volatile for some, and for others they resonate. Some of these treatments have proven to be profoundly healing for certain individuals. Though some people are skeptical, prior notions of these words should be set aside when reading about these spiritual healing treatments, as many of the are truly incredible!

Many of the treatments that live in other sections on FoundHealth could easily live in this “Spirit” section as well. For example, Yoga for Autism, though a treatment that mostly involves the body, certainly has spiritual undertones and components to its practice.

So take a look at which spirit treatments have been used for autism, or add any that are missing!

For those with the ability to stick with it, yoga can be extremely helpful in treating some symptoms of autism; individuals with autism can sometimes (often with practice) can learn to benefit the calming aspects of yoga, as well as work their muscles in new and healthy ways.

Since people with autism can be very sensitive to touch, acupuncture might be a tough sell. Regardless, if they can withstand the treatments, acupuncture can actually help to lessen some of the symptoms of autism.

Some physicians involved with natural medicine believe that autism spectrum disorder, as well as many other illnesses, are caused by genetic defects in the body that interfere with the metabolism of certain nutrients. For example, there is some evidence that children with autism spectrum disorder may have trouble metabolizing vitamin B6.¹⁸ Based on this theory, various supplements have been advocated for the treatment of autism.

Additionally, it has been suggested that food additives, food allergies, or other dietary factors may play a role in autism spectrum disorder, but meaningful supporting evidence for this theory has not been presented. One very small, but well-designed study failed to find benefit through eliminating gluten and casein from the diet.¹⁹ The study followed a double-blind design; interestingly, parents generally thought they saw improvement, but perceived improvements were equally divided between the treatment group and the placebo group. And a 2008 review of all published randomized trials on the subject found no convincing evidence that the elimination of gluten and/or casein from the diet of autistic children lead to any significant improvement.²⁰

It has been suggested that food additives, food allergies, or other dietary factors may play a role in autism spectrum disorder, but meaningful supporting evidence for this theory has not been presented. One very small, but well-designed study failed to find benefit through eliminating gluten and casein from the diet.¹⁹ The study followed a double-blind design; interestingly, parents generally thought they saw improvement, but perceived improvements were equally divided between the treatment group and the placebo group. And a 2008 review of all published randomized trials on the subject found no convincing evidence that the elimination of gluten and/or casein from the diet of autistic children lead to any significant improvement.²⁰

References:

Autism spectrum disorders (pervasive developmental disorders). National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) website. Available at: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/autism-spectrum-disorders-pervasive-developmental-disorders/index.shtml . Updated April 2008. Accessed September 11, 2008.

Autism Society of America. Autism 101 course. Autism Society of America website. Available at: http://www.autism-society.org/site/PageServer?pagename=about_course . Accessed June 15, 2010.

Behrman RE, et al. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 18th ed. Philadelphia: Saunders, 2007.

DynaMed Editorial Team. Autistic disorder. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: http://www.ebscohost.com/dynamed/what.php . Updated September 13, 2010. Accessed September 14, 2010.

Dufault, Renee, et al. "A Macroepigenetic approach to identify factors responsible for the autism epidemic in the United States". Clinical Epigenetics 4, no. 6 (10 April 2012).

Goetz CG. Goetz’s Textbook of Clinical Neurology.3rd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Saunders; 2007.

Jacobson JL, Jacobson AM. Psychiatric Secrets. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Hanley & Belfus, 2001.

National Center on Birth Defects and Environmental Disabilities. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/ . Accessed June 23, 2008.

Neonatal encephalopathy. Newborn Services Clinical Guideline website. Available at: http://www.adhb.govt.nz/newborn/guidelines/Neurology/NE.htm . Updated November 2004. Accessed June 16, 2010.

Rapin I. An 8-year-old boy with autism. JAMA. 2001;285:1749-1757.

Stern TA, et al. Massachusetts General Hospital Comprehensive Clinical Psychiatry. 1st ed. Philadelphia, PA: Mosby Elsevier; 2008.

Parker SK, Schwartz B, Todd J, Pickering LK. Thimerosal-containing vaccines and autistic spectrum disorder: a critical review of published original data. Pediatrics.2004;114(3):793-804.

Wilson K, Mills E, Ross C, McGowan J, Jadad A. Association of autistic spectrum disorder and the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine: a systematic review of current epidemiological evidence. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med.2003;157(7):628-634.

It is possible to develop autism with or without the risk factors listed below. However, the more risk factors you have, the greater your likelihood of developing autism. There is no way known to modify your child's risk for autism.

Genetic Factors

Genetics is believed to play a role in the risk of autism because the condition is more common in:

• Families
• Identical twins

Recent studies have linked deletions in a section of chromosome 16. This chromosome abnormality may account for a small percentage of autism cases.

Gender

Caucasian males are more likely to be affected by autism than females. When girls are affected, though, they may have more profound symptoms.

Age of Parents

Older parents (eg, mother's age over 35) may have a higher risk of having a child with autism.

Medical Conditions

Autism occurs more frequently in children with rare genetic disorders or other medical conditions, including:

• Tuberous sclerosis—A rare, multi-system genetic disease that causes benign tumors to grow in the brain and on other vital organs such as the kidneys, heart, eyes, and skin. It commonly affects the central nervous system and results in a combination of symptoms including seizures, developmental delay, behavioral problems, skin abnormalities, and kidney disease.
• Fragile X syndrome —A hereditary disorder of the X chromosome. It is the most common cause of inherited mental retardation.
• Neurofibromatosis —A genetic disorder of the nervous system. It causes tumors to grow on the nerves in any part of the body. Neurofibromatosis can also produce other abnormalities, such as changes in the skin and deformed bones.
• Phenylketonuria (PKU) —A genetic disorder of the enzyme that breaks down phenylalanine, which is an amino acid found in certain foods. Without a proper diet, PKU can lead to intellectual disability.
• Problems during pregnancy or delivery, including rubella. —Rubella is a mild, highly contagious illness that is caused by a virus. It is characterized by a rash, swollen glands, and joint pain. If a pregnant woman has rubella, it can cause birth defects in her baby. Other possible risk factors include breech delivery and birth at less than 35 weeks gestation.
• Epilepsy —The term “epilepsy” refers to any disorder characterized by recurrent seizures. During a seizure, you may lose consciousness, stare into space, have convulsions (abnormal jerking of the muscles), or experience abnormalities of sensation or emotion.
• Tourette’s syndrome
• Newborn encephalopathy—This is a syndrome of disturbed brain function that includes breathing difficulties, problems with reflexes, seizures, and other symptoms.
• Moebius syndrome, cytomegalovirus, herpes encephalitis—These are sometimes listed as associated conditions.
• Birth defects—Birth defects may also predispose a child to developing autism.
• ADD/ADHD - 31% of children with autism also meet diagnostic criteria for ADHD
• Maternal dysbiosis - During childbirth, beneficial bacteria are passed from mother to child. These bacteria are the building blocks of both the digestive and the immune system. A link has been observed between an imbalance in gut flora in mothers and the presence of autism in children. It is known as Gut and Psychology Syndrome, or GAPS.

There has also been a lot of press attention claiming links between vaccines and autism, as well as growing concern about high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and its possible causal role. Fetal and early childhood mercury exposure have also been linked to autism.

18. Adams JB, Holloway C. Pilot study of a moderate dose multivitamin/mineral supplement for children with autistic spectrum disorder. J Altern Complement Med. 2005;10:1033-9.

19. Elder JH, Shankar M, Shuster J et al. The Gluten-Free, Casein-Free Diet In Autism: Results of A Preliminary Double Blind Clinical Trial. J Autism Dev Disord. 2006 Mar 23 [Epub ahead of print].

20. Millward C, Ferriter M, Calver S, Connell-Jones G. Gluten- and casein-free diets for autistic spectrum disorder. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2008;(2):CD003498.

17. Field T, Lasko D, Mundy P, et al. Brief report: autistic children's attentiveness and responsivity improve after touch therapy. J Autism Dev Disord. 1997;27:333–338.

Massage therapy might also be helpful for autism spectrum disorder, according to one small controlled study.¹⁷

16. Chez MG, Buchanan CP, Aimonovitch MC, et al. Double-blind, placebo-controlled study of L-carnosine supplementation in children with autistic spectrum disorders. J Child Neurol. 2002;17:833–837.

An eight-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 31 children found preliminary evidence that the supplement carnosine at a dose of 400mg twice daily might be helpful for autism spectrum disorder.¹⁶

L-Carnosine is a substance manufactured in the human body, made by combining the amino acids alanine and histidine. The highest levels of carnosine are found in the brain and nervous system, the lens of the eye, and skeletal muscle tissue. Its exact function in the body is not known.

There is no doubt that it's important to get enough of all necessary nutrients. However, the process of determining proper daily intake levels for vitamins and minerals is far from an exact science and the recommendations issued by experts in various countries often disagree to a certain extent.

In general, while it is fairly easy to determine the minimum nutrient intakes that are necessary to avoid frank malnutrition, there's no straightforward way to determine optimum intake levels. Furthermore, individual needs undoubtedly vary based on numerous factors, including age, genetics, lifestyle, other foods in the diet, and many additional environmental influences; no schedule of official recommendations could possibly take all these factors into account, even if all the necessary data existed (which it doesn't).

Thus, all recommendations for daily nutrient intake must be regarded as approximate. The individual supplement articles in this encyclopedia summarize the current US recommendations.

Common Nutritional Deficiencies

Severe deficiencies of vitamins or minerals are rare in the developed world. However, evidence suggests that slight deficiencies in certain nutrients may be relatively common. These include calcium, chromium, folate, magnesium, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin B12 (primarily in the elderly), vitamin D, vitamin E, and zinc. Many of these deficiencies can indeed be true for people with autism as well.

18. Adams JB, Holloway C. Pilot study of a moderate dose multivitamin/mineral supplement for children with autistic spectrum disorder. J Altern Complement Med. 2005;10:1033-9.

One small study found that use of a multivitamin/multimineral supplement improved sleep and gastrointestinal problems in people with autistic spectrum disorder to a greater extent than placebo.¹⁸

There is no doubt that it's important to get enough of all necessary nutrients. However, the process of determining proper daily intake levels for vitamins and minerals is far from an exact science and the recommendations issued by experts in various countries often disagree to a certain extent.

In general, while it is fairly easy to determine the minimum nutrient intakes that are necessary to avoid frank malnutrition, there's no straightforward way to determine optimum intake levels. Furthermore, individual needs undoubtedly vary based on numerous factors, including age, genetics, lifestyle, other foods in the diet, and many additional environmental influences; no schedule of official recommendations could possibly take all these factors into account, even if all the necessary data existed (which it doesn't).

Thus, all recommendations for daily nutrient intake must be regarded as approximate. The individual supplement articles in this encyclopedia summarize the current US recommendations.

Common Nutritional Deficiencies

Severe deficiencies of vitamins or minerals are rare in the developed world. However, evidence suggests that slight deficiencies in certain nutrients may be relatively common. These include calcium, chromium, folate, magnesium, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin B12 (primarily in the elderly), vitamin D, vitamin E, and zinc. Many of these deficiencies can indeed be true for people with autism as well.

10. Rimland B, Callaway E, Dreyfus P. The effect of high doses of vitamin B 6 on autistic children: a double-blind crossover study. Am J Psychiatry. 1978;135:472–475.

11. Nye C, Brice A. Combined vitamin B 6 -magnesium treatment in autism spectrum disorder (Cochrane Review). Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2002:CD003497.

12. Findling RL, Maxwell K, Scotese-Wojtila L, et al. High-dose pyridoxine and magnesium administration in children with autistic disorder: an absence of salutary effects in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study. J Autism Dev Disord. 1997;27:467–478.

13. Tolbert L, Haigler T, Waits MM, et al. Brief report: lack of response in an autistic population to a low dose clinical trial of pyridoxine plus magnesium. J Autism Dev Disord. 1993;23:193–199.

A double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study found indications that very high doses of vitamin B6 may produce beneficial effects in the treatment of autism spectrum disorder.¹⁰ Again, however, this study was small and poorly designed; furthermore, it used a dose of vitamin B 6 so high that it could cause toxicity.However, the two reasonably well-designed studies using combined vitamin B 6 and magnesium have failed to find benefits.^11–13 Therefore, it isn’t possible at present to recommend vitamin B 6 with or without magnesium as a treatment for autism spectrum disorder.