Autism and Supplementation

Supplements have become an important part of the health industry. There are literally thousands of products on the market that can give your body the added nutrients it needs. People with autism are especially prone to nutritional difficulties and it is important that they take supplements to achieve a balanced nutritional state.

The first step toward addressing autism and supplementation is to adopt a gluten and casein free diet. These proteins have been found to potentially worsen the symptoms of autism. In fact, gluten and casein, in many autistic children, have been found to help the brain produce natural opiates, making foods that contain them practically addictive!

Another important step is the implementation of a balanced and healthy diet. Remember, autistic children are influenced by routines, so if a healthy diet is instituted early and followed, autistic children will likely adhere to it.

It is also important to have the input of a doctor to determine if your autistic child is absorbing the proper amount of nutrients. Simple blood tests can determine nutrient levels and from this data a diet can be successfully adjusted to address any shortfalls. Defeat Autism Now! (DAN!) medical professionals are a good place to start because they have been especially trained to understand the challenges facing autistic children.

There is a list of common supplements that autistic children are often lacking or simply do not have at optimum levels. Selenium, calcium, magnesium, zinc, folinic acids, vitamins C and E, essential fatty acid, cod liver oil, taurine, and various amino acids.

When beginning a regiment of supplements, it is important to work them in slowly. It is equally important to document changes in behavior. Pay close attention to the effects of supplements on your child. Note any differences and prepare to discuss them with your doctor or nutritionist.

In terms of positive and negative effects that can result from the use of supplements, and a change in diet – they will not be easy to miss. Positive changes can include a reduction in the severity of behaviors. Many autistic children can show improvement in managing behaviors and social interaction. It is equally important to note regressions in behavior. If negative behaviors are observed, the supplement added should be reduced or eliminated. For the most part, negotiating the diet and supplementation of an autistic child is a trial and error undertaking. It is recommended that when first purchasing supplements you start with small packages. Buying in bulk can save you money in the long run, but if you buy a ton of a supplement that produces undesired results, you are stuck with useless product.

Should you chose to add supplements to your child’s diet, you will need to d so in a controlled manner. Don’t just dole out supplements on an experimental basis. Work with a doctor or a nutritionist to come up with a specific plan that is geared toward your child’s success. This regiment should include frequent tests for metal toxicity, stool analysis, and tests for various amino acids and peptides.

There is a lot to consider when choosing supplements for your child. This process is very important and can improve the overall quality of their life. Do not rush into the process and make sure you cover all the bases before proceeding. Give supplements time to work. Oftentimes, it takes time for the body to accurately process nutrients and for you to see any changes in behavior.



There are many more resources and information about diagnosing, controlling and treating Autism in, - The Essential Guide To Autism

Read More

How To Show Love To an Autistic Child

One of the most pervasive myths that surround autism is that a child who has it will never show affection and can’t accept getting affection from anyone. There have been literally piles of stories of parents taking their child to a psychologist and the doctor telling the parents that your child can’t possibly be autistic because he gives you a hug now and then. While this opinion is just flat wrong, studies have shown that autistic children do process sensory touch differently than a non-autistic child and that this is where the myth that autistic children don’t like to be touched comes from.

How to calm Syahmi?  Of course with 'Bantal Busyuk'

Autism and the way it affects kids really runs the gamut from light to severe. An excellent point to remember when dealing with an autistic child is that every single autistic child is different and will react to almost everything differently. Here are some tips for showing your autistic child affection, and remember, your experience may vary.


• Trial and error. For some kids with more severe autism, a simple, random hug can be sensory overload. They can become agitated, upset and even violent if they are touched without prior warning. You will probably need to have a trial and error approach when it comes to hugging and touching your autistic child. Some methods may be responded to in a positive way, other ways won’t be. You just have to try and see.


• Let the child come to you. If you think your autistic child needs a hug, instead of rushing into his personal space and just taking one, speak to the child, bend down to his/her level and open your arms. Smile and let the child know that they are loved and see what the response is. If they don’t come running in for a hug, don’t be offended, it may just not have been the right time for the child.


• Try hand signals. If your child is too sensitive to hugs or touches to show affection, you can try positive reinforcement in addition to hand singles. Things like a simple thumbs up accompanied by a smile and some positive comments can let the child know they are loved and what they did was good. You can also offer the child a chance to hug during these situations and they might just take you up on it.


• Make sure everyone is on the same page. If you, the parents, are starting to make progress on getting your autistic child to be more affectionate, you don’t need a sibling, teacher or grandparent who doesn’t know or understand your child’s boundaries messing up all of your hard work. If you’ve begun to implement an affection program with your autistic child, make sure everyone who would possibly try to hug or touch him/her knows the rules. Consistency and repetition are crucial to autistic kids, and this applies to a situation like this, as well.


Trying to figure out a puzzling condition like autism can be a lifelong challenge. For many parents, the affection issue may be the biggest. But with patience and learning to go by the child’s cues and not your own, you will be able to connect with your child in a deep and meaningful way.


There are many more resources and information about diagnosing, controlling and treating Autism in, - The Essential Guide To Autism

Read More

Autism Anxiety Overload

The renowned autism expert Tony Atwood is fond of putting it this way: “Autism is anxiety looking for a target.” Autism and anxiety go hand-in-hand. Autism affects a person’s ability to communicate with others or to understand the world around him, and that’s bound to cause anxiety and panic sometimes.

Anxiety becomes even worse when there is a change in the autistic child’s routine. Even positive and “fun” changes, like a school field trip or a visit to the zoo, can increase anxiety and aggressive behaviors.

For parents, the best course of action is to anticipate upcoming changes and help your child prepare for them. Many parents find it helpful to use stories and pictures to prepare children for impending disruptions. If it’s a field trip to the zoo, for example, use pictures to show your child what he’ll see at the zoo, what the zoo will be like, and what sort of things to expect. Do this each day for three or four days prior to the trip. That way, when the trip actually happens, the child won’t be entirely out of his element, but will already understand and appreciate some of what will be happening.

Other changes in the routine are less enjoyable but still necessary. Getting a new teacher can be traumatic, as can moving to a new house. If at all possible, try to spread out the major changes. If you move to a new house, try to do it during the summer, so that your child won’t have to deal with the added anxiety of getting a new school and new teacher mid-year.

You can also introduce your child to the concept of “change” in a positive way by practicing with non-negative things. For example, just for practice, give him a little extra TV time instead of homework time one night, to show that changes in the routine can often be fun and good. Then practice with a neutral change (homework after dinner instead of before dinner), then with a negative one (changing play time into chore time). This process can help your child grow accustomed to the idea of change and learn to adapt without becoming anxious.

For continual, ongoing anxiety, many parents have begun using anti-anxiety medications for their autistic children. Usually, the medications are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), and are also used for obsessive-compulsive disorder and depression. Prozac, Luvox, Zoloft and Anafranil are all common for anxiety in autistic children.

For behavioral problems, antipsychotics such as Haldol, fluphenazine and chlorpromazine can be prescribed. These can reduce aggression in autistic kids, but sometimes also cause sedation and muscle stiffness.

All patients are different. You and your doctor should monitor your child’s progress very closely, using the lowest dose of medication possible, to see if what improvements it makes and whether there are any adverse reactions. Medication should be the last resort for autism, not the first one. There are a number of natural remedies available if you don’t want to go down the drug route. But try behavioral and dietary modifications first, to see what improvements can be made naturally.


There are many more resources and information about diagnosing, controlling and treating Autism in,
The Essential Guide To Autism

Read More

Making Learning Fun

Making Learning Fun

Autism is a disorder of the brain that is biological in function. It causes anywhere from mild to severe social impairment and an inability to function normally in society. However, there are ways to treat many of the cases of autism. Autistic children can learn and excel and if certain teaching methods are used, their progress can be nothing short of fantastic.

One of the most important things to realize in making learning fun for autistic children is the fact that they learn in different ways than children without autism. Autistic children generally have a disability in social skills. Sometimes this difficulty in communication involves language skills. However, there are a number of ways to make learning these important skills more than just a chore. By injecting fun into learning, it has been shown that autistic children learn at a faster pace. Actually, fun and learning work well for all types of children, but autistic children are special and require more tailored methods.

Children with autism seem to learn best when the instructional material is presented in visual form. In this case it might be worthwhile to try different educational programs via a computer. Using a computer is a fun way to learn. The majority of educational programs are highly visual. Many of the games available involve storylines, plots, and realistic human behaviors. Some of the skills autistic children can learn from carefully selected video games are language skills, reading and math skills, and social skills. Visual learning devices are highly effective and can be accompanied by various rewards to reinforce what is being learned. For instance, food and extended leisure activities can be used as rewards that will encourage the child to want to learn. In addition, the use of positive reinforcement will help develop a bond between student and teacher, and create a sense of trust that will help strengthen the learning environment.

Social stories are another way to make learning fun for children with autism. Since one of the aspects of autism is the inability to interact normally in a social situation, social stories can be utilized in a variety of different ways in order to model appropriate behavior. Autism education pioneer Carol Gray developed this approach in 1991. By using engaging stories, children with autism can learn appropriate and inappropriate responses to situations. The level of fun, of course, is up to the way social stories are used. Usually, the stories are tailored to the child. By modeling situations familiar to an autistic child, they can be better prepared to react in a socially appropriate to those same situations in the future. Social stories usually have three distinct ways of addressing a particular situation. The first describes who, what, where and why in relation to the situation. The second is a perspective sentence that illuminates how others react to the situation being discussed. Finally, the third sentence tries to model an appropriate response. Sometimes the use of social stories can be accompanied by music and pictures. In terms of making the process a bit more fun rewards can be used when a situation is properly addressed.

Children with autism require special education needs to address their social difficulties. It is really important to make these activities as much fun as possible so the student will stay motivated. It is not easy for an autistic child to change his or her response to various situations, so it is imperative that the activities be non-threatening and highly interesting. It has been demonstrated that over time the use of visual aids and social stories are two of the most effective ways to help autistic children overcome social situations they feel are threatening. To most of us, these situations are normal, everyday occurrences, but to children with autism they can sometimes be terrifying moments that they do not have the skills to deal with. These teaching methods, while entertaining and fun, can help children adapt and manage their perceptions of social interactions.

There are many more resources and information about diagnosing, controlling and treating Autism in, The Essential Guide To Autism

Read More