I would like to be able to forward helpful advice! Please help!! Links, causes, books, ect!
I would like to recommend http://www.holisticapproach4autism.com/
the reversingautism yahoo group and
the reversingautism facebook page.
They are all related and based on the ideas of Andrea Lalama who has helped many, inexpensively, after expensive routes failed for them.
Hey H. here would be a great place to start http://www.taap.info/default-old.htm
Hope it helps you with your search..
One of my friends used to work with autistic children before she got married and had kids. Many of the children improved with changes in diet. I don't have many recommendations, but googling "autism, diet" will probably yield a ton of links. Getting rid of dairy and wheat were the two biggies I remember.
There are numerous causes for autism -- most of them unknown. The problem with autism is that there is no smoking gun. Some kids may have a genetic problem which has caused their autism (a girl I know has autism as well as a chromosome disorder similar to Down Syndrome; they may be connected), but of course not everybody with genetic problems have autism! Some kids descend into autism after vaccinations (my friend took care of one girl whose mother showed her a line of pictures in chronological order, and asked my friend to pick the picture where she could tell this girl changed from "normal" to "autistic", and she chose the picture soon after the girl received some vaccine -- I think the MMR at 18 months, but I don't know for sure); most vaccinated kids are just fine. Mercury is a common "fall guy" for autism -- and if you look at the symptoms of mercury toxicity and those for autism, you'll see a lot of similarities. Mercury can be in a lot of fish, as well as in other foods -- recently I heard that high-fructose corn syrup is made using mercury, and it retains mercury in it. HFCS is in *everything* nowadays.
H.- Here are some local Charlotte NC links related to autism information. Also, Charlotte has an Autism Speaks chapter.
Autism Society of North Carolina Parent Advocates
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Nancy Popkin ____@____.com
Local Charlotte resource for education and advocacy
Autism related news and information for families and caregivers. Topics include; How to handle challenging situations, managing stress, advocating for resources, and solutions for everyday life. Hosted by Nicole Flamer, mother of three on the autism spectrum, writer, advocate and co-founder of Autism Child Care Connection Inc.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/aut_toknow
• Dr. V. Parker of Learning Rx will be Nicole's guest on You Aut to Know!
You Aut to Know!
Date / Time: 9/20/2009 6:00 PM
Category: Parents
Call-in Number: ###-###-####
Dr. V. Parker helps children with autism at Learning Rx, a brain-training center in Charlotte, N.C. Dr. Parker has seen cognitive training produce higher standardized test scores in children with autism, lengthened attention span, better eye contact, improved ability to carry on a conversation, less frequent or intense behavioral problems, decreases in repetitive patterns, and increased awareness of the surroundings and environment. Join us as we discuss her work and find out what makes her successful when working with kids on the spectrum.
Upcoming Episodes
Learning Rx www.learningrx.com/charlotte
7221 Pineville Matthews Rd. Ste 100
Charlotte NC 28226
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I am an independent consultant for a health and wellness company that has natural, and safe products for all ages. We do not boast of cures, but our products give the body what it needs to heal itself. We have a liquid, oral detox product that is being used with autistic children with amazing results, as well as a line of many natural supplements and skin care products. If you are interested in learning more, message me and I will be glad to help you. M.
When our son was little he received therapy through a federally funded program called "First Steps". I believe it is a national program for children birth to age 3. His doctor referred us and it is through this program that he received evaluations, diagnosis, speech therapy, OT, PT and developmental intervention. The monthly fee was based on a sliding scale that went by family income. We live in KY. I do not know if the program is known by the same name in NC. Beginning therapy early is a true blessing. We also took our son to a sensory learning center where he underwent music therapy, light therapy and motion therapy for 30 days. During the treatment life was pretty rough, but I believe that our son is a more capable individual because of this therapy. There are also therapists that provide beneficial music therapies that are not combined with light and motion therapy. Structure and organization and leading a predictable daily life can also make for a smoother day. It has been my experience as a mom that no two autistic children are alike and that while they may share some behavioral similarities they are all very different individuals.
Being under 3 is going to help. Whatever interventions are chosen, the earlier the better! If they've not yet received an offiicial diagnosis from a doctor, they will need that to start receiving services.
autismspeaks.org will have tons of info. try finding a local Families for Effective Autism Treatment (FEAT) organization through feat.org
I work as an Applied Behavior Analysis instructor for children with autism, so I love any info on ABA...
For ABA basics: Principals of Everyday Behavior Analysis by Keith L Miller. This text makes it easy to learn the science behind ABA, but is not specific to autism spectrum disorders (ASD).
For program applications specific to children with ASD: The ABA Program Companion by J Tyler Fovel. After having a basic understanding of ABA is great for parents to be a more involved part of the treatment team.
Ivar Lovaas was a pioneer in this field so you may also be interested in studies/books he has worked on. If you are interested in scholarly articles: http://seab.envmed.rochester.edu/jaba/ has great info on recent studies but it's not necessarily the best place for parents to get info right after getting a diagnosis. More for researchers and instructors.
All the best,
M.
hi H.,
I agree with what everyone is saying. I was going to tell you exactly what Kathy P has said! Take wheat and dairy out of the diet! I know that Jenny McCarthy just came out with a great book. Also check out www.mercola.com. He is both an MD and natural doctor. You can type in autism at the upper right hand side of his website. I would highly recommend you get advise from him.
I don't have experience with autism myself and have done no research, but my son (15 mos) has severe food sensitivities and a propensity toward inflamation and bowel issues, which, from my understanding are often linked to autism. I've taken him to a local (Ringgold) naturapathic Dr., Jennifer Johnson, who works extensively with autistic children in Florida. She sees huge improvement with treatment, and it is all natural, though her testing and treatment seem very strange if you've never gone the alternative route before. Drawbacks are that insurance doesn't cover, though the wholistic MD she's connected to, Dr. Charles Adams ###-###-####) also works w/ autistic kids and I'm sure would take insurance. Her info is ###-###-####. I'd be happy to talk to you more about my expereince, if you want.
H. - I have a nephew that is like a son and he has autism. One of the major things we found is getting the chemicals out of the home. I have found a lot of help on a site that shares info and links and I'll pass it along. It may be of some help to you. I also have a great article I found about Why current Thinking About Autism Is Completely Wrong but I don't know how to attach it and I don't have the site. If you email me I could email back and attach my copy of it for you.
The site we found help on is
www.ahealthcafe.com/support. Maybe it will give you some information that will be helpful.
Song of Praise
email - ____@____.com
