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Summary: Autism is a distinct brain damage disorder that produces a characteristic range of behavioral abnormalities. Discussed below are some of the management issues and hopes of future therapies. Our experiences in autism management. Links to sites with detailed information on autism included. Last updated January 21, 2007
AUTISM: SOME DEVELOPMENTS IN MANAGEMENT |
Autism is now increasingly being suspected to be due to multiple genetic defects that include deficiency of MTHFR Enzyme necessary for internal body manufacture of Vitamin Methyl B12, deficiency of Glutathione, a genetic defect in mercury excretion leading to its accumulation in body, and a disturbed immunity mechanism. Click here for further details after you have examined this page.
The mercury replaces other necessary metals from binding sites in "Microtubules" inside brain cells where all the chemical reactions take place. The disruption of the microtubules causes cell dysfunction and disability. Some deficiencies in micro0nutrients, gut disorders, allergies and life-style, etc may be playing an aggravating role in some cases. Hence, the following measures may give anecdotal relief in selected children.
Many theories suggest that dietary interventions and avoidances may benefit selected cases of autism, and are worth trying out in sequence to see if they benefit an individual case. Click here to see what we at UDAAN propose doing after you have read this page. Some of these include the following :
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Large amounts of Vitamin B6 plus Magnesium may reduce hyperactivity and obsessive / compulsive behaviors in some cases. Dimethylglycine (DMG) sometimes helps autistics with speech & with their attention span. DMG does not require a prescription in the US, being considered a food supplement (once called vitamin B-16, but it was ruled not a vitamin because no specific medical problem is associated with a deficiency of it.) The health food store people say that it is supposed to increase "oxygen uptake" by the blood stream and athletes sometimes take it for that reason.
Eliminating dietary gluten/casein is helpful for some children, especially those with a history of ear infections, inconsolable crying, poor sleeping patterns, and excessive craving of milk and dairy foods.
Fenfluramine is a drug that decreases blood serotonin concentrations. Some autistics have abnormally high blood serotonin concentrations so experiments were carried out to see if this drug affected the behavior of such autistics (or other autistics).
Cyproheptadine is another drug that decreases serotonin concentrations. This drug is normally used as an antihistamine but because of its additional affect on serotonin, has been tried on autistics.
Piracetam has shown promise in helping autistic children become more talkative, sociable, less aggressive and have an increased attention span.
Auditory Integration Training (AIT) is a method of changing a person's sensitivity to sound at different frequencies. It was originally developed to combat the onset of some kinds of deafness, but was tried on an autistic child and cured her. Since then it has not produced any cures, but has been credited with success in reducing some of the symptoms of some children. In particular, some autistic children show a strong aversion to some sounds, and with Auditory Integration Training have lost their aversion and exhibited other reductions in the symptoms of autism.
Sensory Integration Therapy is a method of helping people who are her oversensitive to the 5 senses by overwhelming them with sensory experiences, e.g. swing them, roll them, get them jumping and spinning. Usually provided by occupational therapists who have learned the method.
Personalized interventions and management techniques that include Behavioral Therapy, Psychological management, Psychotherapy, Psychodynamic Therapy/Psycho-dynamic Therapy, Music therapy, etc.
Play Therapy roughly consists of therapist playing with child while talking to the child and trying to induce the child to talk. The goal is to help the child acquire language and the working knowledge of every day life we all require. The method is to use play, which is a component of a typical child's language acquisition, in conjunction with constant interaction with a therapist.
Anti-depresants like Cloripramine, Desipramine, Sertraline, Fluoxetine, Lithium have shown significant improvement in perseverative behaviors and some other autistic spectrum symptoms (social withdrawal, behavioral, rigidity, etc. in some selected cases.
Ritalin (Click on the drug name or more info) is che mically Methylphenidate), one of a group of stimulants which include amphetamine, amantidine and fenfluramine. it can sometimes be very effective for certain hyperactive children (so much so that it gets overused for others). Tolerance develops over time, so that increases in dosage over time are often necessary to maintain their effect.
Secretin is an enzyme, administered intravenously, that is claimed to confer some benefits in autism.
Some of the other multitude of drugs that are claimed to have shown anecdotal cases of relief include Phenytoin sodium, Naltrexone (an oral version of naloxone, a narcotic antagonist was reported to have a dramatic and global effect on autism.), Melatonin, Fluxovamine, Prednisone, Ginko Bilboa supplements, carbamazepine, etc.
Some other Medications that are sometimes used to treat behaviors related to autism include the following. They can only be used under expert guidance of a psychiatrist experienced in their usage, except for Clonidine and guanfacine, which are drugs used by cardiologists. These names are only included here so that you can discuss their usage with a competent specialist. Never ever try them on your own.:
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