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Autistic Spectrum Disorders

Glenn Ingram, Jr, ND

  I have been involved in the world of autistic and behavioral disorders since 1996.  I first worked in a pediatric occupational therapy clinic specializing in sensory integration.  In college, I became an ABA therapist and continued working with autistic children throughout medical school.  I wrote my thesis on homeopathic treatment of autistic spectrum disorders (ASD).  I was also trained as a Defeat Autism Now clinician in 2007.  I am now very excited to be on the forefront of effective treatment of autistic spectrum disorders!

Gastrointestinal Health

Hippocrates said “All disease begins in the gut.”  I find this to be as true today as it was in ancient Greece.  There are multiple ways ASD is associated with disorder of the gastrointestinal system.  I usually see amazing progress if we can correct the diet and heal the intestines.

The gastrointestinal system directly affects the immune system, nervous system, and serves as part of the detoxification system. 

Healing the GI system is not typically a quick and easy process.  It often requires getting on special diets such as the specific carbohydrate diet, the gluten-free, casein-free diet, or a diet removing food sensitivities.  This is a critical step in recovery from gastrointestinal disorders.  In my own experience and that of many other doctors, cleaning up the diet and getting good nutrition is the number one priority.  All other therapies are secondary to good nutrition.  I would say this is true with most disorders.

Making Dietary Changes

This step scares many parents.  I have talked to many parents who have tried special diets, and their child stopped eating completely.  This is obviously not a good thing.  The best way to start implementing dietary change is to first introduce new good foods and then start removing problematic foods.  If you are the parent of a finicky eater, then you know this is easier said than done.  I recommend implementing food introduction using Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA).  This works particularly well for children who are already doing an ABA program.  The key is to provide effective positive reinforcement in response to having even a bite of a food you are trying to introduce.  If the child already has an ABA program in place, simply make food introduction a program that your therapists (and you) implement.  Introduce one food at a time just like you introduce one word or object at a time in other programs.  It may also be helpful to work on getting your child to eat a food in the therapy session first before generalizing to the dinner table; this can help keep dinner time a little more pleasant.

Detoxification

Detoxification is a very imporant piece of the puzzle.  These children have much more difficulty getting rid of toxic chemicals, heavy metals, and bacterial/yeast toxins than other people.  They also tend to make more toxins in their own body than the average person.  There are a several things that must be in place for optimal detoxification to take place:

Optimizing the Immune System

Children with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) usually have disturbed immune function.  There is usually a long history of recurrent or chronic infections, allergies or food sensitivities, and there is a theory that autism is at least partially an autoimmune disorder.  There are many ways to improve immune system function:
  • Proper Gastrointestinal function - the GI system contains the vast majority of the body's lymphatic and other tissue of the immune system. 
  • Elimination of problematic foods - this can be difficult as mentioned above.
  • Certain nutrients greatly affect operation of the immune system, the most important one being vitamin D.  

Managing the Nervous System

Getting all of the above systems healthy will usually correct the nervous system problems.  But some people may need more help calming or managing the nervous system to decrease stimming, increase attention, and decrease the number of seizures.  I usually use herbalogy and homeopathy as the major therapies in these cases.  Getting a sensory diet and other help from an occupational therapist specializing in sensory integration is a must.

Homeopathy

Homeopathy is a core part of my practice.  I choose a single homeopathic remedy that is highly specific to each child helping them deal with stressors in a more efficient way.  I see children calm, decrease stimming behavior, and experience more moments of clarity.

Conclusion

Treating people with an ASD can be quite challenging.  We can make a big difference in the lives of the child and family if we can work together and optimize the gastroinstestinal, detoxification, immune, and nervous systems.  I serve as a member of the treatment team.  I can meet with other members at team meetings or consult with other members over the phone or e-mail.  I would highly encourage parents to read and learn as much as possible.  I have some resources listed below.

Resources

Gut and Psychology Syndrome by Natasha Campbell-McBride, MD. 
  • This is my personal favorite book on the relationship between the digestive system and ASD and psychological disorders.  This book is difficult to get as it is published in the UK.  I sell it at my office and it is available at the Transylvania County Library.
Breaking the Vicious Cycle by Elaine Gottschall
  • This is the main book describing the Specific Carbohydrate Diet.  I often recommend this diet for people with gastrointestinal dysfunction including those with ASD.  It is available at my office, the Transylvania County Library, or online.
Children with Starving Brains by Jaquelyn McCandless, MD
  • This is an excellent book that goes into many of the biomedical theories and treatment options available to treat ASD.
Autism Research Institute is an excellent web site loaded with information on biomedical approaches to ASD.  They also put on 2 amazing conferences per year called the Defeat Autism Now conference.  I highly recommend attending.  The spring 2009 conference will be in Atlanta, Georgia.

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