Recovery from Autism IS a Reality
By Ayelet Connell-Giammatteo, Ph.D., P.T., I.M.T.,C.
found, having worked with many children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), that there’s a common theme among those who recover; a multi-disciplinary program. Many of these programs include Applied Behav- ioral Analysis (ABA) therapy in school and at home, Sensory Integration, a biomedical approach involving IV nutrition and chela- tion therapy such as the DAN method, elimination diets such as a gluten and casein free diet, Homeopathy, Hyperbaric Oxygen, and much more. Every child with Autism is different, in terms of history, age of onset, behavioral presentation, as well as level of health. This leads to a greater need for diversity in treatment programs. One child may present with high levels of mercury in their body, while another might have high levels of yeast. Each test leads to a different treatment, all of which may be valuable. With all of our studies, we have found that a comprehensive program leads to the greatest recovery.
R
ecovery from Autism is becoming more and more of a reality. While the road to recovery is long, we have
As you can already see, there are many treatment interventions to choose from. Many tools utilize a functional approach to reduce autistic behaviors. Other tools are structural in nature and work to reduce these behaviors by improving the health of the body. A helpful analogy to illustrate the difference between structural and functional therapies is to imagine a child sitting in front of a piano. Let’s assume that the child does not know how to play the piano. If we teach the child how to play the piano, then the music should sound great. But what if the piano was out of tune or broken? No amount of piano lessons would lead to great music because the piano wasn’t functional. How- ever, if the approach was to fix the piano and then teach the child how to play, then the music would have the potential to sound wonderful.
In this scenario, teaching the child how
to play the piano is considered a functional intervention. Fixing the piano illustrates a structural intervention. Both categories of treatment are important for a child or adult on the spectrum. Some of the more common
interventions for Autism Spectrum Disorder, along with some less known modalities are reviewed in this article.
A Biomedical Approach A biomedical approach for treatment of
autism involves instituting comprehensive nutritional and dietary changes in a person’s life, including potential IV nutrition, chela- tion therapy, and other types of supplemental therapies based on comprehensive diagnos- tic testing. These diagnostics can include blood, urine, stool, and hair analyses. The most well known example of a biomedical approach would be the DAN model—Defeat Autism Now. This model of treatment is important because so often, the underlying problem is immune and digestion related. Most persons with autism have immune
deficiency and an impaired ability for de- toxification which involves the liver and pro- cessing of toxins. Frequently, these children have a history of recurrent ear infections and sinus issues as well as multiple allergies. This is evidence of an underlying toxic load and immune dysfunction in the body. Treating the underlying immune dys- function nutritionally is essential for provid- ing the body with a healthy foundation. It is common to hear about children with autism on a Gluten-Free Diet. A Gluten-Free Diet is one of the more common dietary recom- mendations given to a child with Autism. Gluten is found in wheat, rye, barley, and oat. Gluten is pro-inflammatory. This means that when eaten, gluten will contrib- ute to increased inflammation in the body, specifically in the body’s weakest systems. Most children with Autism already have digestive issues such as reflux, constipation,
14 Natural Nutmeg April 2012
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