abdominal cramping, gas, and more. When gluten is consumed, the underlying problem may worsen. Often, when gluten is removed from the diet, many digestive problems disappear. In addition to af- fecting the gut, gluten can also contribute to increased inflammation in the brain. Some children on the spectrum manifest aggressive be- haviors secondary to dysfunction of their limbic system in the brain. Also, many children with autism have hypersensitivity to sound, secondary to compression of the inner ear. All of these problems can worsen with increased inflammation. A key to addressing immune dysfunction is reducing inflamma- tion in the body. Some foods are pro-inflammatory to everyone, such as gluten, while other foods are pro-inflammatory to some depend- ing on their individual allergies. It is important to identify these foods and eliminate them from the person’s diet to allow for the recovery process to be unencumbered. Reducing inflammation in the body by changing one’s diet may not, on its own, lead to recovery from autism, but it is an important component to the healing process. In addition to introducing healthier foods and nutritional supplements, it is equally important to implement other forms of structural therapy aimed at improving the integrity and resiliency of the digestive sys- tem and the liver.
Integrative Manual Therapy A Structural Therapy
Integrative Manual Therapy (IMT) is a manual (hands-on) ap-
proach to treatment of pain, disability, and disease. Developed by Sharon Giammatteo, PhD, PT, IMT,C over the past 30 years, IMT is a new approach to health care, that generally involves gentle manipulative techniques to promote tissue repair, normalize struc- ture, and restore function. IMT practitioners identify and address the underlying causes of dysfunction using a comprehensive and holistic approach. IMT treatment techniques are based on the premise that the body has the potential to self-correct or heal itself under the right circumstances. Unique to IMT is the integration of manual therapy techniques for all systems in the body (i.e. bone, nerve, fascia, muscle, organ, lymph and circulatory systems). Since each tissue type in the body has unique requirements for healing, tissue-specific techniques are used to yield optimal results. Often, multiple systems are addressed to facilitate recovery, as a dysfunction in one system may influence or be influenced by a problem in another system. This is common with someone who is on the Autism Spectrum. In the field of IMT and structural therapy, performing a thorough assess- ment is important to discover underlying problems in the body that very likely are contributing to the person’s functional challenges. In the case of Autism, these ‘functional’ challenges could be behav- ioral, learning based, socialization, and more.
Auditory Integration Training (AIT) A Functional Approach
Auditory Integration Training (AIT) is a functional therapy that focuses on treatment of sensory dysfunction and auditory processing. AIT was developed by Dr. Guy Berard in France. It retrains the audi- tory system using music and sound. Children who have undergone AIT treatment have experienced a reduction in hypersensitivity to sound as well as an overall reduction of sensory dysfunction. Many children who manifest autistic behaviors and sensory problems suffer from severe compression of their inner ear and vestibular mecha- nism. Considering the difference between functional and structural therapies and the important relationship between the two, if a child has severe compression of the inner ear, implementing a functional
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