Autism

Autism is still a mystery to the medical community. And, as with most disorders, early intervention is the best bet to helping a child with autism. The problem is recognizing it, having it recognized by the healthcare professional, and then finding the right help for the child.

There’s a huge spectrum among autism; you can have a very high functioning child with autistic tendencies or a child who can barely hold his or her own – and anything in between.

The article about the gut/brain connection is good information but will likely have a lot of people who live with and love autistic children saying “duh…we knew that a long time ago.”

I know a couple of families who have autistic children and both families have adapted their children’s diet. They both find a big difference in their behaviour. One family has their son on a gluten-free celiac disease diet. As long as he is following it, he does quite well. If he goes off it, everyone knows. The other family has eliminated as many preservatives and additives as possible, as well as sugary foods, and they, too, find a big difference.

So many of these autistic children are so bright and could have a great future. Thank goodness we’ve gotten past the days of “it’s the mother’s fault,” but until we know what does cause it, many mothers and fathers do wonder if they did anything to cause it.

News for Today (and lots of it!):
Scientists make gut-brain connection to autism
Study fails to link vaccines to brain problems