The ABC's of Autism

April is Autism Awareness Month. A recent study by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the rate of prevalence of autism to be 1 in 50 children in the USA, with the rate of incidence for boys at 1 in 31. In India, no studies have been done to provide such data for the Indian population.
 

More people today are aware about autism than they were before, and awareness is spreading due to the constant media coverage this disorder receives. It is viewed as an epidemic by some, while others feel that higher incidence is reported due to increased awareness. From personal experience, I can say that autism needs to be considered an epidemic because it is not only highly reported, but also highly prevalent.

Primary health care providers and pediatricians often miss the signs of developmental delays. In 2006, a study conducted by Johns Hopkins Children's Center and John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health showed that only 8% of pediatricians in Maryland and Delaware screened for Autism Spectrum Disorders because they were not aware of the screening methods. Since then, the American Association of Pediatrics has recommended a systematic developmental screening in primary care for children at 9, 18, 24, and/or 30 months. However, primary care physicians may not screen all children or may miss some signs since they do not spend as much time with the child as the parent does. If a parent feels the need for intervention, then they must follow up with trusted healthcare providers for the help their child needs. 

Some children are said to be born with autism but some children regress into it. Regressive autism symptoms may be noticed as a stark change in a child's development where he is normal on the developmental timeline and then slowly falls behind. This change is usually gradual and may be triggered by several environmental factors. Autism is mostly diagnosed within the first 3 years of a child's life.

Autism is considered to be irreversible. In the conventional sense, that is true, because orthodox medicine does not have a cure for autism in the form of prescription drugs. However, many different methods have helped children overcome their diagnosis of autism and function in the 'normal' world. Speech therapy, occupational therapy, behavioral therapy, art therapy, nutritional changes and detoxes, individualized homeopathic therapy, have all helped in one way or other. 

Early intervention is important in the management and reversal of developmental disorders. Because autism is a broad phrase that includes different signs and symptoms observed in children with developmental difficulties, the occurrence of symptoms and their intensity is individualistic. Therefore diagnosis and management also need to be exclusive to the individual. 
 
Individualized homeopathic therapy can help by matching the symptoms of the child with the characteristics of a remedy. Belladonna, Calcarea carbonica, Baryta carbonica, Hyoscyamus, Medorrhinum, Veratrum album are just some remedies that are useful in homeopathic management of autism spectrum disorder. There are many more remedies that can be used based on the symptoms of the child.

A Dutch homeopath, Dr. Tinus Smits, developed a homeopathic protocol for autism, called CEASE (Complete Elimination of Autistic Spectrum Expression). This highly effective therapy constitutes homeopathic detoxification, dietary changes and supplementation, and constitutional homeopathic management for long term health. 

The birth of a healthy child is a miracle; keeping a child healthy is an art. - Dr. Tinus Smits, M.D.

Additional reading

1. CEASE Therapy website

2. Resources for early diagnosis of autism for parents and professionals
Help Autism Now Society

3. An article by Dr. Martha Herbert, Neurologist and Neuroscientist at Harvard Medical School - Autism is bigger than genes

4. Autism can be reversed, says Elizabeth Mumper, M. D.

5. Amy Lansky, PhD, a homeopath who cured her son's autism, wrote a book about her experience called Impossible Cure 

6. Is it autism? - A resource for autism screening tools for parents and professionals

7. Action For Autism - A non-profit organization providing support and services to persons with autism in India. This website has a wealth of information for anyone in India.

8. Dr. Jerry Kartzinel, pediatrician, explains the reversal of autism
"Let’s consider autism to be a collection of mismanaged incoming information and stimuli. The more mismanaged the information and stimuli, the more severe we consider the individual with Autism. Let me illustrate this point with a word picture. Imagine someone with too many alcoholic beverages “on board.”  We can easily recognize by how he responds to incoming information (stimuli) such as his language, how he walks (or how he drives) that he has had way too much of alcohol. Of course, the more alcohol on board, the more distorted his response to the environment and the more “severe” or “toxic” we consider the individual. If we remove the source of the alcohol, we can expect some degree of recovery. Similarly, with autistic children, if we remove the sources of the mismanagement of incoming stimuli and information, we can expect a certain amount of improvement."