Autism & Life answers:

I have heard of this and it’s very controversial. My son has Aspergers. It’s on the autistic spectrum. His doctor is on staff at a major teaching hospital where the chief of psychiatry specializes in autism. I asked whether or not she had heard of it and if it would help. She said that their was no research to support it.

However, improving anyone’s diet has to be of some help. It certainly can’t hurt.

Glyconutrients are:
Fucose (not to be mistaken for fructose)
Galactose
Glucose
Mannose
N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc)
N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc)
N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac)
Xylose

Phytonutrients are fruits and vegetables.

I’m sure you could find these at any health food store. Some of the better ones have an advisor that works where the supplements are.

Autism & Life answers:

I don’t know any particular studies, but it commonly accepted that children with autism have sensory input disorders. Not only does that include the five senses that we expect, tactile, smell, sound, taste, vision, but also proprioceptive. It has been shown that ALL children learn better, their brains actually acquire information better when the proprioceptive system is being used, but it’s doubly true for children who have proprioceptive reception problems.

Sports provides that input in a meaningful and fun way. Not only that, but the rules of most sports provides a framework with very obvious expectations. It can be difficult for those children who are socially inept, and those who have extreme auditory sensitivity, but I think that with a little work, you can find a sport or physical activity that is appealing for any child with autism. I did read an article about how heavy work and sports reduces stim behavior, but I have no idea where that is. Maybe if you google heavy work and stim behaviors.

My son did Tae Kwon Do for a few years, and my daughter (who is low functioning) loves to hike. So we load up backpacks and go serious mountain hiking. It’s great for her, she craves it.

Autism & Life answers:

Autism is something your born with I have Asperger’s and I’m glad I have it.

Http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbgUjmeC-4o

Autism & Life answers:

Yeah, she’s a moron. You can’t just GET autism. That’s like catching mental retardation.

Autism & Life answers:

My children no longer have pain, nor autism. Yes, its awful to see them suffer. I recovered mine via biomedical treatments only, no behavioral therapies. I did a lot of research to learn the causes of it and effective treatments. There is a lot to learn. This Internet is a world of infinite knowledge. To learn about recovering from autism, go to Yahoo Groups on autism (some excellant, some are negative and not helpful), www.generationrescue.org, www.autismresearchinstitute.com, You tube on recoveries, etc. Be prepared for a lot of crying, for what you will learn is very different from what your local doctors say, what is said in the news, etc.

Autism & Life answers:

No, but knowing a little about autism, I have serious doubts as to its possible efficacy.

I suggest that you view http://your-mental-health.8m.com/blank_21.html about autism.

Google: “autism; chat sites + forums” and ask there, where you are more likely to receive answers.

Autism & Life answers:

No, they are not exactly the same thing.

“Autism spectrum disorder” is a much broader term than “autism”. The autism spectrum contains many different forms of autism, ranging from severe to mild.

The term “autism spectrum disorder” is used to refer to all the autism spectrum disorders, which are: autism disorder (usually just called autism or classic autism), Asperger’s syndrome, PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified), Rett syndrome and childhood disintegrative disorder.

When you read about “autism”, you are usually reading specifically about autism disorder, while when you read about “autism spectrum disorder”, you are reading something more broad that can cover many or all of the above disorders.

Autism & Life answers:

Me too, but I’m alot better than I used to be. I took special classes to help me overcome my fear of people, to give out better social cues, and to observe other people in a social setting.

It’s better. Sometimes I withdraw again and isolate, but I have accomplished many things no one thought I would ever be able to do. Just have a better attitude. Everybody has things to overcome in life. It keeps us humble.

Autism & Life answers:

There is a related problem among people with celiac disease (gluten intolerance). The usual solution is to use a non-wheat wafer, but the crucial ingredient is an indulgent bishop. In their zeal to protect the “integrity” of the symbols of the faith, some legalists forget what their whole purpose is. Not all clergy are so pharisaical but there are, alas, too many who are.

Autism & Life answers:

Complete and total ignorance. Autism, if the child does indeed have it, is not an excuse for bad behavior but it does make behavior harder to control. I think that radio show host was WAY out of line.

Autism & Life answers:

Smoking anything during pregnancy is a f*cking stupid thing to do.

Everything you ingest into your body goes into your blood and to the placenta, where your unborn baby will take that in. If you smoke marijuana you’re giving your baby a drug.

Look here,

http://www.babycenter.com/404_is-it-safe-to-smoke-marijuana-during-pregnancy_2490.bc

It says you can affect growth, nervous system, problems with attention and solving problems, short-term memory isssues, concentration, judgement, possibly ADHD, higher risk of leukemia.

I hope this is a hypothetical question.

Autism & Life answers:

SYMPTOMS:
I’m more familar with “strict autism” as opposed to Asperger’s and other conditions on the autism spectrum. The movie “Rainman” shows strict autism with 40 years of very expensive treatment. Rocking, no eye contact, hand flapping, head banging when frustrated.

Some people think the cable show on USA “Monk,” illustrates Asperger’s. Obsessiveness. Poor social skills, etc.

CAUSES:
There is a significant genetic factor in autism. This is evident in twin studies. If one identical twin is autistic, the second one has an 80% chance of being on the autistic spectrum. If the child isn’t autistic, she is likely to have some traits, just not enough to be classified autistic. Yet with faternal twins, if on twin is autistic, the 2nd twin is no more likely to be autistic than a sibling born 10 years later!

They believe it isn’t just one gene involved. It seems to be several genes that “collide” in one person to make then vunerable to autism.

It’s not 100% genes. If it was, then if one identical twin is autistic, the second one would ALWAYS be autistic.

Autism & Life answers:

My best friend’s sister has Autism.
My sister knows someone who has a child who’s Autistic.
And a mother brought her Autistic child to me for dance lessons.
So that’s three.

Autism & Life answers:

I think it’s worth investigating because it’s so prevalent. There are a lot of children on the “spectrum” who really need help.

Autism & Life answers:

Many states are moving AWAY from some ABA services for private funding because some programs are offering a ‘cure’ (which it cannot) As with anything some will take advantage – sounds like you are getting taken for significantly more expense than I’ve ever heard of.

Autism & Life answers:

If there is a school in your area that specializes in autism, I would recommend contacting them, and they’ll be able to guide you in the right direction of getting an ABA specialist.

If you’re in Southern Illinois or the surrounding area, the Illinois Center for Autism is an amazing school for students age 3-21. Http://www.illinoiscenterforautism.org

Autism & Life answers:

What a fantastic question!!!

I have a 14 Aspie son and I couldn’t be more proud of him. I am very familiar with the quirks that he has, and I think of him as a whole package who would not be who he is if Asperger’s wasn’t a part of his whole being.

I hope that society will become more familiar with the personality characteristics that are common to Aspies, how hard they work to know how they fit in to a world that is just a bit different from how they are.

My son is very fortunate that we live near Orion Academy in Moraga, California, which I am told is the only Asperger’s /NLD high school in the country. I am hoping that it is not actually the only one, because there are lots o kids who might benefit from being at a high school that specializes in the unique areas of help that Aspie’s and NLD teens need.

Trying to change Aspies is not the thing to do. Changing how people view them would be a step in the right direction.

How do I feel about Asperger’s Syndrome? It is a fact of life, it means that that is that person’s package, and it is just another way many people are.

I love my son with all my heart, and I couldn’t love him more if he were not an Aspie.

Autism & Life answers:

I’m an adult with Asperger’s syndrome and I know that sometimes people are confused about the way my mind work and why I do things the way I do, but I can tell you that us aspies wonder the same thing about neurotypicals (people who are not on the autism spectrum). Many neurotypical behaviors seem bizarre or pointless to us (because we don’t get it why they do those things) and many neurotypicals struggle with things that us aspies find easy. So both groups have trouble figuring out the other.

I think it helps to keep in mind that things don’t usually happen without a reason. It may be hard for outsiders to see or understand the reason or they may find the reason silly, but for the person there is usually a real reason for why they do it and it matters to them, so it’s not silly.

I have been asked many questions about Asperger-related things that confuse other people and I have noticed a lot of confusion about certain things. Here are a few that come to mind:

One thing that really confuses people is meltdowns. They don’t understand what they are, why they happen and how to deal with them. During a meltdown (which is usually caused by a lot of small problems or frustrations that have been building up over some time) people keep asking questions like: What’s wrong? What’s troubling you? Did someone do something wrong? Why can’t you tell me specifically why you are crying? This can’t be it, there must be something more?

People usually think that some one “big” thing in specific caused me to be upset and they don’t believe when I tell them I can’t explain it or that it’s a lot of small things combined. People think I’m just reluctant or afraid to tell them the real reasons and they dismiss all the “small stuff” as silly or not a real reason and keep prompting for other answers, but they are really not helping with this and may actually be making things worse. They don’t understand or believe that it’s actually better if they just leave the person alone and let them deal with the meltdown their own way. Other people are unlikely to understand why the person is having a meltdown and how it is and there is usually nothing they can do to help.

Another thing that a lot of people seem confused about is why we can’t just learn social skills with some practice. They think it will work to just throw us into enough social situations. They think we will learn social skills from that, “come out of our shell” and eventually stop having difficulties with socializing. They don’t understand that we cannot pick up social cues on our own and that we are “blind” to non-verbal communication, which happens to be as much as 80% of neurotypical communication, so we lack the tools to just pick up those skills like other people do.

People are also confused about the stims. A lot of people don’t know or understand why we stim and seem focused on getting us to stop it, because they find it annoying and they don’t realize that it serves an important purpose for us. Some people think that the stims are a sign of nervousness or an attention problem or that it’s the same as fidgeting.

There are many more things that I know people frequently misunderstand or struggle to understand about people with autism spectrum disorders, but I’ll let this do.

Autism & Life answers:

I agree you are not really asking a question but making more of a statement, which is not a bad thing.

I do agree with what you have to say. I would like to throw my 2 cents worth in as well

One of the problems is most people don’t have an understanding of what autism is and consists of. I think a lot of people get the wrong idea of who they are and what they can accomplish.

You know I have a son with autism and even though he has autism and it does restrict him in certain areas it also gave him a very special gift, and that I would never, ever want to take away from him. For what he knows for only being 4 would truly amaze anyone, the stuff he can memorize and how quickly he can learn things and how quickly he can process things, some think he is a savant and I feel without his autism he would not have this special gift. Yes he does receive speech and occupational therapy, it’s simply to help him improve. I want him to be able to have friends and interact with his peers, I want him to be able to have a better understanding of the world as we do. I want him to be able to take control of his sensory issues such as textures to food, he won’t eat any solids and drink anything besides milk and only from a bottle. I want him to be able to be independant when he becomes an adult. I understand he can’t be cured and he will have it for the rest of his life but I do feel in certain areas he does need the help.

Another problem is Jenny McCarthy & the organization Autsim Speaks. I’ll start off with Jenny first. She is one of them who started the whole craze about mercury in vaccines causing autism, which time and time again has been disapproved. There has been a continous rise in autism cases even after mercury has been removed from vaccines, also the MMR vaccine which never contained mercury, the doctor (andrew Wakefield) who claimed that the MMR vaccine caused autism was found to have faked his results, was paid to do so and it was also found that in the medical reports of these children he included in his test, the majority of them had symptoms of autism before they even received the MMR shot, and now he is currently facing charges in court because of this. In Japan they quit giving the MMR vaccine but yet the cases of autism continued to rise.
Moving on back to Jenny, she uses the gfcf diet (gluten free-casein free), de-toxing and supplements for her son (what many DAN doctors recommend – bio-medical treatments) which is simply treatments and nothing more, if her son was “recovered/cured” from autism, why would she need to continue to use these forms of treatments, why would you continue to treat someone for something if they no longer have it, that makes no sense and if it was true, then why hasn’t it cured all people from autism..why hasn’t it… Bottom line you can’t. That’s almost like saying someone with diabetes who takes insulin and changes their diet to control their blood sugar level no longer has diabetes. Or as another answerer named neurodiverse said to a different question a few months ago ” You could train a cat to act more like a dog, but you still do not have a dog — you have a trained cat.”
Those treatments make the characteristics/behaviors of autism less noticeable in some cases, if she stopped these treatments the autism is still there and the characteristics/behavior would again become more profound. Not every treatment works the same in those with autism, each treatment has to be done on a trial basis to see what works best for that individual and no matter what treatment they may use, the autism is and always will be there.

Moving on to Autism Speaks, where talking about an organization who’s founder wanted to commit suicide and kill her daughter when her daughter was diagnosed with it.

Neurodiverse also brought this to my attention, in which I found to be quite interesting, this was taken from the same answer that I mentioned above.
“Did you know that Autism Speaks tried to sue a 14 year old Autistic kid for making a parody website that dictates her ability to speak for herself? Http://www.ntspeaks.com/
Autism Speaks sent a team of lawyers to threaten her to remove the website or legal action would be taken. In fact, her website properly fell into ‘Fair Use’ and Autism Speaks’ case never would have held up in court. They scared a child, one of the children they claim to speak for — advocate for, out of speaking on their own behalf.
In addition, their video Autism Everyday, with clips of Autistic kids throwing tantrums and displaying what a “tragedy” it is to have a child with Autism is not accurate. There had been a lot of protest against it, and they eventually admitted that they endeavoured to only record the worst situations, and specifically told the mothers beforehand to not brush their hair, clean up their house, etc. As to represent a distraught and unstable household. A real tragedy would not need to be misrepresented to gain sympathy and support. And thus the real tragedy falls on their organization and those who support it for what it is. ”

Another yahoo member named betelgeuse also brought these links to my attention which is also quite interesting, which pertain to the fact that Autsim Speaks wants people with autism exterminated from the gene pool.

Http://notautismspeaks.tk/

http://ventura33.com/clock/

I wanted to include these other 2 member’s answers beacuse they did bring up some very good and interesting points and wasn’t sure they would come across your question as I did. I feel people should be aware of just how misleading Autism Speaks is and what bull Jenny is full of.

I would also like to add that people with autism are some of the most honest, caring, and sweetest people you’ll ever meet. Many, many people with autism are highly intelligent. They don’t judge people and could care less about the superficial things in life. I feel many people could learn a great deal from anyone with autism.

Autism & Life answers:

Unfortunately nothing can be done accept to reporting them over and over which could get them suspended.
I just ignore them or give them thumbs down. I don’t let that stuff bother me, there are staff on YA that will take care of them. There are bigger fish to fry in the real world.
Some people are just ignorant and or just don’t know any better or they think they are being funny. I think this is not the category to joke around in unless some one posts a “troll” like question. Some people actually want help and it’s sad when they are not taken seriously.
All you can do is give good information with links that will prove those answers wong. There are people out there that will have a difference in opinion and they will advertise what they believe in. I never advertise or copy and paste (I have seen a bit of that too), the only thing I copy is links.