Autism Awareness Month comes to a close…

Autism Awareness Month draws to a close for another year…

Just because we are now at the end of April, we should be aware that for families with autism this issue will not be sidelined for the next twelve months.  For children and adults who have autism the attention April affords is welcome, not only does it raise awareness but it also coincides with increased funding in the research and development of therapies. This awareness gives hope and encouragement to children and adults who live with autism every day.  Make no mistake, Autism is not a deadly disease, it’s not a scourge for the children and adults who have it, but it is a neurological disorder that can often make living and succeeding in society more difficult. This is true more for some than others. The bottom line is this; however it affects your child, your neighbor’s child, your niece, nephew or someone you don’t even know, life can be a challenge to say the least, and right now the number of cases is increasing not decreasing as we would have hoped.  

“Autism has gone from a rare disorder to an epidemic.

In February the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a report stating that one in 150 children in the United States are believed to have autism and related disorders. …The report showing this drastic increase is accompanied by a call for huge sums to be spent to conduct research and provide services for these children. One-on-one behavioral interventions have been found to be effective for many children, but the staggering cost of such therapy puts it out of reach for most families. Before billions of dollars are devoted to such therapies it would be wise to take a look at techniques that are currently being used by pioneers in this field, techniques shown to have impressive results.

One such pioneer is Mary Megson, assistant professor of pediatrics at the Medical College of Virginia. She has treated thousands of autistic children in her Richmond, VA practice. Her testimony during Senate hearings on autism and vaccines provides a detailed overview of reasons for the increase, risk factors and therapies she has successfully used. She pointed out that autistic children typically come from families that have a history of these health problems:

• Night blindness in one parent

• Diabetes

• Heart attack at less than age 50

• Colon cancer

Her testimony contains scientific explanation of how these symptoms are linked to autism it can be accessed here. The following is a portion: “I am using natural lipid soluble concentrated cis form of vitamin in cod liver oil to bypass blocked G protein pathways and tune on these central retinoid receptors. In a few days most of these children regain eye contact… after two months on vitamin A treatment some of these children, when given a single dose of bethanechol… laugh, concentrate, show a sense of humor and talk after 30 minutes, as if reconnected.  Dr. Megson describes the autistic children as: “unable to relax, focus and digest their food. Instead they are in sympathetic overdrive with a constant outpouring of adrenalin and stress hormones. They are anxious, pace, have dilated pupils, high blood pressure and rapid heart rate.

These and other symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are part of this constant ‘fight or flight’ response. These children are physically ill, immuno suppressed with a chronic autoimmune disorder affecting multiple organ systems.” Reprinted from Pure Facts, the newsletter of the Feingold Association of the United States, Feingold.org

In the documentary recently aired on HBO, “Autism the Musical” one of the cast members by the name of Wyatt, who is a precious, smart, articulate young man with autism, explains that he has a plan to “beat” his autism… This show reveals a side of people with autism that I am sure many people were surprised by.  These kids are funny, articulate, and in many ways a-typical, but there are some challenges that make their life more difficult than a typically developing peer of the same age and it doesn’t make it hurt any less when their peers are mean or just don’t understand the disorder.

It important to realize that the spotlight should remain on Autism, there are so many kids out there being diagnosed, and yes the diagnosis has been expanded on, and yes, the diagnosis has changed, but it wasn’t too long ago that Autism was blamed on Mothers, or more correctly the term coined by therapists and Doctors was, “Refrigerator Mothers.” Part of the treatment was for the parents to undergo counseling to make them better parents and therefore help to recover the damage they had done to their children.  So when people give me the “expanded diagnosis or changed parameters’ argument to explain the ever increasing numbers for autism, I say yes, HELL YES, the diagnosis and the treatment protocol needed to be changed, but it would be niave to think that this alone explains the ever increasing numbers of children being diagnosed with this disorder. Regardless of why or how, if changing the parameters of what Autism is, means more children are recognized and helped by being given this diagnosis then hallelujah it needed to be done!  The fear sometimes is that along with the eye-rolling of a diagnosis the whispering of better parenting techniques is still apt to follow.  Discipline is never an answer or solution to negative behaviors such as aggression or anti-social behavior, associated with autism, better treatments and therapies are.  More understanding and education, more therapists, more treatment availability, more affordable treatments and always more research into why, how and what we are doing as a society to plunge children into the abyss of autism is needed, not semantics on what “is autism”. 

Again, as April draws to a close, Autism doesn’t, we all need to be advocates, to question why and how, and to help those already in the grips of this epidemic.  Contact your local Autism Speaks chapter or even an organization dedicated to childhood disorders, we can all be instrumental in finding the reasons and the cures to this epidemic.

The Feingold article suggets the following options: remove synthetic additives including corn syrup, MSG, and sodium benzoate and temporarily remove salicylates; remove suspect chemical non-food products such as cleaning products and fragrances (including scented candles or air purifiers which are known to be neuro-toxins), next try to learn about both beneficial nutrients such as omega-3 essential fatty acids and how to avoid toxins in vaccines. All current understanding of diet suggests we try to reduce sugars for our children but if your child has any developmental delays or hyperactive tendancies you might try removing milk and wheat products as well, in addition to the diet changes consult with doctors who are qualified to use the DAN protocol. Consider environmental allergies, and be sure to ask either a DAN doctor or your pediatrician about parasite testing. Look into sensory integration therapy, auditory training and vision therapies.

Useful resources:

1. Autism Network for Dietary Intervention 
2. Autism Research Institute
3. Developmental Delay Resources
4. National Vaccine Information Center

Make an adjustment, stay healthy ~ be happy: contact Dr. Paul or Dr. Susan at 303.674.1500 or email

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