Autism- Diagnosis, Diet And Homeopathic Treatment!

Nobody knows the exact cause of autism. All medical science knows is that it’s a complex neurological disorder which is detected within the first three years of life and is caused due to structural changes in the brain. Autism causes a number of symptoms which grade from mild to moderate to severe, like-

• Difficulty in communication and social interaction
• Language impairment
• Preoccupation with fantasies
• Repetitive acts (echolalia)
• Excessive possessiveness to certain objects
• Intellectual impairment
• Over-sensitivity or under-sensitivity to pain
• Developmental problems

Causes
Genetic predisposition is the most common cause of autism. Exposure to environmental toxins is the other. Other causes are use of certain drugs during pregnancy, vaccinations etc.

Diagnosis
Diagnosis of autism can only be done by clinical evaluation as there are no laboratory tests for it. The psychiatrist prepares a detailed developmental case history of the child before arriving at a diagnosis.
There are a number of Autism screening tests to diagnose autism as well. One thing to always follow is to go to a psychologist who has a history of treatment of autistic disorders.

Diet
Theories are emerging that autism may be caused by a super sensitive child’s response to foods like gluten found in grains and casein, a protein found in milk. These transform into substances that act like opiates in the child’s body.

These drug-like substances alter the child’s behaviour, his perceptions, and his responses to his environment. Recent research has found chemicals with opiate activity in the urine of a significant number of children with autism.

Autistic children have shown mild to dramatic improvements in speech, behaviour after going on a gluten-free, casein-free (GFCF) diet.

Some of the foods that can be eaten on GFCF diet include rice, quinoa, potato, buckwheat flour, soy, amaranth, corn, fruits, vegetables, beans, tapioca, meat, poultry, fish, shellfish, nuts, eggs, and sorghum, among others.

Homoeopathic treatment of Autism:

1. The homoeopath carries out a detailed study of the family history of serious diseases which are linked to the development of autism in his patient.
2. The genetic evaluation of the patient is followed by case analysis which takes into account impaired functions in the patient like repetitive behaviour, lack of social skills, speech issues etc.
3. The homoeopathic medicines indicated for autism are twenty and are usually given in combinations. A homoeopath takes the decision about the exact medicine to be given, its combination with other support medicines, the dose and its repetition based on the case history of the child.

By no means should one try to cure autism by self-medicating on homoeopathic medicines as this can cause deleterious effects.
It usually takes a minimum of six months for some perceptible changes in autistic children. Homoeopathic treatment may have to be continued for over a year if the symptoms of autism are very severe.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!