New Autism Cure - breakthrough treatments and cures for autism

A new study conducted by a professor at the University of Memphis suggests that Autism can be detected through speech patterns and signatures of children with the disorder. The study focuses on the analyzing of sounds produced rather than words in children.

The theory supports the idea that many Autistic children have an inability to communicate effectively, and rather than words, produce grunting,  or random sounds. Analyzing these sounds at an earlier age, when it’s typically considered “baby talk”, could be the key to diagnosing Autism.

The research study was headed by Dr. D. Kimbrough Oller, professor and chair of excellence in audiology and language pathology. Dr. Oller hopes that LENA (Language Environment Analysis) will enhance the study of language development and Autism.

LENA itself is a pocket-sized processor and analysis software. Running the processor is an algorithm developed by Oller and his team that analyzes 12 aspects of language development. The LENA processor fits into the pocket of the child’s clothing and records a full day of his/her speech. It detects and differentiates between crying, attempts at talking, etc. It also can tell and filter out other voices and background noises.

Oller says that his LENA was 86% successful in detecting Autism in children. The system can detect the difference between speech patterns conducive to Autism,  typically developing children, and children with a language delay.

LENA will hopefully give parents a much more cost efficient way to diagnose their child with Autism. In fact, Oller hopes to get LENA to the point where it is offered in family doctor’s offices. This way pediatricians can conduct the test, analyze the speech, and then make the decision whether or not to refer the family out to an Autism specialist.

Currently, the average age of diagnosis for Autism in children is between 5 and 6 years old. This is typically well after the average child begins speaking, communicating, and functioning at a more advanced level. Dr. Oller and his team say that LENA can bring that age down to 18 months. The sooner autism is detected, the sooner that appropriate treatment methods can be implemented, and the chance of recovery and improved symptoms heightens.

An online report of the aforementioned study can be found online in the July 19th edition of   Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The behavior of Autistic children can be a very challenging thing to handle. From temper tantrums, to self-injury, to repetitive, destructive behavior, parents often don’t know where to turn to for behavior modification techniques. When “No!” doesn’t work, and time outs are ineffective, it almost seems as though it’s a lost cause. Behavior Modification Therapy focuses on these outbursts and trains the Autistic mind to relate good behavior with good feelings.

In the shoes of an Autistic Child…

If every day you went to work, did your 8 hours, and didn’t get paid, would you continue to do go to work? If you started a new diet, and it claimed that maybe someday you would be healthy, would you continue to do it? Life is all about the reward system: if you do something correctly, then you receive a reward. What the reward might be is relative to the situation, but if you seek value in that reward, you’re sure to do what is required in order to get it.

If you went to work late everyday, sat around and did nothing and still collected a paycheck, would you continue to go to work? If you were on a diet that allowed you to eat as much candy as you wanted, but promised that you’d lose weight rapidly, would you remain on the diet? Probably. Life is also about consequences. If your reward isn’t taken away when you do something against policy, then you never learn right from wrong. How are you to know that going to work late is wrong, or that eating candy is bad, if you’re not given a consequence to your action?

You Need To Say Exactly What You Want To Get Exactly What You Want

For this to be a structured approach, it’s important that you identify three main ideas to the new method:
1) What exact behavior are you looking for from the child.
2) How long do you wish for the child to apply this behavior?
3) Under what circumstances should the behavior be preformed.

For example, if you are having an issue with your child throwing a temper tantrum every time you try to put their shoes on, this can surely become a great hassle. In this situation, the behavior you’re looking for might be to calmly sit on the sofa, and allow his/her shoes to be put on. The  duration of the action may be for 2 minutes or until the shoes are on and tied. The circumstances would be when it’s time to go outside and you have to wear shoes. The goal here would be for the child to learn the idea that “When it’s time to go outside and put on shoes, I have to sit on the sofa for 2 minutes until my shoes are tied”.

Creating a reward system and sticking to it

Why should your child put their shoes on? Of course it prevents mommy and daddy from going nuts from all of the screaming, but what does the child get out of the deal? If there’s no reason or reward for them to do it, then why in the world should they?

It is our own natural defense mechanism to avoid pain and gravitate to good. If you don’t know the difference, then how do you know which direction to go? Behavioral Modification creates a reward system for desired behavior, and enables the child to create healthy behavioral patterns. If they do the right thing, they receive a reward. Whether it be a hug, a high five, 5 minutes to play a video game, the key is to make the reward be something that the child wants. If you try giving a child who doesn’t like ice cream and ice cream cone, that’s not considered a reward.

In our shoe example, let’s assume that the child loves hugs and sandboxes.In this case, we may want the child to think “When it’s time to go outside and put on shoes, I have to sit on the sofa for 2 minutes until my shoes are tied, and then I get to go outside and play in the sandbox and get a big hug from Mommy”.

You Might Need a Little Help…

Unless you have your PhD in Behavioral Health hanging in your office, you probably aren’t completely sure on where to begin. There are plenty of specialists available who can help get you and your family on the right track to behavioral modification. True to form, you as the parent should keep your eye on the reward:

A happier, healthier child. This is probably above all, the best reward we could offer.

In any child, or person for that matter, it is important to keep the body healthy and balanced. We hear all of the time how the body has too much of some things and not enough of others and it causing havok on the body. With more and more research pointing to the theory that Autism is in fact a biochemical disorder, the benefits of  maintaining a healthy body are becoming more documented and studied especially in Autistic children.

Some of the most commonly studied and practiced methods are diet modification, and vitamin and mineral therapy. Each method has its own purpose but aim for the same goal: maintaining a healthy autistic body to reach increased functioning and decreased symptoms.

Diet Modification

We’ve spoken before about the benefits of changing your childs diet. There have been plenty of studies surrounding the omission of Gluten (wheat, bread) products and Casein (dairy) products. In many children with Autism, there are issues with stomach and gut. The first thing that doctors typically suggest is the removal of gluten and casein from the child’s diet.

Some parents report that getting their children to stop eating wheat and dairy products is similar to trying to get an addict off of drugs. Their children seem to fiend for wheat and milk, and parents end up giving in because they finally feel they can give their child something that they need and want. Think again and maybe a little more literal into the “addict” comparison.

When digested, gluten and casein are broken down into peptides; glutenin and giladin respectively, attach themselves to opiate receptors of the child’s brain. This means that wheat and dairy products can act like narcotics and children can literally be addicted to them.

So, how do you get a child off of Gluten and Casein? Luckily, these days there are many wheat and dairy substitutes in grocery stores with the boom of vegetarianism and all-around body health awareness.

Vitamin and Mineral Therapy

Because of the dietary needs and habits of children with Autism, it has been found that a great deal of children are lacking the proper vitamins and minerals in their bodies. Even as fully-grown, healthy adults we often focus on the proper amounts of vitamins and minerals each day. Specific supplements have been documented as helping aid in the alleviation of autism symptoms and increasing the level of functionality.

One specific mineral that has been often studies is DMG (Dimethylglycine). DMG is found, albeit in small amounts in brown rice and liver. Chemically it resembles vitamin B15. Some of the improvements noted by administering DMG (available over the counter in health stores) are attention span, social awareness, eye contact and speech.

Some parents report an increase in hyperactivity with DMG, but have found success with an alternative, TMG (trimethylglycine).  The same improvements have been reported in TMG as in DMG.

There are quite a number of ways to keep the body healthy. Of course, parents are looking for the methods with the highest result. Which method will decrease symptoms and alleviate some of the everyday frustrations that come with Autism? You know that we can’t answer this directly simply cause each child’s body makeup is different. What might be good for one child, may be counterproductive for another. You may have to try one, two, or ten methods. Stay optimistic, even with minor setbacks, that you will find a method that will work for your child.

Autism is a puzzling disorder. Almost too appropriately, the universal logo and symbol of Autism is a puzzle. When you find out that your child has Autism, you’re going to be flooded with information on treatment methods from doctors and specialists. There are a variety of available treatments, but when you’re still suffering from the shock of the diagnosis, it’s difficult to tell the difference of each treatment. Here are a few of the most commonly used treatment options.

1. Behavioral Modification

Often in cases of Autism, children have difficulties with maintaining acceptable behavior. Hitting,  self injury, temper tantrums, and other like behaviors are common and damaging to the child and their families. Behavior modification treatment focuses on refining the behavior by initiating a reward system for acceptable behavior. Children are rewarded with hugs, high fives, toys, or something that they enjoy so that they associate good behavior with positive reinforcement.

2. Dietary Modification

It has been found that diets that are high in gluten or casein can be damaging to the autistic body. Eliminating these wheat and dairy items can be easier said than done because they’re often such a large part of a child’s diet. With substitution and new skills, parents can learn how to remove these foods from their child’s diet and allow their inflamed guts to heal.

3. Communication Treatment

Social interaction is another area in which children have a hard time performing in when they are diagnosed with ASD. Very often, Autistic children are unable to speak or communicate effectively and this makes it difficult to understand what it is that your child needs or wants. Communication treatment or Speech therapy explores other methods of communication such as non-verbal communication that can enable ASD children to communicate on a level that can be understood.

4. Chelation

Chelation is the process utilized to remove damaging heavy metals from the body. Mercury, iron, and other metals are often found in the Autistic body and can have negative effects on the brain making Autism symptoms even worse. Another source of damaging metals is Thiomersal, which is found in many childhood vaccines. Chelation Therapy includes the administering of chelating agents to remove heavy metals.

5. Treatment with Medication

When it comes to treating Autism with medication, since the ultimate cause isn’t known, you aren’t really treating the Autism so much as the symptoms. With Autism often comes depression, anxiety, and behavioral challenges in which doctors are quick to hand over a prescription for an anti-depressant.  While this can give symptoms a pacifier and can make living with Autism somewhat easier, there’s no one medication to treat autism.

An ideal treatment plan will focus on your individual child’s needs and interests. For example, if you have a child is is very interested in toys and enjoys playing with them, toy therapy may be a beneficial treatment for them. It’s perfectly okay to explore different methods of treatment to find which one works best. While there is no cure for Autism, there are a decent number of treatment options that can be very beneficial to treating the symptoms and body damage that Autism brings with it.