April is autism awareness month. Many of the people reading this will probably have heard me voice my opinions on the difficulties concerning those affected, and how it impacts upon their families.
Autism is a HUGE disorder; there may be many similarities and certain behaviours which comprise the diagnoses, but just as how we are all unique, so are the difficulties that surround every person who suffers from this disorder. I am an autism mum! I have been for the best part of three years now -well, knowingly at least - and I can tell you, it has truly been a journey of endurance, breakthroughs, frustration, joys and disappointments. I have taken on doctors, psychologists, therapists, politicians, the NHS, the Courts and the BBC... I have stood before them all, being judged as an over-reactive mother as I merely tried to ensure that my son gets a chance. A chance to achieve his full potential; to make his life and the inherent difficulties a little easier - things you would expect from our services if your child was "neurotypical" (i.e. ''normal''. I hate labels; every child is unique and what is normal for one is not for another, so let us please just refer to children as children.) Just like the world around us, things are not fair, and despite our living in a well-developed Western country, the services that are provided are not sufficient, and those of us who choose to fight this system... ...well, we come out battle-damaged. This shouldn't be the case; regular daily living can be hard enough. Take, for example, cleaning your teeth. How long does this take you? It can take thirty to forty minutes, daily, within an autism-affected family. Now I've set the scene a little. My child is High-functioning autistic, with ADHD. He has problems with social understanding; he has gastro-inflammatory troubles; he has physical problems; obsessions, compulsions, sensory problems and learning disabilities - All of which comprise what we know as autism. I could write a manuscript on each of these things taken from our own perspective; but instead I'm going to concentrate on one specific point over a few blogs - the elements that I feel I haven't given enough insight into (again, from our perspective). If anyone has caught any of the Parent-Speaker events - unless directly asked this is something I have neglected to address. You may have read about this in the media, but sadly not from a view of dispensing helpful or useful information; more for the purposes of "hitting the headlines" for the sake of sensationalism - for example, the reports concerning the possibility and probability of vaccinations - especially the MMR vaccination program - causing a rise and/or regression in autism. Science knows there has to be the correct environment for the development of autism; this is an area science is still heavily researching, and there are many varied ''environments'' that make someone more susceptible to the disorder. BUT: There has to be a trigger. My son had a normal delivery after a traumatic gestation, and things didn't get much better during birth; I had a rare allergic reaction to the medication which the hospital had given me, resulting in the possibility of my child having been starved of oxygen. As you can see: There are already many ''possible'' triggers. Thinking back, my son had many autistic traits from birth: He was a hungry baby; a VERY HUNGRY BABY. He would not sleep - perhaps a maximum of just forty minutes at a time. He would cry; my God, would he CRY! He had "head lag" - Pick him up and his head would roll back. All this, before he was eight months old. As time went on, his developments as regards speech, walking, and so forth were not delayed to a point of concern, although it must be said that the word-sounds that he produced first are generally facets of speech that usually would develop a little later, suggesting perhaps that some sounds could have been repressed. The time came to administer the MMR inoculation; I come from a veterinary background, therefore I am a firm believer in the good that can result from a vaccination program - and of course a quick look into the epidemiology of disease shows how we can eradicate some of the worst ailments to affect mankind. Still, I undertook my own research before committing to this program - to the point where my son had his jab a little later than he should have. Still, he was fine. Until two weeks later. We had a very QUIET night; that in itself wasn't normal for us. My son had become limp and unresponsive, so I hurried him to A & E. The medical staff were uncertain what was wrong with him - until a little later his face and neck appeared swollen. MUMPS! My son was experiencing the symptoms of mumps; he was put on a program of anti-inflammatories, given fluids and before long we could return home. Was this normal? You are told there could be a slight chance of ''mild'' symptoms. These symptoms were not mild in my opinion. At three years of age, the obsessions and compulsions started to kick in; we got ''quiet'' days, and lots and lots of stimming (Finger-thumb touching, arm flapping and vocal stims). Did the MMR contribute to symptoms, or even exacerbate them? Of course, this will be something I will never know the answer to; I hold firmly to the belief that my son was born autistic, but there is no doubt that he had some pretty big adverse reactions to the MMR vaccination program. As science progresses and research is adding further pieces to this complex jigsaw, we must ask: HOW is science working to cure the incurable disease? It is a avenue that you do not receive access to from the NHS! You won't hear many NHS clinical psychologists suggest these methods of treatment to you - unless of course YOU do the research yourself, and take it to them! This way is the BIO-MED way. Bio-med - meaning bio-medical - is a term to describe treatment from a medical viewpoint. Bio-med uses medical testing to detect things such as excessive amounts of bad bacteria in the stomach, parasites, yeast, viruses, food allergies and heavy metal toxicity. These tests then show there is any type of problem with the subject's immune system, as well as metabolism abnormalities and biochemical imbalances, which can cause disruptions in the brain and lead to autistic symptoms. These imbalances are then corrected with various treatment options: supplements, medications, all-natural remedies, homeopathy, chelation, HBOT and special diets. Parents have reported that their child's health has been improved, as well as observing betterment regarding their focus, attention and moods, resulting in the child gaining a firm base to receive other behavioural therapy options. This Bio-med world can be daunting and overwhelming at first. Things seem to be referred to via abbreviations; Parents sound like they talk in code and everything seem to fliy over your head. You may just want to curl up into a ball, cry and give up; however, we have allbeen there, so please take a moment and consider: ...There are some very simple things that you can do yourself to see if your child may benefit from a bio-med approach to treatment. My first step was to look in to dietary problems - reducing cows milk and dairy in general - my child appeared suffer from a smaller amount of sickness, phlegm and stomach cramping. This then gave me an anchor I could take to my GP and request the tests needed. There are some good books out there too; here are a sampling: Unraveling the Mystery of Autism and Pervasive Development Disorder: A Mother’s Story of Research & Recovery by Karyn Seroussi The Boy Who Loved Windows by Patricia Stacy Changing The Course of Autism by Bryan Jepson, M.D. Healing The New Childhood Epidemics by Kenneth Bock, M.D. Children With Starving Brains by Jacquelyn McCandless, M.D. Biological Treatments for Autism and PDD by William Shaw, Ph.D. You shouldn't pursue this kind of treatment on your own - not even the specialist dietary requirements -as you need to have a good network of specialists at your disposal; but the way you can keep this form of treatment moving is with knowledge; informing yourself - which in turn helps you to take control of your child's treatment, as you can liaise with the specialists and say what is working and what is not - and talking out about it to other parents in similar situations; when you receive the blow of the diagnosis, the autism world can be a very big, lonely and scary place, which it needn't be; but sadly you cannot sit back and expect the treatment to come to you when your child needs it most. Act early! |
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