April is National Autism Awareness Month

In order to highlight the growing need for concern and awareness about autism, the United States recognizes April as National Autism Awareness Month. This gives us a perfect opportunity to promote education to the public about autism and the issues within the autism community. For more information, visit the Autism Society of America.

What is Autism?
Autism is a spectrum disorder, meaning that its symptoms range from mild to severe and vary by individual, often referred to as an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). It is characterized by impairments in social relatedness and communication, repetitive behaviors, abnormal movements and sensory dysfunction. An autistic child might appear to be largely oblivious to his surroundings, violently overwhelmed by physical sensations, or seem outwardly to be simply socially awkward. As of 2007, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates one in 150 children are diagnosed with autism.

Behavioral Treatment
The general goal with behavioral treatment for individuals with ASD is to teach appropriate behavior while decreasing inappropriate behaviors. This type of assessment and teaching is formally known as Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA). The field of ABA includes structured and naturalistic methodologies for assessment and interventions, including but not limited to discrete trial training, incidental teaching, pivotal response training, natural environmental training, verbal behavior, fluency-based instruction, task analysis, descriptive assessment, functional analysis and positive behavioral support.

Biomedical Treatment
Although ASD is diagnosed on the basis of behavioral parameters, there are many underlying biomedical factors which can contribute to these symptoms. The biomedical approach is a science-based, molecular-biological approach to treatment. The aim is to address the underlying health problems. Affected children often have an exaggerated response to toxins, foods and airborne allergens. It is well documented that they are often deficient in various nutrients, enzymes, antioxidants and essential fatty acids, and they require methylation support. The guiding principle is to remove what is causing harm and add what is missing. This integrative approach addresses the physical AND behavioral symptoms of autism. The Autism Research Institute asked parents to rate the effectiveness of numerous biomedical treatments. As of 2008, over 26,000 parents of autistic children had evaluated more than 80 interventions. Detoxification was considered helpful by 74% of parents. Other highly rated therapies, considered to be helpful included: gluten/casein-free diet, 66%; food allergy treatment, 64%; methylcobalamin, 56% and essential fatty acid therapy, 56%.

Regardless of the type of treatment, age at intervention has a direct impact on outcome – typically, the earlier a child is treated, the better the prognosis will be. Thanks to advances in all treatments, today it is recommended to use a combination of approaches (e.g. biomedical and ABA). ABA alone cannot heal the child’s medical conditions and a medical approach cannot make up for deficits with the child’s peers. Many parents today feel that an all around approach covers all bases.