Did you know?

Autism spectrum disorder is treatable.

April is autism awareness month. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges. There is often nothing unusual about the way people with ASD look to differentiate them from others. However, those with ASD may communicate, interact, behave, and learn in ways that are different from most other people.

The learning, thinking and problem-solving abilities of people with ASD can range from gifted to severely challenged. Some people with ASD need a lot of help in their daily lives; others need less. A diagnosis of ASD now includes several conditions that used to be diagnosed separately: autistic disorder, pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS), and Asperger syndrome. Together, these conditions are now called autism spectrum disorder.

Autism Prevalence Report
In March 2014, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued their Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) prevalence report. Some of the findings are:

About 1 in 68 children has been identified with autism spectrum disorder. (This is nearly twice as many as the 2004 rate of 1 in 125, with 1 in 54 being boys.)
ASD is reported to occur in all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups.
ASD is almost 5 times more common among boys (1 in 42) than among girls (1 in 189).
Studies in Asia, Europe, and North America have identified individuals with ASD with an average prevalence of about 1 percent. A study in South Korea reported a prevalence of 2.6 percent.
About 1 in 6 children in the United States had a developmental disability in 2006-2008, ranging from mild disabilities such as speech and language impairments to serious developmental issues, such as intellectual disabilities, cerebral palsy, and autism.

As a result of this fast increase in the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder, autism awareness is growing globally. ASD is defined by a certain set of behaviors and is a “spectrum condition” that affects individuals differently and to varying degrees. There is no known single cause of autism, but increased awareness and early diagnosis and intervention with access to appropriate services/support systems lead to significantly improved outcomes.

Autism is treatable
Children do not outgrow autism, but studies show that early diagnosis and intervention lead to significantly improved outcomes. Signs of ASD begin during early childhood and typically last throughout a person’s life. Here are a few signs to watch out for in children:

Genes are one of the risk factors that can make a person more likely to develop ASD.
Lack of, or delay, in spoken language
Repetitive use of language and/or motor mannerisms (e.g., hand-flapping, twirling objects)
Little or no eye contact
Lack of interest in peer relationships
Lack of spontaneous or make-believe play
Persistent fixation on parts of objects

Children or adults with ASD might:

Not point at objects to show interest (for example, not point at an airplane flying over)
Not look at objects when another person points at them
Have trouble relating to others or not have an interest in other people at all
Avoid eye contact and want to be alone
Have trouble understanding other people’s feelings or talking about their own feelings
Prefer not to be held or cuddled, or might cuddle only when they want to
Appear to be unaware when people talk to them, but respond to other sounds
Be very interested in people, but not know how to talk, play, or relate to them
Repeat or echo words or phrases said to them, or repeat words or phrases in place of normal language
Have trouble expressing their needs using typical words or motions
Not play "pretend" games (for example, playing "make-believe")
Repeat actions over and over again
Have trouble adapting when a routine changes
Have unusual reactions to the way things smell, taste, look, feel, or sound
Lose skills they once had (for example, stop saying words they were using)

Causes of ASD and diagnosis
Researchers do not know all of the causes of ASD. However, they have learned that there may be many different factors that make a child more likely to have an ASD, including environmental, biologic and genetic factors. Research has found:

Genes are one of the risk factors that can make a person more likely to develop ASD.
Children who have a sibling with ASD are at a higher risk of also having ASD.
ASD tends to occur more often in people who have certain genetic or chromosomal conditions, such as fragile X syndrome or tuberous sclerosis.
When taken during pregnancy, the prescription drugs valproic acid and thalidomide have been linked with a higher risk of ASD.
There is some evidence that the critical period for developing ASD occurs before, during, and immediately after birth.
Children born to older parents are at greater risk for having ASD.
Environmental toxins (e.g., heavy metals such as mercury) are contributing to the rise in the occurrence of autism. Those with autism (or those at risk) may be especially vulnerable to such toxins, as their ability to metabolize and detoxify from these heavy metals might be compromised.

Diagnosing ASD can be difficult since there is no medical test, like a blood draw, to diagnose the disorder. Doctors look at the child’s behavior and development to make a diagnosis.

ASD can sometimes be detected at 18 months or younger. By age 2, a diagnosis by an experienced professional can be considered very reliable. However, many children do not receive a final diagnosis until much older. This delay means that children with ASD might not get the early help they need.

There is currently no cure for ASD but early intervention services help children from birth to 36 months learn important skills. Services can include therapy to help the child talk, walk, and interact with others.

With the prevalence of ASD, chances are you already know someone who can benefit from research or treatment. Although there is no cure, as with virtually every disease, a healthy lifestyle composed of whole foods, natural supplementation and exercise is beneficial and part of the treatment protocol.

Be supportive of anyone you know with ASD as well as their families—caretakers need to stay healthy in order be the best resources for their children. Why not offer to provide parents, other family members of those with ASD and adults with ASD, access to the superior dietary supplements from LifePharm Global Network?