DR JOSHI'S CENTER FOR AUTISM

FAQ’s for AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER - Dr.Joshi's Homeopathic Center for Autism

1. What is autism? 

Autism is considered a spectrum disorder because symptoms and severity vary from individual to individual. Autistic children express differently from each other. Autism is characterized by failure of the child to develop communicative language or form proper social communication. But they show motor and other skills far beyond that of a mentally retarded child.

Autism is characterized by varying degrees of impairment to develop communicative language or form proper social communication. Some of them are obsessively pre occupied with inanimate objects such as lights, running water or spinning objects, and also by repetitive behaviors. Symptoms range from mild to severe. Some of them gradually develop extreme talents such as in mathematics and these are retained mostly throughout the life. Studies of people with autism have found abnormalities in several regions of the brain which suggest that autism results from a disruption of early fetal brain development

There is a milder form of the disorder known as Asperger's Syndrome. Other developmental disorders that fall under the Autism Spectrum Disorders are Rett’s Syndrome, PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified), and Childhood Disintegrative Disorder. If you have concerns about your child's development, don't wait: speak to your doctor about getting your child screened for autism.

2. What is meant by “On the spectrum”?
Autism is considered a spectrum disorder because symptoms and severity vary from individual to individual. Though the Autistic children show similar traits they are individual and express differently from each other. one child may have not developed speech and have difficulty in learning how to read and write, where as another child can easily read and write and can be attending normal school. Some children may display hypersensitivity to touch noise and other may have no sensory issues at all.

3. How common is autism?
According to the survey by Centers for Disease Control, autism affects as many as 1 in every 100 children and it is rising by 10-15% every year. It is the most prevalent developmental disorder in today’s time. Boys are more susceptible than girls to develop Autism but it is seen that girls manifest a more severe form of the disorder that the boys.

4. How do I know my child is Autistic?

No two children with autism are alike, each one managing a different set of symptoms. But there are some signs and symptoms that are common and may be recognized as early as the toddler years, or even sooner. They usually do not have or do not sustain eye contact and have trouble communicating with other people or they may communicate in ways that others cannot easily understand. They may hardly speak and even if they speak it’s just babbling and not coherent. They're also prone to repetitive behaviors like flapping their hands constantly or uttering the same phrase over and over again. They may also be over sensitive to sights, sounds and touch.

Criteria for Autism

A total Of 6 or more items of the following with at least 2 from [1], and one each from [2] and [3] are satisfied by the patient:

[1] Qualitative impairment in social interaction:

Marked impairment in facial expression

Failure to develop peer relationships

A lack of spontaneity in sharing interests

Lack of social or emotional reciprocity

[2] Qualitative impairment in communication:

Marked inability to initiate or sustain conversation with others.

[3] Restricted, repetitive and stereotyped pattern of behavior

Encompassing preoccupation with one stereotyped and restricted pattern.

5. How did my child develop autism?
No one is yet able to point to a probable cause. Though a disorder as common as autism would have a known cause, in many ways it's still quite mysteriously not known. Recent studies have suggested a strong genetic basis for autism. There are about 20 sets of genes that may play a part in the development of autism. Genes are not the only one responsible for all the cases; there are other triggers which are yet not discovered.

6. Does vaccination cause autism ?
Many studies have been conducted to determine if a link exists between vaccination and increased prevalence of autism, with particular attention to the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine and those containing thimerosal. These studies have not found a link between vaccines and autism It remains possible that, in cases, immunization might trigger the onset of autism symptoms in a child with an underlying medical or genetic condition.

As this is a sensitive topic it is best to discuss it with your healthcare provider who will guide you and ensure the optimal well-being of the child. Establishing open communication and trust with a physician who understands each child and his or her family is the best strategy for keeping a child healthy. 

7. What help my child needs if He/She is Autistic?

Do not Panic first understand and learn about Autism from the right source that can be your doctor. You will need a good team of doctors, therapists, psychologists and teachers who understand and have experience with autism and can respond to his needs appropriately. Your healthcare provider can guide you toward various intervention programs and suggest complementary therapies. It also helps to associate with the existing network of parents facing the same challenges as you.

8. How to I deal with the diagnosis of Autism?

It is difficult to come to terms with the diagnosis that your child is having Autism but there is always a brighter side to every adversity. As we know the Autistic children have some special capabilities which the normal kids may not pocess.For e.g. some of the children we saw one was having a extraordinary power to memorize things only after reading once, one of them was brilliant in drawing and another in playing musical instrument. So do not blame your self or feel sad or hopeless. Take the right steps understand the disorder and if take care from your healthcare provider who will guide you with the exact nature of the disorder and how to deal with it. Keep the faith.

9. What therapies do I need for my child with Autism?

There are various therapies that are useful some of them are –

• Speech Language Therapy (SLT)
• Occupational Therapy (OT)
• Sensory Integration
• Physical Therapy (PT)
• Social Skills
• Picture Exchange Communication system
• Auditory Integration Therapy

10. What role Homeopathy plays in Autism?

Homeopathy is a holistic treatment and it plays a vital role in treatment of Autistic children. With the Constitutional Homeopathic treatment we can achieve increased level of concentration, decrease in hyperactivity and channeling of the energy in a constructive method. Homeopathic remedies act at the level of the Psycho Neuro endocrinal axis. Homeopathic treatment is safe and without side effects.

11. Can Autistic children become independent?

Yes Autistic children can become independent with the right intervention programs, therapy and proper care from the early stages once the child is detected with Autism. A sustained effort is needed to achieve the desired outcome from therapy and treatment. As Autistic children are having special capabilities which when nurtured properly can be a great asset in making the individual independent.

Dr.Joshi's Homeopathic Center for Autism
For more queries write to : ask@happylivin.com , tosh116@gmail.com

Websites : www.drjoshis.com 
www.happylivin.com

Autism signs to watch in your child & Early treatment with Homeopathy - Dr.Santosh Joshi

In the current generation we all are getting familiar with a disorder know as Autism (Autism spectrum disorder -ASD).Autism is increasing at an alarming rate according to a latest study autism now affects 1 in 100 children and these statistics can frighten parents when they see certain behavior pattern may or may not be normal.

Warning signs of Autism

Some of the commonest signs of autism are No eye contact, No language development, Obsessive compulsive behaviour, temper tantrums, sensory issues, no fear, self injurious behavior can be observed in kids suffering from severe autism. Usually all these may not be present in all the children. Some of the fine and subtle expression should not be missed out as early detection of autism can be very helpful in starting the treatment program.

Signs to watch in your kid

Lack of eye contact – this is one of the basic response babies give which is spontaneous on the part of the baby. Babies should be quick and eager to engage a parent or even a stranger with a focused and prolonged eye contact. There is no need in a normal baby to work on getting eye contact, so when you find your child doesn’t give eye contact this has to be taken into consideration.

Lack of babbling by seven months should make consonant sounds and by 12 months should be speaking in phrases. If a 12 month old is still not making any relevant words or phrases then the speech is delayed. In certain children suddenly stop speaking or communicating after they have started to speak this is also one of the signs to watch out. Not all late talkers will develop autism. But if a child doesn’t talk anything by 18 months then full developmental evaluation is a must.

Repetitive actions like making noise with the keys, holding a pencil in hand and shaking it for no obvious reason, playing inappropriately with toys, or looking at objects which are meant to be played with without curiosity and get obsessed with certain things like pencil batteries, caps etc can be a cause of concern.

Sensory issues: like putting the hands to the ears when there is a certain type of noise or in a crowd, inappropriate hugging and touching, handling the private parts, presence of certain people which cause great annoyance for no obvious reason. Eat the same food with the same texture and taste.

It is important to observe the following signs in preschool age as some children will not display enough obvious symptoms and diagnosis of autism may go undiagnosed and precious time will be lost

Unusual brilliance: In certain children it is observed that the child may talk incessantly about one or more primary subjects read the book and music which may far exceed the skills when compared to his peers. But the same child will have difficulty in conversing about simple subjects and may not be interested. Such behavior also has to be evaluated.

Repetition while conversing: when a child is asked a question and if he repeats the same thing again in the exact way can be a cause of concern if this behavior is observed on most of the occasions.

Lack of social interaction: this is an issue of comprehension when the child cannot comprehend what is happening in his social surrounding. If he is unable to make out when to laugh or understand sarcastic comments or answer appropriately to questions. This has to be taken into consideration for evaluation of the child for autism.

Obsessive compulsive behavior: Some children will constantly play with the cap of bottle, some will arrange the car toys in one line and if someone disturbs the sequence, it will cause a major temper tantrum, change of the food plate on which food is served or if food is cooked in a different way they will refuse to accept the change.

Role of Homeopathy in Autism by Dr. Santosh Joshi (Early intervention for Autism)

Autism is considered a spectrum disorder because symptoms and severity vary from individual to individual. Autistic children express differently from each other.

Autism is characterized by failure of the child to develop communicative language or form proper social communication. But they show motor and other skills far beyond that of a mentally retarded child.

Some of them are obsessively pre occupied with inanimate objects such as lights, running water or spinning objects. Some of them gradually develop extreme talents such as in mathematics and these are retained mostly throughout the life.

Studies of people with autism have found abnormalities in several regions of the brain which suggest that autism results from a disruption of early fetal brain development

Coming to the point, What Homeopathy has to offer for these Autistic children? And help them lead a better life. The best part of Homeopathy is that we have medicines that cover these peculiar symptoms that these Autistic children exhibit. Based on these symptom totality the right Homeopathic remedy that suits the individual child is prescribed. To understand this we have illustrated a case of Autistic child successfully treated in our online and virtual clinic.

Case presentation:

Based on ‘Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders’ – Fourth Edition by the American Psychiatric Association, Washington, DC, we can classify each of the cases in the following way:A total Of 6 or more items of the following with at least 2 from [1], and one each from [2] and [3] are satisfied by the patient:

1. Qualitative impairment in social interaction:

•     Marked impairment in facial expression
•     Failure to develop peer relationships
•     A lack of spontaneity in sharing interests
•     Lack of social or emotional reciprocity

2. Qualitative impairment in communication:

    Marked inability to initiate or sustain conversation with others.

3. Restricted, repetitive and stereotyped pattern of behavior

    Encompassing preoccupation with one stereotyped and restricted pattern.

We treat the cases on the individual basis, keeping in mind the various expressions that are manifested by the child.

Case of Autism Spectrum Disorder treated with Homeopathy

A male child age 2 ½ yrs was brought to our consultation room for treatment of Autism. On the C.A.R.S score he obtained 33 point which indicates mild to moderate Autistic features. The child had three episodes of seizures at the age of 5 months. The parents reported that he is overactive and most of the time he doesn’t sit still. He usually plays with himself and does not play much with pears.

The parents also reported that if he interacts with children he would usually hit them, pull their hair etc. Also he does not respond when he is taught some thing, when asked to follow instructions. He some times expresses his joy when he sees some relatives, guests or known people but does not interact much with them. When he is angry he bangs his head in anger, shouts and throws temper tantrums. He is very obstinate by nature and if the demands are not met he throws temper tantrums.

The child was very hyperactive when he came to our consultation room. He did not sit in one place but moved around the room. The child has eye contact for a short span. He does not respond to any verbal command. Occasionally he communicated by non verbal means like touch.

The child also makes continuous babbling and specific noise. The child loves to listen to fast song and rhythmic music and he will dance to the tune. Besides this the child makes specific movements of the hands like waving of the hands and he will bang things, look at them and starts laughing.

We asked the mother if she had any emotional trauma or stress during the pregnancy. She replied that she had a good pregnancy and she had no major tensions during her pregnancy.

Mile stones of the child:

Birth weight: 3 kgs

Age of walking: 1 yr 6 months

Age of eruption of first tooth: 6 months

Speech development: he developed 2-3 mono-syllabus but now that has also disappeared.

Personal history:

• The child feels very hot and he wants the fan and air-conditioner most f the time.
• The child loves to eat spicy food, salt, lemon, banana and cold drinks
• He has strong aversion to sweets.
• He has severe constipation and passes motion once in 2 days. He has to strain a lot.
• He has fear of fire.
• He used to walk on toes earlier.

On careful analysis and evaluation of the case history, the patient was prescribed Tarentula Hispanica. He was given 3 doses and was asked to report after 14 days. After 14 days the mother reported that the flapping motion of the hands has increased. He is lost in his own world but a positive sign was that the child had started to play with children; he sleeps for a longer period. His constipation has reduced. Now he responds after being called for 2-3 times, earlier which was absent. Patient was given Sacrum Lactis for 14 days.

The patient reported restlessness, head banging, disturbed sleep, and chest congestion, better when he sleeps in knee chest position. Thirst for large quantities of water, feels very hot and desires to uncover. The patient was prescribed Medorrhinum, 3 doses and was asked to report after 14 days. The child showed marked improvement in all his complaints. His attention span has increased, his restlessness has decreased. Chest congestion is better. He plays with children and the most important part was he stared to speak single words. The patient was under our treatment for 1 ½ yrs and he showed continuous improvement in his Autistic symptoms and now he has stared to go to school for special needs where he under goes therapies.

Homeopathy plays an important role in the treatment of Autism as the Homeopathic remedies acts at the level of Psycho-neuro-endocranial axis. Homeopathic remedies helps in bringing back the imbalance to a balanced state. The right Homeopathic remedy has the potential to treat complex disorders with good success, if it is practiced in the right way. To see the desired result in the Autistic children along with Homeopathy Occupational therapy, speech therapy etc is must. Counseling of the parents, relatives and care givers is necessary to make them understand the complexity of the disorder and to handle and help the child in the right way. The right Homeopathic medicines and other therapies can bring out the best qualities in these special children who are gifted with special talent.

Autism Case 2 treated with Homeopathy:

Recently we had a case where the child was a Autistic kid and was very destructive used to get immense pleasure after breaking things. This was wonderfully covered by a remedy known as Tarentula.H which was given after careful analysis and evaluation. After this the child is showing marked improvement.

If we know the correct details about the child’s behavior the characteristic expressions the physical complaints we can select the right remedy from the Homeopathic materia medica. This similar remedy should be able to bring about the necessary change required.

We have been treating few cases of Autism spectrum disorder which have been steadily improving .Along with the medication the children also go to special school that helps them to be independent and teach then the things that will help them in the future.

Key measures to be followed:

• A correct History of the Child including the Behavior.
• Noting down the expressions of the patient.
• Physical complaints conditions of aggravation & Amelioration.
• Education in special school to make them self efficient.
• Approach to the patient based on individuality.
• Selection of the remedy after analysis and evaluation.
• To consider the response and the likely line of treatment.
• Maintaining a Note book and noting the changes that occur to evaluate the case.

Conclusion

• We can definitely help the autistic children.
• Clear detailed history is required.
• Differentiate closely related medicines.
• Give the medicines till the patient is better.
• Get the patient evaluated by a Psychiatrist and Psychologists.

For more queries write to : ask@happylivin.com , tosh116@gmail.com
Websites : www.drjoshis.com 
www.happylivin.com

Note : The remedies prescribed in the cases should not be taken in any case without the advice of a registered Homeopathic doctor.

Autism Case treated with Homeopathy by Dr. Santosh R. Joshi at Dr.Joshi's Center for Autism

Introduction

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is growing at an alarming rate every 1 child in 88 is Autistic. It is important to diagnose it at an early stage so it will help in starting the treatment and occupational therapies to achieve substantial improvement in the individual. In this paper I have tried to touch on to the importance of Homeopathic treatment in Autism, I have not included the detailed follow-ups but have summarized it in a paragraph.

Autism in brief

Autism is characterized by failure of the child to develop communicative language or form proper social communication. But they show motor and other skills far beyond that of a mentally retarded child.

Autism is characterized by varying degrees of impairment to develop communicative language or form proper social communication. Some of them are obsessively pre occupied with inanimate objects such as lights, running water or spinning objects, and also by repetitive behaviors. Symptoms range from mild to severe.

Some of the children gradually develop extreme talents such as in mathematics and these are retained mostly throughout the life. Studies of people with autism have found abnormalities in several regions of the brain which suggest that autism results from a disruption of early fetal brain development.

Autism Case

The biggest issue with this young male child aged 7 years is he doesn’t comprehend when things are described to him. If he has read a story and at the end of it if he is asked a question he will go completely blank. He is good in mathematics, reads everything but when there is a subjective question he will go blank.

Another major issue is he is unable to follow directions and unable to focus on the work he is supposed to do. The child also has problems in writing and this skill has not yet developed in him. He cannot properly hold the pencil and write. He also doesn’t get along well with children of his age group, as he will start screaming if things don’t go his way.

Hyperactivity is another major issue, he cannot stand or sit in one place properly even for some time. He cannot sleep easily it takes a long time about one to two hours to make him sleep.

His daily activities are he gets up in the morning at around 7 am does his daily routine and goes to school at 8 am and comes home by 3 pm. After this he will play, do his homework, take shower, eat dinner and go to bed. He also goes to martial arts and piano classes. Besides this he plays video games and watches Television.

His physical development is good and healthy. The child was perfectly alright till 24 months of age. After he received the MMR vaccine shot he developed high grade fever. After a few months of this episode he got a convulsion followed by few more convulsions. All the investigations were normal except the EEG, which showed some epileptic tendency. So the child was put on antiepileptic drugs. Even with these medications the child used to get seizures. After sometime the doctors stopped the medicines but he still the seizures continued.

During convulsions there was rolling of the eyes in the upper left or right corner, he will stop communicating, which is followed by spasms and foaming from the mouth.

The child was a planned pregnancy; mother didn’t have any tensions during pregnancy. The delivery was full term and normal. His birth weight was 7 pounds, Age of walking -14 months, age of talking first word 8 months and sentence formation by 42^nd month. There were no dentitional problems.

The parents were asked what the child does when he is angry they told that he will shout, scream and run around. He also loves to dance especially to fast tracks

Personal history

Craving: Pan cakes, Pizzas, burgers, yogurt

Sleep and dreams: doesn’t want to sleep but when he is forced to sleep he will fall asleep fast and sleeps in supine position and doesn’t wake up from sleep.

Thermals: Likes fan and air conditioner, takes covers but kicks them off. Sun causes redness of the body and increased body heat.

Perspiration: profuse

Thirst: Normal.

Prescription

Date	Symptoms	Homeopathic remedy
26/06/07	Taking into consideration the episode of vaccination and seizures after that the child was prescribed	Thuja 200 1 dose for 3 days.
01/07/07	The parents say although they can’t say for sure there is any improvement. But surely he is doing much better in his martial arts. He is running less and focusing (But still not his age level). Sleep is same.	No medicine given the parents were advised and explained about the action of the medicine.
07/08/07	Small change in behavior although he again didn’t focus in his martial arts, but he read a book on his own. He also had warm milk and went to sleep on his own. He is communicating more but still ignores them if they call him to do something that he doesn’t like to do. Parents feel that he is certainly understanding more and more every day and feel with little help he can do better. He still has to be pushed to do work.	No medicine.
23/8/07	He complies with our direction more 1. He does his homework  on his own (earlier we had to sit with him whole time) -- although still sometime sits and plays with his pencil and will not do his home work but now it requires a less prompting to get him started again. 2. He helps out his mom a little more than he used to -- still a long way where he can help without even asking. But sometime he does comprehend the need (like pick up the phone and hand over, shuts off the monitors if required etc.) Parent requests if we can work on his concentration and the ability of his understanding a little more as his school is opening. He still struggles to sleep on his own. His comprehensive ability is still poor but improving.	No medicine.
02/09/07	Behavior is good and the other time it is rank bad. In the last 7 days, he did ran away once, didn't focus on his martial arts where others were doing exercises and he was just not doing it. Parent says although, I am sure he has improved a little but my expectations were a little more before he goes to school.	Thuja 200 1 dose for 3 days.
02/10/07	After the 3 doses of T-200 a lot more improvements are shown. Although he still has difficulty following all the directions but is more co-operative. His school has started last week and he is doing better in school. His communication has improved and has started asking a lot of questions. I would rate his progress to more than 10% better than what he was when we started the medicine. So, I and my wife both believe the medicine is surely doing something on him. Again, some days are better than other but last whole week (he started school too) was far better than any other week I have seen out of him. Hope he comprehends and understand better soon. He still has lot to improve upon in communication as well as playing with other kids of his age. He needs improvement in following the direction too. He just spins around and doesn't like to sit properly most of the time. It surely is a good sign and we are encouraged.	The patient was put under observation and the medicine was regulated. The treatment went on for 1 year plus and following is the last follow up. We still monitor the case as and when needed.
Last Follow up	He is been doing very well and he received president award in school. He is playing piano very well and has been excellent in his behavior etc. I would like to thank you for all your help for him and would surely try to come meet you some day.	The patient is under observation as and when needed.

                       

Conclusion

Homeopathic treatment can help in achieving very good results if applied in the right way. Co operation from the parents and care givers is also very important. Treatment should be goal orientated.

If there are any queries write to: ask@happylivin.com or drjoshisautismcenter@gmail.com

Dr. Santosh R. Joshi Classical Homeopath

Website:  www.drjoshis.com

www.happylivin.com 

Above presentation is for academic and understanding purposes only please do not self medicate.