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 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.