Autism is a developmental disorder the symptoms of which can be seen in a child even before the age of three. Autism symptoms and treatments are very much important to know for the parents or of foster care. There are many different types and functions of autism based on the severity of the symptoms.
Autism Symptoms in Babies
In serious cases the main symptoms are lack of:
- Social interaction skills
- Repetitive habits
- Self-injurious habits
- Non-responsiveness to the presence of other people or to their words
- Hyperactivity or complete inactivity and much more
Of these self-injurious habits can be really dangerous and repetitive habits can tend to develop into Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or OCD at a later age. Autistic babies can laugh and also can understand other body moments.
There is no officially recognized treatment of autism that has been discovered yet and this is a condition that cannot be a cure. Autism is a life-long condition but there are many therapies and alternative medications that physicians suggest to the victims and their parents.
The most important step in the treatment of autism is early diagnosis and that is why every parent should look out for symptoms of autism is his or her child with a checklist. Early diagnosis would help the child, the parents and the doctors and it would be easier to decide what kind of treatment the child would need to make his or her life as good as possible.
Alternative Treatments for Autism
Finding out the metabolic disorders within the body is very important in order to start with the right treatment and various laboratory tests need to be conducted for proper diagnosis.
Secretin treatment
Secretin therapy is a very popular one when it comes to autism treatment and there is Oral Secretin Treatment as well as Transdermal Secretin treatment.
Oral Secretin is given thrice a day along with vitamin compounds, twenty minutes before or after each meal and this one helps the child to interact better with his or her parents as well as the other kids of the same age.
Self-injurious tendencies lessen to a considerable degree and the child is able to make eye contact. Bowel movement improves and so does the verbal skills.
Anti-fungal treatment
Autistic symptoms get worse with the growth of yeast in the body which is referred to as Candida and therefore the treatment of Candida helps autistic children.
This is where the anti-fungal treatment helps to reduce yeast colonies within the intestinal tracts.
The avoidance of sugar is very important as yeast grows in the presence of sugar and a total-yeast free diet is a must for the success of this treatment procedure.
GFCF diet or Gluten-free, Casein-free diet treatment
When Gluten and Casein are removed from the diet of autistic children they show remarkable improvements in behavior and speech and these two ingredients are to be found in milk as well as milk products like cheese, yogurt, ice cream, butter, and wheat as well as barley, oats, rye and other grains.
This treatment is more popularly known as a GFCF diet or Gluten-free, Casein-free diet.
Anti-biotic treatment
There are antibiotic treatments for autism as well and this includes the oral consumption of vancomycin of 125 mg, four times a day for twelve weeks.
Observation has shown that this drug actually improves the condition of autistic children and they become calmer and easier to communicate within a few weeks of medication.
CranioSacral treatment
A very popular treatment for autism as an alternative therapy is CranioSacral Therapy and this therapy helps to strike a balance between the CSF and the tissues and membranes of the brain as well as the spine.
The treatment is a very simple one which requires the doctor to place his hands on the feet, neck, jaws, and sacrum of the child for about an hour which leaves the child calmer than before and more verbal as well as communicative.
Detoxification treatment
Detoxification from heavy metals is considered to be a way to treat autism as the presence of various metals like mercury and toxins makes things worse within the body of an autistic child and makes the motor skills and dietary conditions poorer. It also helps to improve these conditions and thus helps the child in more ways than one.
Naltrexone or NTX treatment
Naltrexone or NTX treatment is also another popular one as it helps to improve the various functions of the body in an autistic child and observation shows that this medication decreases abnormal speech as well as stereotyped behavior.