January is national Autism Awareness month. 1 in every 150 children born in the United States today develops a form of autism. The rate is climbing and it’s alarming. My oldest son has asperger’s syndrome, which is a high functioning form of autism. Fortunately he was able to recover from the most debilitating effects of his autism spectrum disorder. He’s progressed from almost no speech at the age of 3 to being able to communicate effortlessly, learn easily in school (though a bit behind for his age) and do most tasks on his own. He still has some quirks, occasionally he will start chirping but when we tell him to “put the birdie in his pocket” he reaches up to his mouth and pockets the “bird”. But for the most part, he is able to function normally today. It’s now one of my passions to promote awareness and research so that more information becomes available regarding the causes of autism spectrum disorders.
Some believe the cause of autism to be strictly genetic. Others believe it is due to mercury in vaccinations. The fact is that autism is becoming far too wide spread for there to be one simple cause which results in its occurrence. From my own research and experience, I would like to share my own theory and ideas for prevention and management.
I believe that at a young embryonic age, the developing child is exposed to a toxin – be it radiation, a pesticide, a carcinogen, the possibilities are vast – which alters the development of a gene or genes related to the central nervous system and the immune system.
Upon contracting a certain illness (or perhaps receiving a certain vaccine), a reaction occurs causing the abnormal gene(s) to adversely affect the immune system and central nervous system.
The brain stops developing normally, sensory sensitivity occurs, and either memory loss or a type of “locked” state occurs in which the child retains certain information, but is no longer able to access it (at least for the time being). Developmental regression occurs.
Imagine climbing up a wall… and then no longer having any footholds to be able to continue climbing up that wall. Synapses perhaps have gone haywire in the child’s brain. Eventually, unable to move forward, stuck in a persistent state, there is another type of breakdown, and a decent back (regression) begins to occur.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autism
“Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their synapses connect and organize; how this occurs is not well understood.”
“Most of the mutations that increase autism risk have not been identified.”
http://www.ageofautism.com/2009/03/we-need-to-learb-where-toxins-impact-gene-expressions-to-find-the-cause-of-autism.html
“Interactions between the immune system and the nervous system begin early during the embryonic stage of life, and successful neurodevelopment depends on a balanced immune response.”
When your child has been diagnosed with a form of autism, knowing that their quality of life will always be a struggle is heartbreaking. My son’s progress I believe is largely due in part to early speech and cognitive therapy. Taking pictures of his favorite things and going over and over with him what those things were actually called helped tremendously.
Another thing is to make sure that the child is surrounded by other children and people as much as possible and encouraged to play and included in playtime. Though difficult, the more social interaction and therapy the child receives at a young age, the more likely the brain will be able to make important connections between sight, sound, and speech.
I look back at my first pregnancy and compare it to my second pregnancy (my youngest son never showed any signs of autism whatsoever) and think about any differences which could have impacted my oldest son’s development. There are a couple of things that stand out. When I first discovered that I was pregnant with him I had been taking Celexa for depression. Although I stopped taking it abruptly once I found out the good news, had it already negatively impacted his development? The other thing is that I worked at Wal-Mart throughout my entire first pregnancy and often was a cashier in the Lawn & Garden department, where some pesticides and toxins were in close proximity. Though I tried my best to avoid actually touching anything “unnatural”, was occasionally breathing in this stuff enough to cause something so life altering?
Of course, as of now, no one knows the exact cause, and you can’t blame yourself for something occurring which nobody knows how to prevent. I’ve had to remind myself of that often over the years.
If I could give any advice, it would be to distance yourself from any known pesticides/toxins while pregnant, choose to consume only organic fruits and vegetables, and when it comes time for your child to be vaccinated, request a vaccine without thermisol.
My oldest son is a very happy go lucky child. Many people believe that those on the autistic spectrum are more in touch with the spiritual side, since there is less in this world that’s able to distract them from that, and I believe it to be true. I’m going to be doing more research and trying to raise more awareness because at the rate that the occurrence of autism spectrum disorders are being diagnosed, the cause(s) really needs to be determined, and ways to prevent it, even just potentially, need to become more publicized.
For more information, please visit:
http://www.autismspeaks.org/
http://www.aspergers.com/aspclin.html
Please feel free to share your own thoughts, opinions, experiences, etc!