The moment when you learn about your child being autistic can be a life changing moment for you. You might feel all the dreams and aspirations which you built around your child come crashing down on a pile of zilch. However, recent developments in this field show that you can certainly take steps to make your child more comfortable and bond well with them. 

Autism related disorder usually begin before the age of 3, when the child starts encountering problems in communication and social interaction. This article tries to help you find a way to deal with an autistic child:

Learn more about autism: Learn about autism as much as you can; a broad understanding of the causes and symptoms of the disorder can help you understand your child better. This will also enable you to respond to your child s needs better, both physical and psychological. 
Build a strong support system: It is difficult to parent a child who is suffering from autism. Communicating and interacting with your child might be extremely difficult and problematic. In order to overcome this stress, you should have a strong support network, a support network from which you can draw your strength and logic once you have to take major life decisions for your child. 
Review your treatment options: It is advisable to start treatment immediately after the diagnosis is done. Early treatment can help better your child s cognitive skills that can help him/her cope better with the surroundings and circumstances. The treatment options include behavioral training whereby self-help or social skills training is used to work on the child s communication skills and behavior. Specialized therapy is another option whereby the therapies are directed at a particular aspect of the child, primarily speech or physical functioning. 
Focus on your child s diet: Diet plays an important role in the regularization of any disease. Even in case of autism, deficiency of certain vitamins or minerals makes it very important to analyze the diet and then assess it. Consult with the doctor before making any modification to the child s diet. 
Behavioral training: Behavioral training is an aspect of autism treatment that allows the child to adapt to various conditions. Before a child undergoes behavioral training, it is advised to assess his/her behavior, functional abilities and the environment your child belongs to. The objective of this therapy or training is to induce desired behavior and get rid of the undesirable ones.

Tips for Parents to Deal with Autistic Children 

Autism spectrum disorders are a group of severe neurological and developmental disorders which begin in early childhood and can last throughout a person s life. It affects the ability to interact with others and also hinders communication and well as learning ability. A proper health center can diagnose the presence of autism spectrum disorder early on. Many tests are available for evaluation and diagnosis as it is a range of disorders which can have a variety of symptoms. The environment and genetics also play a role in the development of autism spectrum disorder but the exact cause of autism spectrum disorder is not yet known.

Symptoms of autism spectrum disorder:

Your child may not be able to respond when called by his or her name by 12 months age.
Will avoid eye contact and also have the desire to stay alone.
Have trouble understanding or relating to other people or talk about their own feelings.
Delayed speech and language skills which would affect the ability to speak.
Show unusual reaction to sound, smell, taste or feelings.
Answering questions with unrelated answers that have no meaning or link.
Prefer to play alone and would avoid physical contact.

Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder:

Comprehensive Diagnostic Evaluation   The behavior of your child and development is first studied by the doctor in detail. The tests include genetic testing, neurological testing, hearing and vision testing among others. Doctors may also suggest other specialized tests in certain cases.
Developmental Screening   The development of your child s basic learning skills with respect to the age is checked. The doctor checks for some delays in the progress and will also monitor movement, behavior and speaking progress of the child. Some additional checks are also done for low birth weight, premature birth among other things.
Treatment:

Applied behavioral analysis   This is a notable treatment and widely accepted by doctors all over the world. ABA is known to encourage positive behaviors and improves a variety of skills in a child.
Occupational Therapy   Teaches the skills to live independently like eating, dressing and social skills. This can help people afflicted by autism spectrum disorders to lead a normal life within the society and thus relate to as well as interact with other people.
Speech therapy   It improves and focuses primarily on communication skills and also uses picture boards and gestures to improve the abilities and induce learning skills.

Autism Spectrum Disorder - How To Diagnose It?

One of the best pleasures of life is to watch a child grow up and begin to learn and explore new things in the surroundings. However, children affected by autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism may not be able to do this at the same pace as other kids. They are a little slow to respond and may not socialise very easily.

ASD is a collective term used for a range of symptoms, including poor verbal and nonverbal communication, poor social skills, repetitive behaviour, and impaired learning abilities. The onset and severity of symptoms also vary across children. While some show symptoms in preschool, others would be completely normal and start showing symptoms after a couple of years of schooling. The following are some symptoms that indicate the child could have autism.

Lack of babbling by 9 months of age
No response when called by their name even after 12 months of age
Not uttering single words by the age of 16 months, two words by 24 months
Lack of social skills including resistance to cuddling, not mingling with other kids
Self-injurious behaviour like banging head on the wall, hurting a toy, etc.
Homeopathy offers safe, effective remedy for children with autism. Treatment regime is highly customised based on underlying and accompanying symptoms of each patient. The following are commonly used ingredients; however, self-medication is best avoided.

Agaricus: The child talks and sings but does not respond. There is indifference, fearlessness, shouting, constant jerking of the head, difficulty reading, possible double vision and feels awkward physically and mentally.
Carcinosin: The child is obstinate and has compulsive obsessive tendencies. It is hyperactive, does not sleep, has addictive tendencies, and likes to drink milk which worsens the symptoms.
Androctonus: The child is destructive, suspicious, mischievous, but very quick to respond. The child behaves very well at times and can be very naughty at other times.
Helleborus: The child is generally weak, slow to respond, appears thoughtless, often stares into air, and looks depressed with involuntary sighing and habit of lip biting. Sight, hearing, and taste could be affected.
Cuprum Metallicum: The child is extremely tense, irritable, rigid, malicious, and very difficult to handle. Does not like to be touched or spoken to or played with. Can be aggressive with the parents, driving them to despair. 
May have tics infestation on the scalp.
Another recent approach is the CEASE (Complete Elimination Autism Spectrum Expression) Therapy. This combines homoeopathy with orthomolecular medicines that provide the required nutrition for brain development (vitamins, minerals, Omega 3 fatty acids, etc.) This helps in overall brain development and restoring function in affected children. As noted, the right potency of these products will determine the response to treatment.

Autism Spectrum - How Homeopathy Can Help?

Are you aware of behavioral and emotional disorders in children? During the developmental years of a child, constant growth and change are signified. This fact should be strictly kept in mind while dealing with behavioral and emotional disorders in children. Brain disorders like bipolar disorder, depression and anxiety disorders may affect any child during early childhood. The assistance of a mental health professional should be taken while dealing with these problems. On a global scale, almost 15% of children suffer from behavioral disorders. Among the different forms of behavioral disorders, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) accounts for being one of the most common ones.

Here is a list of the different forms of behavioral and emotional disorders, which are observed in children:

ADHD- This common mental disorder in children is more common in boys than in girls. Commonly, children affected with this disorder are unable to finish familiar tasks, plan or sit still. They may even lose awareness about what goes around them. ADHD-affected children may seem fine on some days, but on other days, they may experience disorganized and frenzied activities. This disorder may continue into adolescence and adulthood as well. There are several treatment options for ADHD, which may include medications, therapy and educational options.

Autism- Children affected with autism seem to become indifferent, remote and isolated in a world of their own. They are unable to form emotional ties with other people or their peers. Autism is more likely to occur in boys than in girls. The condition may result in language delays, mental retardation, and in some cases, a child may suffer high functioning and usual speech and intelligence. This is because the brain of such children functions differently than others. Consistency is very important for managing autism in children.

Bipolar Disorder- This disorder is most likely to begin in early childhood and it continues into adulthood. It is featured by extreme mood swings in the patient. A child may have extremely high or euphoric feelings, but his mood may turn into depression and sadness all of a sudden. This condition is a genetic illness, and it is often mistaken or misdiagnosed as ADHD.

Anxiety- Anxiety disorders make children feel uneasy, distressed and unusually scared for no appropriate reason. Panic disorders, featured, by intense episodes of fear, which occur without any kind of provocation or signal are a common type of anxiety disorder. OCD or obsessive compulsive disorder, which is repetitive and compulsive in nature, is another type of anxiety disorder.

It is very important to treat and deal with children s behavioral and emotional disorders at an early stage. Early diagnosis enables an early start of treatment, which prevents further degradation of the condition.

Types Of Behavioral And Emotional Disorders In Children

Are you suffering from autism and looking for an effective treatment for the condition? Autism is a complex neurological disorder, which is commonly diagnosed in children within three years of age. It is a result of impaired brain functioning and it expresses itself in the form of disrupted social and communication skills in the patient. This condition affects the development of a child by a great extent.

Causes
Autism happens due to several structural and functional changes in the brain. The exact cause of the condition is yet to be determined. Genetic predisposition, metabolic imbalance, intake of certain drugs and the exposure to harmful environmental toxins may lead to autism in children.

Homeopathic treatment
Several protocols of homeopathic treatment are undertaken for treating autistic patients. The method to be used depends on the circumstances of the condition. A variety of homeopathic techniques are required for curing a person with autism. They include the following:

Isopathy is a treatment in which a substance is given to the patient, which cause the illness during homeopathic potency
Classical homeopathic medicines
CEASE Protocol
Homeopathic bowel nasodes, which are considered to be an important part of the recovery process from autism. They help in healing damaged bowels and the symptoms of anxiety and rage.
Biochemical tissue salts are used in autistic patients who face problems in the assimilation of nutrients because of a compromised gastrointestinal tract.
The methods work effectively, along with conventional medicines and other treatment measures like GAPS diet, osteopathy, biomedical intervention, cranial sacral therapy, chelation, and traditional Chinese medicine.

Homeopathic approach towards the treatment of autism
The homeopathic approach in the treatment of autism is holistic in nature, which aims at treating the genetic tendencies along with strategic management. Firstly, a homeopathic evaluation is undertaken for a child with autism, where all details regarding his family medical history, which may be associated with autism, are assessed. The analysis also considers the impaired functions of a child such as his behavior, communication, speech, tantrums and social skills. 

There are around 20 different types of common homeopathic medicines, which are prescribed for the treatment of autism. The exact medicine, its combination, dosage and other support medicines depend on the child s case history.

The homeopathic medicines used for the treatment of autism are completely natural and safe, devoid of any form of harmful toxin. Hence, no side effect is caused on the body while undertaking homeopathic treatment. Using homeopathic measures for about six months will lead to improvements in a child s autism symptoms.

Autism - Role of Homeopathy in Treating it

Nobody knows the exact cause of autism. All medical science knows is that it s a complex neurological disorder which is detected within the first three years of life and is caused due to structural changes in the brain. Autism causes a number of symptoms which grade from mild to moderate to severe, like-

Difficulty in communication and social interaction
Language impairment
Preoccupation with fantasies
Repetitive acts (echolalia)
Excessive possessiveness to certain objects
Intellectual impairment
Over-sensitivity or under-sensitivity to pain
Developmental problems
Causes
Genetic predisposition is the most common cause of autism. Exposure to environmental toxins is the other. Other causes are use of certain drugs during pregnancy, vaccinations etc.

Diagnosis
Diagnosis of autism can only be done by clinical evaluation as there are no laboratory tests for it. The psychiatrist prepares a detailed developmental case history of the child before arriving at a diagnosis.
There are a number of Autism screening tests to diagnose autism as well. One thing to always follow is to go to a psychologist who has a history of treatment of autistic disorders.

Diet
Theories are emerging that autism may be caused by a super sensitive child s response to foods like gluten found in grains and casein, a protein found in milk. These transform into substances that act like opiates in the child s body.

These drug-like substances alter the child s behaviour, his perceptions, and his responses to his environment. Recent research has found chemicals with opiate activity in the urine of a significant number of children with autism.

Autistic children have shown mild to dramatic improvements in speech, behaviour after going on a gluten-free, casein-free (GFCF) diet.

Some of the foods that can be eaten on GFCF diet include rice, quinoa, potato, buckwheat flour, soy, amaranth, corn, fruits, vegetables, beans, tapioca, meat, poultry, fish, shellfish, nuts, eggs, and sorghum, among others.

Homoeopathic treatment of Autism:

The homoeopath carries out a detailed study of the family history of serious diseases which are linked to the development of autism in his patient.
The genetic evaluation of the patient is followed by case analysis which takes into account impaired functions in the patient like repetitive behaviour, lack of social skills, speech issues etc.
The homoeopathic medicines indicated for autism are twenty and are usually given in combinations. A homoeopath takes the decision about the exact medicine to be given, its combination with other support medicines, the dose and its repetition based on the case history of the child.
By no means should one try to cure autism by self-medicating on homoeopathic medicines as this can cause deleterious effects.
It usually takes a minimum of six months for some perceptible changes in autistic children. Homoeopathic treatment may have to be continued for over a year if the symptoms of autism are very severe.

Autism- Diagnosis, Diet And Homeopathic Treatment!

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