I've heard this more than once from friends and acquaintances.
For those looking beyond the AAP-dictated course of therapy, therapy and more therapy (that insurance often doesn't cover), the path of biomedical intervention can be very daunting.
Fear not. There are TONS of resources out there that can help guide you down this road.
A great starting point for this is TACA. TACA has a really good website that even includes a roadmap for those starting a biomedical treatment protocol.
I will add here that the biomedical interventions we've done with our son have been more effective than almost any therapy, or, they have helped our son benefit from his therapy by increasing his awareness.
I prefer to take the route of testing, then treating according to the test results. We've personally had good results using this method.
Some of the tests can be run with a co-operative primary care doctor and are standard lab tests that most of the big labs can run (Quest / Labcorp) and others are a little more specialised and need to be run via specific labs (Great Plains Lab / Iliad etc). If your doctor won't help you along with this journey, you might want to consider switching providers, or adding a MAPS Doctor to your child's healthcare team. When you work with your doctor, ensure they are working in a logical order. Start slow and tackle no more than 3 things per appointment. You don't want to change 50 things immediately - then you will have no idea which are effective and which are not. Be skeptical of a doctor who suggests you do this.
The first intervention we did was diet. It helped resolve the gut problems that must've been causing a lot of pain for our son. His constant diarrhea ceased and the bloated belly he had went away. He started eating new foods and his health appeared to improve.
The next one was to run allergy testing (blood) and liver enzymes. Many children with autism have altered immune function, our son included. He had allergies to milk and eggs and approximately 19 other food intolerances. We decided to remove the foods he was reactive to, to give his immune system time to recover.
His liver enzymes were also 'off'. This tends to indicate that his body was having trouble processing toxins properly.
After this, we tested for blood lead (positive) and vitamin status (low). Aside from any other behavioural issues, we had a child with abnormal lab tests. We gradually supplemented with vitamins and herbs to support the biological processes involved with removing toxins.
I think when people hear others throwing around the word 'toxin' they assume that person is some kind of new age hippy type that drinks green juices and eats lots of flax and quinoa. Well, I suppose there is some truth to the stereotype, but green juices often contain those substances to support the body's detox processes. Yes - the body does have them. It's how it expels toxic substances and maintains health. The main organ for this is the liver. When your liver isn't working properly, you will be sick - no question about it.
Anyway, these are great first steps -
1 - Diet. Ensure your child is getting good nutrition. Avoid processed food and instead try to introduce fresh whole foods. If your budget permits, try and replace the "Dirty Dozen" foods with the organic versions.
2 - Investigate allergies. If your child has allergies to the food they're eating, their body will react accordingly. They may have gastrointestinal problems, skin problems and feel generally unwell. Remove offending foods to give their body time to heal and recover.
3 - Check nutritional status. Is your child low in vitamin D or zinc? These are very common in children with autism and they affect immune function. If your child is low, consider getting them a vitamin supplement to improve the levels. For vitamin D make sure you use the D3 version which is more bioavailable and the form found naturally in the body. Here is a good article discussing the differences. We've got our supplements for years through ourkidsasd.com. They have a good selection and decent pricing. Don't buy them through your doctor's office - they tend to be very expensive that way.
4 - Run stool tests. Many children with autism have altered gut bacterial populations. They often have invasive bacteria in much higher levels than are normal. Gut bacteria are vital for proper nutritional absorption. A great stool test is the one offered by Great Plains Lab. They will also culture out the abnormal bacteria and test various natural and prescription agents to see how to eradicate it, or to reduce the levels to normal. Sometimes your doctor will recommend antibiotics or antifungals, but remember to also supplement with some probiotics to rebuild the gut flora with the bacterial species that should be present. Stool tests are usually covered by insurance.
Just these 4 steps should show you enough as to whether a biomedical path will be beneficial for your child.
Disclaimer - I am not a doctor (of medicine), nor should this be construed as medical advice. Be sure to discuss your child's healthcare fully with their physician.
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