Autism is a term that refers to a collection ofneurologically based developmental disorders in whichindividuals have impairments in social interaction andcommunication skills, along with a tendency to haverepetitive behaviors or interests.

The severity of autism varies greatly, from individuals withlittle speech and poor daily living skills, to others whofunction well in most settings. Approximately 70 to 75percent of individuals with autism are believed to havemental retardation. Some adults with autism liveindependently.

A variety of factors could be associated with some forms ofautism, including infectious, metabolic, genetic,neurological and environmental factors. There has been agrowing concern among parents that the measles-mumps-rubella(MMR) vaccine can cause autism and a study published in theJournal of the American Association of Physicians andSurgeons examined extensive data on vaccines in children.The astonishing conclusion:

Children who receive just three vaccines containingthe mercury-based preservative thimerosal are 27-times more likely to develop autism, compared tochildren who get vaccinations containing nothimerosal. This was no surprise to the manyresearchers who have recognized that mercury-exposure to children through vaccines dramaticallyincreased over the past 15 years, while the rate ofautism jumped from 1 in 10,000 to 1 in 150 over thesame period.

What are the symptoms of Autism and how is itdiagnosed?

Autism is typically diagnosed during the toddler orpreschool years, although some children are diagnosed later.Language delay or lack of appropriate social development maycause parents or teachers to seek an evaluation.

Some children may have a period of normal development beforethe onset of symptoms and may even lose some earlieracquired skills, such as early words or social smiling.

Currently, there is no blood test or other medical testavailable to diagnose autism. Correct diagnosis depends onextensive and accurate developmental history, as well asobservations of the child's social, communicative and playbehaviors.

In autistic children, the inability of brain cells tocommunicate properly manifests physically in a parallel way.Autistic children often have difficulty with verbalcommunication, and in their inability to participate well(if at all) in a conversation.

Gestures and facial expressions, known as non-verbalcommunication, are also difficult. They have troublerelating socially to people and their surroundings, andoften prefer playing alone because they don’t know how tomake friends. Their playtime may be very systematic andorderly, and not very imaginative.

A compromised immune system is common for these children,including other autoimmune diseases. Autistic children areoften more susceptible to infections, viruses in the colon,colds, ear infections, allergies and asthma.

Is it true that nutrition can make a difference inmy child's autistic behavior?

Good nutrition is particularly important for children andespecially important for children with any type of healthchallenge. Your child’s body was not designed to be ill-and that’s good news. This means you need to give yourchild the fuels he or she needs to help heal and correcttheir bodies.

In an article written by Dr. Steve Nugent, NMD, Phd and JaneRamberg, MS called "Reassessing the Need for DietarySupplements for America’s Children", the following isstated:

"Studies indicate that poor nutrition in childhoodcan have irreversible efffects, ranging from mild toserious, affecting brain development, skeletalstructure, and height. If malnutrition occursduring the critical period of high brain growthvelocity (between the last trimester of pregnancyand age 2), deleterious (harmful) effects on braindevelopment are permanent."

There should be no question that what your child eats willaffect his or her health. The only question is what can Ilearn about my child’s nutrition and what can I do toimprove it?

WHAT NUTRIENTS DOES MY CHILD NEED?

The best way for your child to obtain good nutrition is byconsuming a healthy well balanced diet of protein,carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and minerals. It’s alsoimportant to get Phytonutrients/Antioxidents (nutrients fromplants, vine-ripe fruits, & vegetables); Phytohormones whichsupport proper organ health; and Glyconutrients, the newestclass of necessary nutritrients.

Glyconutrients are required for complete cellularcommunication and probably the most important nutrient for achild with any type of chronic health challenge.

Why are some nutrients considered necessary for proper bodyand immune system functioning and others are not considerednecessary?

In a nutshell, if you understand how a basiccomputer works, you know that there is certain software,called the operating system, that is required to make thecomputer run. Then there are other software, like games andword document programs, that use the operating system inorder to function. The same applies to your child’s body.There are necessary nutrients (as described above) that areessential to make the human body function and then there aresupplemental nutrients (like herbs) that are useful when allof the essential nutrients are present.

Unlike pharmaceutical drugs, the most reassuring thing aboutnecessary nutrients is that they are non-toxic. Yourchild’s body will accept nutrition naturally without thetoxic and sometimes life threatening side affects ofpharmaceutical drugs.

What would your rather have your child try first to improvehis or her health challenge?

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