Category Archives: News
Breastfeeding and Autism
We’ve all heard the saying “breast is best” and it is fantastic that women are being encouraged to breastfeed their babies because it has so many benefits for both mother and baby.
This month has been chosen by the US Department of Health and Human Services as National Breastfeeding Awareness Month and the department has launched a campaign to highlight the benefits of breastfeeding .
Breast fed babies are at a lower risk of:-
- Allergies
- Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
- Gastrointestinal problems
- Urinary tract infections
- Childhood leukemia
- Respiratory infections
- Ear infections
- Insulin dependent diabetes mellitus
- Necrotizing enterocolitis
- Obesity
- Infections
Women who have breastfed/are breastfeeding their babies:-
- Have a lower risk of contracting breast cancer, ovarian cancer and Type 2 Diabetes
- Are at a lower risk of Postpartum Depression
- Burn 500 calories a day by breastfeeding alone and so can return to their pre-pregnancy weight quicker
- Can save a significant amount of money when compared to those who buy formula – It is estimated that a breastfeeding mom can save between $1,160 and $3,915 depending on the brand of formula the comparison is made against.
Moms are advised to give their babies breastmilk alone for the first 6 months of life (i.e. no weaning) and to try and breastfeed for the baby’s first year.
Breastfeeding and Autism
But hasn’t breastfeeding been linked to an increased risk of autism?
Does Vitamin D Deficiency Cause Autism? – Part 2
Last week, I blogged about a report in Scientific American Magazine linking Vitamin D deficiency with Autism because of the rising number of autism cases in two communities of Somali immigrants who had moved from their equatorial country, with plenty of sunshine, to northern latitude countries.
You can read the Scientific American Magazine report at http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=vitamin-d-and-autism and click here to read my blog post on it. This week, I have decided to dig a little deeper into the vitamin D theory.
Now, many people have pointed out that these Somali communities would also have faced other changes too, not just lack of sunlight. For example, their new environment may be more toxic (pollution and heavy metals), the vaccination program in their new countries may be different, their diet would have changed etc. So I’m not sure how this preliminary study was able to rule out these other factors and make vitamin D deficiency the missing link.
However, whatever we think about this report into vitamin D deficiency and the Somali communities, there are many scientists out there who do think that vitamin D is a factor that should not be dismissed and that needs to be taken seriously.
Vitamin D – Is it a Plausible Theory?
The Vitamin D Council is an organization run by John Jacob Cannell, MD, a doctor with a special interest in clinical nutrition, and it aims to educate and inform people about vitamin D to prevent vitamin D deficiency, and the illnesses and conditions which are caused by a deficiency.
Cannell points out that at the same time that we are experiencing a vitamin D deficiency epidemic, we are also in the midst of an autism epidemic – can the two be linked? Yes, Cannell believes that sun avoidance is the…
Does Vitamin D Deficiency Cause Autism?
In the past few weeks, there have been a couple of reports about Vitamin D in “Scientific American” magazine which both have bearings on autism.
Vitamin D Deficiency Affects the US
The first report was about how Vitamin D deficiency is soaring in the US, according to a study published in the “Archives of Internal Medicine”. The study claimed that a whopping three quarters of US teens and adults have a deficiency of vitamin D – that’s quite an incredible figure and makes you wonder why.
The study’s author, Adit Ginde, from the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, puts this vitamin D deficiency down to skin cancer prevention measures such as wearing long sleeves and using sunscreen ( sun protection of just factor 15 can cut the skin’s ability to manufacture vitamin D by 99%) and points out that there are actually very few dietary sources of vitamin D. Vitamin D is known as the “sunshine vitamin” because the skin produces vitamin D when it is exposed to the sun. By protecting ourselves from sun exposure, to reduce our risk of melanoma, we are cutting our levels of vitamin D.
Is There a Link between Lack of Sun and Autism?
But what has all this got to do with autism? Doesn’t a vitamin D deficiency lead to bone problems, such as rickets, osteoporosis and arthritis, not autism?
Well, yes, but experts are now wondering if a growth in vitamin D deficiencies has got something to do with the growth in autism. This theory is the result of two preliminary studies in Minnesota and Sweden, and the findings of these studies are discussed in the second article in “Scientific American” magazine.
Both Sweden and Minnesota have large Somali immigrant communities who seem to be overrepresented in the total number…
Sensory Friendly Movies
Taking a child to the cinema is something that most parents take for granted. OK, so you might have fidgeting, excited chatting or even crying (if the film is a bit scary or sad), but generally taking kids to the movies is a breeze. But it’s not so easy if you’re the parent of a sensory sensitive child.
The Problem
The whole movie experience can be completely overwhelming for a sensory sensitive child – just think of the things that they have to face:-
- The theater suddenly becoming dark
- Sudden loud noises which are amplified by surround sound systems
- Fast moving images on a huge screen
- Lots of people in a confined space
All this can be just too much for the child and can result in tears, tantrums and fear. However, all is not lost and it is now possible for children who are sensory sensitive to enjoy the same movies that their peers are enjoying and talking about.
How?
The Solution
AMC Entertainment has collaborated with the Autism Society of America (ASA) to give children with special needs, and their families, the chance to see top movies through their “Sensory Friendly Films Program”.
The “Sensory Friendly Films Program” means that once a month, participating theaters all over the USA will do special showings of a top film in a “safe and accepting environment”. Features of these special showings include:-
- Film soundtrack turned down
- Theater lights brought up
- No previews or trailers before the movie
- Parents and carers can bring their own snack food – so children can enjoy GFCF snacks
- AMC’s usual silence policy will not be enforced – Children and adults will be free to talk, dance, sing, get up out of their seats and stretch their legs etc. without worrying about being a
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World Autism Awareness Day – April 02, 2009
In December 2007, the United Nations General Assembly resolved to make April 2nd of every year, starting 2008, World Autism Awareness Day (WAAD). The aim of this special day is to raise awareness of autism and to encourage support for families affected by autism.
There are over 67 million people affected by autism around the world and World Autism Awareness Day is a great day to do your bit to stand up for autism. You can read more about WAAD on the World Autism Awareness Day website but here are just some of the ways you can get involved:-
- Walk with Wubbzy on the Web – Walk to raise autism awareness and to raise funds. You can start your own team, join an existing team in your area, register as an individual walker or as a family. Registering on the website will give you access to a variety of fundraising tips and tools, as well as a downloadable Wubbzy coloring book for your children.
- Send World Autism Awareness Day eCard – Spread the message by sending an eCard to friends, family and colleagues.
- Donate – Support Autism Speaks’ Walk Now for Autism by donating on the website.
- Purchase a World Autism Awareness Day Tee-shirt – A great way to spread the message and support the Autism Speaks charity.
- Attend a World Autism Awareness Day event – Click the link to find out about events in your country and area that you can get involved in or support.
- Join the Word Autism Awareness Day group on Facebook – Don’t forget to tell your Facebook friends and contacts too.
- Purchase a Lindt Gold Bunny – This Easter, Lindt are donating 10 cents to Autism Speaks for every chocolate gold
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Words Hurt!
We’re always told as children that “sticks and stone may break my bones, but words will never hurt me”, but it’s just not true is it? Sometimes, careless or deliberately hurtful words can hurt a person far more than a blow.
President Obama caused a stir on Friday with a careless comment that he made on Jay Leno’s “Tonight Show”. When talking about his bowling ability, he likened it to the Special Olympics. This was a careless throw-away remark, which I’m sure was meant as a harmless joke and with no malice intended, but a president needs to be more careful, particularly when he’s on air! I bet he was kicking himself afterwards. See the YouTube video below if you missed the comment:-
This one comment has had many websites and blogs discussing it, and many people are hurt and upset by it. We teach our children about the power of words, yet here is the President of the United States being careless with his. Many parents on blogs that I’ve visited are upset that the President raised a laugh in this way. Judith from Autismville says that she is:
“Hurt that the leader of our country would make people with disabilities, people like my son, a punchline.”
However, President Obama has apologized for his comment. Before the show was even aired, and while flying home from his appearance on Leno, President Obama called the Head of Special Olympics, Tim Shriver, to offer his apology for his remark. According to Mr Shriver:
“He [the President] expressed his disappointment and he apologized, in a way that was very moving”
Mr Shriver also commented that:
“It’s important to see that words hurt, and words do matter. And these words, that in some respect can be seen as humiliating or
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New Research Shows HBOT Success
Although we know, from anecdotal evidence and previous uncontrolled testing, that Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy can successfully treat autism, there has been no controlled test to back up these claims…until now!
Finally, a controlled clinical trial has proved that HBOT leads to improvements in autism spectrum disorders – hurray!
The Trial
“Hyperbaric treatment for children with autism: a multi-center, randomized, double-blind, controlled trial” a clinical trial carried out by Daniel A. Rossignol, Lanier W. Rossignol, Scott Smith, Cindy Schneider, Sally Logerquist, Anju Usman, Jim Neubrander, Eric M. Madren, Gregg Hintz, Barry Grushkin and Elizabeth A. Mumper, is the controlled trial that has got the autism world talking.
Rossignol, and his team from 6 different centers in the US, looked at a total of 62 children aged between 2 and 7 years, who were randomly split into two groups.
One group (the “treatment group”) underwent a program of 40 hours of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (1.3 atmosphere and 24% oxygen) and the second group (the “control group”) a program of 40 hours in a slightly pressurized room (1.03 atmosphere and 21% oxygen).
All of the children were assessed using various measures, including the Clinical Global Impression (CGI), the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC) and the Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC).
The Results
At the end of the program of treatment, children in the treatment group, who had received HBOT, showed significantly improved CGI, ABC and ATEC scores, when compared to the control group.
The Vaccine Debate
On February 24th, on The Huffington Post site, Robert F. Kennedy Junior and David Kirby reported a ground-breaking court ruling concerning the MMR vaccine and autism.
Although the Washington federal Vaccine Court has recently ruled against three families who were claiming a link between the MMR vaccine, thimerosal and autism, the Court ruled differently in the case of Bailey Banks back in 2007, a case which has only just come to light.
The Bailey Banks Case
Back in June 2007, Special Master Richard Abell ruled that the parents of Bailey Banks, aged 10, had sufficiently demonstrated to the Vaccine Court that “the MMR vaccine at issue actually caused the conditions from which Bailey suffered and continues to suffer.”
The Vaccine Court awarded the Bailey family over $810,000 as a lump sum and between $30,000 and $40,000 per year for Bailey’s care, as compensation.
The Court ruled that the MMR vaccine had in fact caused the “acute brain damage” that was responsible for Bailey’s ASD. Special Master Abell ruled that the family had proven that the vaccine caused acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM), a brain inflammation illness, and that this led to PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder – Not Otherwise Specified).
On hearing all of the facts of the case, the Court agreed that Bailey’s ADEM was caused by the MMR vaccine and this his ADEM was serious enough to cause permanent brain damage and developmental delays which are classed as PDD-NOS.
In Robert F. Kennedy’s words:
“The Court found that Bailey would not have suffered this delay but for the administration of the MMR vaccine, and that this chain of causation was… a proximate sequence of cause and effect leading inexorably from vaccination to Pervasive Developmental Delay.”
Kennedy also points out that this is not an isolated ruling and…
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