AutismInfo.com

Medical Overview
(Updated April 2002)

(This is not intended to be a specific medical recommendation, but a broad overview of current treatments available. Any medical intervention should be carefully discussed with your healthcare professional.)

While most mainstream physicians find the following information questionable at best, no alternatives exist in treating the biological problems that occur in a great number of autistic children. All too often, the only assistance offered is Ritalin or antidepressants, such as Prozac. While these may provide relief, and can often be a great help, they do not begin to address the underlying physiological abnormalities that may exist.

There appear to be irregularities in four major systems affected in a growing number of autistic children. They include the central nervous, immune, endocrine and the gastrointestinal systems.

The first step is testing, testing and more testing. Some of the recommended tests include, but are NOT limited to: Food allergy, organic acids, amino acids, serotonin levels, immune testing (including antibody titer levels), liver functioning, ammonia levels, thyroid, heavy metals, gluto and casomorphin, and neurological testing, such as MRI, EEG, MRS, Neurospect scans. All are excellent starting points. The details for these and other diagnostic procedures can be found on the links provided to the right.

Gastrointestinal testing, such as a colonoscopy and an endoscopy, may also be in order if the child presents with any GI symptoms.

It appears rather overwhelming and can very easily become rather expensive. The best approach is one step at a time. Address each problem that occurs in your child, individually. Then find someone to help bring all the pieces together. The financial side of this can also be rather daunting, as some insurance plans will not cover these expenses if the diagnostic code used is “autism”. However, if a child, for example, presents with chronic diarrhea, insist that the appropriate diagnostic code that prompted the visit to the physicians office be used. The diagnostic code for autism is not correct if a Pediatric Gastroenterologist is seeing a child for chronic diarrhea.

The various links on this page are a great source of useful information. Please use them and make contact with these individuals. You will find them to be incredibly forthcoming with assistance and opportunities to help your child.

Searchable Databases:

Medline Plus

Combined Health Information Database (CHID) Online

NLM's PubMed

Computer Retrieval of Information on Scientific Projects (CRISP)

ClinicalTrials.gov

Chelation Protocol

Developmental Milestones

Kirkman Laboratories Fall 2001 Catalog. Full Product line information and articles for download. Kirkman Laboratories Catalog Online. Please note: the Catalog is 1008kb in size and will take several minutes to download on a dial-up modem.

Limiting Infant Exposure to Thimerosal in Vaccines and Other Sources of Mercury Neal A. Halsey, MD

Statement of Neal A. Halsey M.D. Professor of International Health and Pediatrics Johns Hopkins University Director, Division of Disease Control Director, Institute for Vaccine Safety Department of International Health Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health Before the Committee on Government Reform U.S. House of Representatives October 12, 1999

Response by John J O'Leary, MD Coombe Women's Hospital, Dublin, Ireland, to observations made by Neal A. Halsey MD

Article: DNA test links autism to MMR
The measles virus has been found in the blood of autistic children, fuelling fears that their lifelong condition was caused by the controversial MMR vaccine against measles, mumps and rubella.