I have a friend and both of her children are on the autism spectrum, she is very interested if there is anything that can be done through diet or changes in lifestyle…they already ‘do’ a fair bit and since diagnosis and putting routines, sign language and so on in place both children are benefitting but she really wants to do all she can.

Are there any links, articles, books, etc I could recommend to her?
Also does anyone know of genetic markers and tests?

Thank you,
sarie

There’s the Sunrise (not sure if that’s how its spelt) programme, which works brilliant for many children.  I know one lad who didn’t speak, wasn’t potty trained at 8 yrs old and seemed acutely autistic.. he’s now attending college and doing really well - excellent communication, self care etc, he does still need help with some things but the improvement is amazing.

Joxy.

Gluten free and dairy free diets are often helpful in reducing accompanying gut problems. The autistic society are a useful resource and they also produce a book list of good reading material.  The Sunrise programme is very expensive but can be a lifesaver for those very severely affected, their is also a programme of learning called Picture Exchange Communication System or PECS for short which enables a child to communicate need and routine through pictures placed around the home/ school area.

Hope this snippet of info is useful.

San x

There was an article in the April/May 2010 issue of GP about Autism and diet. It gave these websites at the end: nourishinghope.com and BodyEcology.com If you want me to copy the article and send it to you then just PM me your address x

My Cranial Sacral Therapist swears that Autistic children can see huge improvements in their condition through the work she does. I think it works on the basis that she can help to ‘quieten down’ back ground ‘noise’ in these childrens bodies allowing them to connect to the world more fully and easily. We have talked about it lots because of Jake, he is starting a series of sessions with her next week so we’ll see if it really does help!

I have heard about this book and heard a tape of the author talk, she seemed to make an awful lot of sense..but have no actual experience of it..plenty of reviews on the amazon link..

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gut-Psychology-Syndrome-Depression-Schizophrenia/dp/0954852001/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1294441873&sr=1-1

mummyk x

Because autism is such a varying spectrum, it really depends on the children themselves as to what may help. Is there anything in particular that she feels they’re struggling with?
I have a son with ASD, DCD and ADHD, it’s his combination of difficulties that make his life a little challenging, and it’s looking at his individual needs that helps to find solutions for him.
We have as natural organic diet as possible, it’s possible he may be food intolerent, we’ve tried a dairy free diet under a dietician, but because of some of his challenging behaviour we’ve not tried gluten free, at some point in the future it may be worth looking at, but until we can get him to understand that everything he finds can’t go in his mouth it would be pointless, because we’d never be able to completely remove gluten.
Visual timetables are effective, if we can get him to use them, at the moment he’s refusing.
Routine and structure help.
Two of my children have coloured lenses in their glasses. My daughter isn’t autistic, but the purple lenses have a made a huge difference in helping her to calm down and become more focused. My son has blue lenses, but I can’t tell you how effective they are as he’s left them in school, initially they seemed to make a difference, but I’m not sure that he’s actually been wearing them recently. Make sure you see a specialist that is exeperienced, we travelled to Ayr to see Ian Jordan, who’s exceptionally good. It’s something I’d recommend as worth trying for varying difficulties. http://www.jordanseyes.com/
There are various behaviour modifying programmes, but it’s really worth considering what you want to achieve, and whether it will work for you.
For me I just want him to be safe, happy and as independent as possible. Tackle one thing at a time, otherwise it just becomes too overwhelming for everyone. If she wants someone to chat to I’m happy to be there. becky

We have talked about it lots because of Jake, he is starting a series of sessions with her next week so we’ll see if it really does help!

Did Jake go for some sessions and did it help him Rachael?

Anyone else know of anything that may help, they are having big problems with behaviour as routines have changed slightly as life is taking it’s toll?
Many thanks, have forwarded on your advice
sarie

Have they tried emotion cards? there are aload of flip cards that you can buy (or make your own ) on ebay. Routines changing are unfortunatly a real biggy with these kiddies, my little one eden has “aspergers” and gets along most of the time BUT if her routine is messed with in the slightest the conflict in the house is MASSIVE!

On the subject of behaviour/routine, they will prob have to play around with it a bit to find the right balance. Its all very individual. How old are these children? Are they in school? Visual timetables can be useful, so a timetable with picture cards for daily activities. I actually do this with my daughter on days shes not at playschool. She is a child you needs structure & routine and meltdowns occur without it. She is not autistic, but has some autistic traits Another tip would be to find the right balance between activity & downtime. ASD children can get easily over-stimulated and this can cause meltdowns too. They may need a space thats very calming & stimulus free to be able to go to when things are overwhelming. DD has a ‘cosy’ area in her room for this. This is harder out and about but its about staying alert to the childs signals and leaving or finding a quiet place for a while.