Talk with your healthcare physician before trying anything new, like a special diet. There’s no hard proof that special diets help improve the condition of children with autism spectrum disorder ASD. Autism is a complicated brain problem. While it might seem as if removing specific food types from your diet could relieve your kid’s symptoms of ASD, it could be even more damaging.

For instance, children with autism usually have thinner bones. Dairy products contain nutrients like casein, calcium, etc., that can make their bones stronger. Studies on casein protein in milk products have found that most children performed similarly whether or not they ate food items with this protein. Their autism side effects changed in no exceptional manner.

Little evidence shows that people with autism may have low levels of particular vitamins and minerals. But this doesn’t cause autism spectrum disorder. Although, supplements can improve nutrition such as vitamin B and magnesium. These are two of the most frequently used supplements for people with autism. People may overdose on these vitamins, so megavitamins should be avoided.

autism mechanism

However, some diet changes may help with specific symptoms of autism as certain food allergies can worsen behavior problems. Changing and removing the allergen from the child’s diet may help reduce behavioral issues. You need to care about the essential thing to fulfill your child’s specific diet requirements to support autism spectrum disorder symptoms. The best way to find the most beneficial diet is to sit with your doctor and a nutrition specialist like a registered dietitian to help you make a meal plan tailored for your child particularly.

There are children with autism who have digestive problems like constipation, nausea, belly pain, and vomiting. Your doctor can help suggest a diet that won’t make the symptoms worse. And remember, these nutritional needs may change over time. Your child’s nutritionist will help you make sure the foods they eat are meeting their needs as they get older.

About Autism

Autism is a long-term, complex developmental disability that usually appears during early childhood and can impact the child’s social, communication, relationships, and self-regulation skills. Autism is a “spectrum condition” and is defined by a specific set of behaviors that affects everyone in a different way and at different intensities. 

Characteristics & Diagnosis

Autism is characterized by constant changes in communication, interpersonal relationships, and social interaction across different social circles. The following characteristics may be a part of an autistic child:

• Being nonverbal or having atypical speech patterns
• Having trouble understanding nonverbal communication
• Difficulty making and keeping friends
• Difficulty maintaining a typical back-and-forth conversational style
• Restricted and repetitive behavior, activities, interests, and patterns
• Rigid or highly restricted and intense interests
• Repeating sounds or phrases (echolalia)
• Preference for similarity and difficulty with adapting to change or routine
• Extreme sensitivity to or very low sensitivity to various sensory stimuli

Clinicians use the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual to diagnose autism which says that the above mentioned are the core features of autism must be present in early childhood to diagnose autism. Still, they may not manifest until social demands exceed the person’s capacity to cope with them, and learned coping strategies may mask challenges. 

Although there is no known cause of autism currently, early diagnosis may help a person receive the support and services they need, leading to a quality life filled with opportunity. To know more about receiving an autism diagnosis, visit Harbor Compounding Pharmacy.

Prevalence

In 2020, an ADDM autism prevalence report was issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that concluded that 1 in every 54 persons is affected by autism. The prevalence became twice as great as the results of 2004 showed, a rate of 1 in 125. The spotlight on autism has opened opportunities for the nation to research how to cater to people on the autism spectrum. 

While autism affects people regardless of their race or ethnicity, there are some racial and ethnic factors in the diagnosis. According to the CDC, more white children are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder than black or Hispanic children. Previous studies show that stigma, lack of access to healthcare services due to non-citizenship or low income, and non-English primary language are potential barriers to identifying children with ASD, and these are especially among Hispanic children. A difference in diagnosing black and Hispanic children with ASD relative to white children exists because these children may not be getting access to the services they need to reach their full potential.

This ADDM report also found that the racial and ethnic differences in identifying 8-year-old children with ASD persist, but there are also some signs that the differences may be narrowing. Boys are approximately four times more likely to have autism than girls of the same age. However, recent research also suggests that girls may not show the autism signs like boys; hence might go undiagnosed. 

Risk Factors

There is not just one known cause of autism spectrum disorder. Many different factors have been identified that may make a child more likely to have ASD, which include environmental, biological, and genetic factors. Although we know nothing or very little about specific causes of ASD, the following may put children at a greater risk for developing ASD:

• Having a sibling with ASD
• Having a family history of ASD
• Having a certain genetic or chromosomal condition, such as fragile X syndrome or tuberous sclerosis
• Having older parents
• Experiencing complications at birth

How Often Does ASD Occur?

Oxytocin autism spectrum disorder may occur in anyone, irrespective of all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups. And it is more than four times more common among boys than among girls.

Addressing Your Concerns

As a parent, you already know and have what it takes to help your young one learn and grow. CDC has developed stuff that can help you track your child’s developmental milestones. You can share the progress, or any concerns, with your child’s doctor at every check-up.

Contact your child’s doctor right away if you think your child is showing any autism spectrum disorder symptoms or if you have any concerns about how your child learns, plays, speaks, or acts.

If you still have any concerns, you can see a specialist who can perform an in-depth evaluation of your child. Specialists who can do this and perform diagnosis include:

• Developmental pediatricians; doctors who deal with children with special needs 
• Child neurologists; doctors who are specialized in the brain, spine, and nerves of children
• Child psychologists or psychiatrists; are doctors who deal with the human mind

Concurrently, you may call your state’s public early childhood system to request a free evaluation, sometimes called a Child Find evaluation. It can help you determine if your child qualifies for intervention services. You would not need to wait for a doctor’s referral to make this call. 

Your child’s age will decide where to call for a free evaluation:

• If your child is not yet three years old, contact your local early intervention system.
• If your child is three years old or older, contact your local public school system.

Recent research shows that early intervention services can significantly improve a child’s development. In order to make sure that your child develops normally, it is essential to receive services as soon as possible.

Soon after your child gets diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, you can start with treatment. Please reach out to the Harbor Compounding Pharmacy to learn more about the range of treatments for autism they offer.