Omega-3 fatty acid supplements may reduce the incidence of sudden cardiac death in patients with autism who are prescribed atypical antipsychotics.
This paper describes the logic behind using omega-3 fatty acids to protect the hearts of children given brain drugs (atypical antipsychotics). Atypical antipsychotics may cause sudden death by causing the heart to stop beating. Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to protect people from heart disease. The authors note that, in many cases, children with autism have only low levels of omega-3 fatty acids in their blood. They believe that omega-3 fatty acid supplements may help children with autism in many ways and may help to protect the heart of children giving atypical antipsychotics.
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Responding to neurofeedback
Nov 12, 2010 by AnonymousWe have used neurofeedback (NFB) for our Asperger son. I don't know how well it works for autistic people. For Asperger syndrome, it can work very well, but it's a long process.
We started the therapy when my son was 9 years old, having extreme difficulties at school because he couldn't cope with anything. His anxiety was so high even the NFB doctor thought it was remarkable. The initial assessment showed that my son had high delta-theta waves (associated with ADD-like attention span), low sensorimotor rhythm (SMR) waves (associated with sensory issues,fidgeting, tics, agitation, and anxiety), and high high-beta waves (associated with intense anxiety). This profile is pretty much exactly what all Asperger kids look like.
We liked the NFB approach because unlike virtually all other ASD treatments we tried or looked at, this was the first one that looked inside our son's brain to see what was going on. The assessment wasn't based on theory, observation, or cookie-cutter practice, but on the actual output from the kid's head.
The NFB treatment involved playing computer games via electrodes stuck to the scalp and ears. It sounds more fun than it is, because the games are very slow. We had to bribe my son to do the therapy. We are very tech-savvy, so we trained at the centre so that we could do the sessions at home (we live hours away from the clinic).We did the sessions every day so that we could see the results faster. We kept a log sheet of observations, hours of therapy, and game points, and included any observations from his teachers.
After 30 hours of treatment, he suddenly figured out how to control his high-beta waves. Where he used to get scores of 10, he could now get scores of 200, then 400, then 1000. He had no idea how he was controlling the levels, but he was doing it. Within a few days, we noticed that his anxiety was GONE. I mean GONE. Suddenly nothing bothered him anymore. He wasn't afraid of the dark, or of barking dogs, or of rain, or of traffic. He stopped fretting about death and getting older and started simply living.
We continued the therapy for another 30 hours and got his SMRs up. That's when he started eating a bunch of new foods and playing outside. He'd even ask to try out something new. However, the SMR's are the hardest wave to fix, because they're deep in the brain, and he didn't maintain the high SMR's for long.
The one we had the least success with was the delta-theta, which ironically is usually the easiest to treat. Oh well. So he's still a space cadet!
We wrapped up the therapy at 100 hours, very pleased with the results.
My son is now 14 and doing well. We've noticed in the ensuing years since doing his NFB that it's worthwhile to do tune-ups three to four times a year. Video games, sedentary activities, and long car drives all seem to push his brainwaves back into the old patterns. We can tell when this occurs because suddenly he can't cope with anything, he's screaming a lot, and the teachers are phoning us to ask what's going on. All we need to do is a week of NFB, a half-hour per day, and the problems disappear. We've now trained our son to do his own sessions, so it's very easy for us.
If you want to learn more about NFB, you need to do some reading first. The best book on the subject is one that's probably in your public library: A Symphony in the Brain. It explains how the brain works. There is a chapter on NFB near the end. Besides that, there are many books available discussing the applications for NFB treatment. It works so well for anxiety disorders, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (which are all disorders in which the brainwaves get into bad patterns and get stuck there) that its popularity is growing. NFB is expensive. There are some people trying to develop simpler, more user-friendly technology, but the practitioners are used to the old systems. We have to wait for a younger generation of NFB doctors to move into the field to take it in new directions.
Responding to high-functioning autism
Feb 12, 2010 by Anonymoussafe alternatives- BUT WE CANT HAVE EM?
While there is not a cure for Autism, there are safer alternatives to the chemicals we feed our children. I do think the Gov't and Big Pharmas have dropped the ball on this one! Our children are being poisoned, all for the sake of some improvements? Safe, all natural, alternatives to these meds are available, but in most cases are with held due the lack of making profits?
Cannabis is being used SUCCESSFULLY for a very few who have been lucky enough to explore this treatment legally. Cannabis can easily be ingested orally in the form of an edible for children. Cannabis is a SAFE, ALL NATURAL, Alternative medicine that is making improvements in children with everything from behavioral issues, to feeding issues. They are being treated successfully, and the children are NOT suffering, or dealing with any life long side effects that is being seen in children today. It is NOT FAIR that only a select few get to explore this SAFE ALTERNATIVE TREATMENT, All While MY SON SUFFERS? It doesnt make any sense- Not TODAY, Not in the USA? What is this world coming too when big pharmas and the govt would rather MAKE PROFITS than to find effective treatments and cures?
Please find some compassion, and DO SOME RESEARCH!
MY SON IS STARVING TO DEATH!
Hopeful Mother of 2
Soap Nuts
Aug 13, 2009 by AnonymousIn an attempt to cut down on the amount of toxins not only for my family but also for the environment as a whole, I bought some soap nuts. What the heck are soap nuts? They are "the dried fruit of the Chinese Soapberry tree" - so says the package they came in. Instead of using detergent, throw 3 to 5 of these little babies into your wash and voila clean, toxic free laundry. We shall see.
Rather than switching right to soap nuts, I want to test these things first. I have set up a couple of key batches of dirty laundry to see how well the soap nuts work on my typical stains. One of the highest concerns is pee. We seem to still have accidents in our house so clothing and bedding go through the wash often. I want them clean.
Another concern is popsicles. We have "five-o-clock-sicles" in the afternoon when I need a little more time to fix dinner and the kids are starving to death. I generally by the Edy's whole fruit pops but they still stain purple, red, and green. For some reason the boys think shirts are napkins.
Finally, greasy oily stuff. We seem to have an abundance of it.
The soap nuts say they work for 5 plus loads so I will be testing them over the next few days. If they work, I will figure out a cost comparison to my standard detergent. Unfortunately, Costco is not carrying soap nuts, yet.
Job well done
Dec 9, 2008 by dankohnI really wish I had more time to write. I’m sure everyone understands that this time of year, things are completely cuckoo-bananas.
Anyway, I left off right before Thomas’ conference, which went very well. We brought both of the kids along which seems to be the thing to do at Thomas’ school. Everyone brings their kids along for every little meeting and get-together. We felt like outcasts for not bringing at least Thomas to the first Open House.
In addition to our family of four and Thomas’ teacher, the resource teacher also attended Thomas’ conference. She made a point of explaining to us that Thomas’ progress is being charted along with his classmates, and for many of his goals she wrote that his class is still learning that particular concept, so he is neither behind nor excelling, but progressing as expected. Thomas’ teacher only had very good things to say about Thomas and I can tell that everyone really enjoys working with him, which is so wonderful. I know what I go through on a daily basis with Thomas and I always hope sincerely that he is not behaving the same at school. It appears as though he does work hard and try harder at school than he does at home.
I’ve turned over a few new…leafs or leaves? Anyway, I implemented some changes around our house as I’ve realized that I do way too much for the kids. I look around and realize that Thomas is nearly six years old now and there’s no way I should be putting his shoes on for him every morning, getting his coat on and zipped, and so on. I held a “Zipping Seminar” for the kids about a week ago. An hour or so before dinner, I helped the kids put their coats on and then taught them how to zip them up. It only took a couple of minutes for Hayley to master the concept and implement it, and it took Thomas only a little bit longer. I was very proud of both of them and they are now both zipping their jackets like pros. The problem I have with Thomas doing any self-help or personal hygiene chores by himself is that he takes FOREVER. Yesterday morning, I thought that I had been abducted by aliens because it seemed like we started getting ready to go to school around 8:05 a.m. but by the time I got the kids in the car it was 8:26 a.m. and the first bell had already rung. Yikes. There’s about twenty minutes of time in there that passed by so quickly I didn’t even realize it. I got Thomas in the building just in time, but because of this, I now see that getting on coats, shoes, hats, mittens and scarves, and sometimes boots is a half-hour procedure at least if I let the kids do it themselves, which I must do. Thomas has a difficult time staying on-task and needs many verbal cues to do what he is supposed to do. I know that he is just waiting for me to get frustrated and pressed for time so that I do it for him, but Jonathan and I have both explained to the kids that we wouldn’t be very good parents if we did everything for them all the time. We say that it is our job to teach them how to take care of themselves because one day, we won’t be around to do things for them. That statement opens up a whole other can of worms usually, but we’re very honest with them about life and death. They know that everybody dies sometime and usually, nobody knows when that will be. Luckily, the kids don’t lie awake nights wondering if their number’s going to be up soon. We told them not to worry about it and they seem not to. Especially with Thomas, however, we really need him to understand how important it is for him to learn to take care of himself. Hayley has a drive to do things for herself and usually will get dressed by unassisted if I ask her to.
In addition to getting dressed and getting ready for school, I’ve begun to insist on the kids washing themselves properly in the tub and brushing teeth (and in Hayley’s case, hair) by themselves. I sit in the bathroom with them and talk them through it, but I’ve really begun to see that I’m not doing Thomas any favors by treating him like a baby. Sigh. Those days are definitely over as he’s about to turn six. And Hayley’s four-going-on-fourteen. We’ll see how it goes, but I’m really trying to push independence.
Tomorrow is Thomas’ school Holiday Sing at the local high school. I’m very excited to see how he does. He participated in something similar when he was in preschool, but it was on a much smaller scale. I have no idea what they’re going to sing (non-denominational songs about snow and candy canes, most likely) but I’m eager to see how he does. I wonder if the much bigger high school stage (I assume it’s bigger; I’ve never seen it) will intimidate him, or if the bright lights will distract him. Mostly, I think that Hayley will be shouting to him from the audience. Which reminds me, I have to charge up the video camera tonight.
Thomas did much better in school when I was there last Tuesday. We had a long talk about how his teacher is there to help him, but I’m there to help the teacher. This apparently sunk in because he was not at all clingy last week, completed his work and only relied on the teacher and the aide for help. Today he was also purposefully ignorant of my presence, but it was a difficult day for all of the kids, for some reason. Thomas would NOT stop talking. Before the teacher read “The Gingerbread Man” to the kids, she put the weighted vest on Thomas and this really helped him settle down. She usually pairs the kids up and reads a few pages. Then she asks the kids to discuss the story so far with their partners. Thomas was Hayley’s partner today and he was so adorable. Every time the teacher stopped and asked a question, Thomas would turn to Hayley and repeat it. She would answer it pretty accurately, too. After the story, the weighted vest was removed and Thomas resumed his motor-mouth. He wasn’t bad, he was just talking when he should have been listening. Many of the kids were out of sorts today, so there must have been something in the air.
Thomas said something very sweet today. The social worker came in for Thomas and another little boy today, which she does every Tuesday. Thomas, who is not always eager to leave the classroom, got right up, took her hand and said, “Wow! You look so beautiful today!” Of course, the social worker blushed and thanked Thomas, saying that he had made her day. I think that she’s expecting, and at that difficult time when people don’t know if it’s extra weight or a baby bump, so his kind words worked wonders on her. He comes up with those zingers every now and then and melts the hearts of whomever he’s talking to.
Hayley, on the other hand, has zingers of her own. We got all of our Christmas shopping done this past weekend, thanks to my mother-in-law taking the kids from Friday after school to Sunday afternoon. We met at our regular rendezvous point on Friday and I put the kids and their bag into her car. We were standing outside Hayley’s open car door, just talking for a minute when Hayley said, “Look, Grandma! I’m wearing a freakin’ hat!” Grandma laughed herself sick while I stood there with a “this is clearly my fault” look on my face that also made her laugh. It was hard not to giggle at Hayley, who could tell that she had said something extremely entertaining and has been using the phrase “freakin’ hat” ever since. Job well done.