Virtual reality and videos may be helpful in waking up the brains of people with autism.
Some people believe that problems with the motor neuron system that occur as a child is growing is one of the root sources of autism. This article reviews the mirror neuron system and describes how it can be used as a basis for therapy. Mirror neurons fire when a person observes action and when a person performs an action. Thus, computer displays may be able to be used to teach the brain how to perform an action. These displays could also maybe improve the way the brain functions.
Twitter
Facebook
By Email
RSS Feed
Please comment on this autism topic.
Ayurveda for Autism Spectrum Disorder
Jan 4, 2011 by sunethriayurved...Hi everybody,
I am Dr.Prasad M, MD (Ay.), working with autistic kids from 2002 onwards. I went through the article mentioned. Let me share with you an unbiased information on the scope of Ayurveda, the age-old Indian system of Vedic medicine, in the treatment of ASD. This is based 100% on my personal experiences. Kindly see the following passages. Comments and criticisms are welcomed whole-heatedly.
Scope of Ayurveda in Autism Spectrum Disorder
Trials with Ayurvedic medicines and treatments for their efficacy in ASD are going on at various centres in India and abroad. The main advantage of ayurvedic medicine is that it has got a magazine of safe therapeutic preparations of various forms which are developed by continuous trials and rectifications over thousands of years. There are many preparations like kwatha (decoction), churna (powder), arishta (self-fermented beverage), gudika (pill), ghrtha (medicated ghee), thyla (medicated vegetable fats) etc. In recent times, many of the herbs used in Ayurveda are proven to have excellent detoxifying effect as well as free radical- scavenging potential. The therapeutic preparations like kwatha are combinations of many herbs. These combinations are originally developed on the basis of ayurvedic principles. Till recent times these formulations were not given due consideration by the western scientists. But now the picture has changed. More and more ayurvedic preparations are under their evaluation. In Ayurveda, the compounds as well as single herbs are used for different purposes of health care like pacifying vitiated functional units called doshas, eliminating excessive toxic accumulations, providing targeted nutrients to tissues, tuning the mind-body coordination, sharpening the efficacy of sense-organs, and so on. These prescriptions are based on personalised evaluation of different aspects like body constitution, doshik status, power of digestion and assimilation, status of bowel evacuation, physical strength, mental constitution, and etc which is done by experienced physicians. Mind is an important factor in the healing of any ailment. It is assumed that mind is like ghee which is held inside a pot called body. If the ghee is hot the pot also gets warmed and if the pot is hot definitely the ghee also will be hot. You cannot expect warm ghee in a cool pot and wise versa. Similarly, food is given the supreme role in the healing process as well as in the maintenance of health. It is a basic concept in Ayurveda that there is no use for any medicine if one stick on to pathya (wholesome) food (as it brings about health spontaneously) and there is no use for any medicine if one stick on to apathya (nasty) food (as there is no scope for functioning of the medicine). In the context of autism, these assumptions are extremely important and seen exceptionally beneficial.
The care of autism, as per ayurvedic principles, is based on the protocol of a three-step intervention.
Again, though the stages are generalised the execution will be personalised.
The first stage is based on medicines almost completely. Medicinal preparations like purgatives, specific formulations for de-worming, for enhancing the functions of the liver and pancreas, for enhancing the digestive fire (Agni), and for regulating the intestinal motility are used in this stage. Certain preparations meant for squeezing out heavy metals from the tissues are also used. Turmeric, garlic, curry leaves, etc are having this advantage.
Second phase is mainly comprised of massages. Traditional methods like abhyanga (hot-oil massages), udwarthana (dry powder massages), pindasweda of various types, thalapothichil, pizhichil, etc are used here. These manoeuvres improve the muscle tone, reduce hyperactivity, create better motor coordination, and normalize most of the obsessive repetitive movements. Child sleeps well. The bowels become more regular at this stage. He/she will be more receptive to commands or suggestions. The demand for sensory stimulation slows down considerably and the symptoms like increased sensitivity to certain sounds (hyperacusis) slowly disappear. There will be oral medications parallel to the therapies and a few of these medications will be carried over to the next phase as well.
Third stage is very specific and sold not be started before the proper completion of the first two. This is an important point as there is a general tendency to mark the condition as mental retardation and to prescribe brain tonics and memory boosters to all autistic kids indiscriminately.
The major therapies in this stage are shirodhara (pouring of liquids like oils on the head), shirovasthi (holding of medicated oils on the head inside specially designed leather-rims), shiropichu (wetting the scalp with oil bandages), dhoopanam (fumigation with specific medicines) etc along with specific medications like kallyanakam kashayam, indukantham kashayam, gorochanadi gudika,balakanakapathradi kashayam, sidharthakam gudika etc. Certain specific herbs like sahadevi, sankhapushpi, vacha, vishnukranthietc are also used. Follow up is done with ghee preparations like mahakallyanaka, mahapaisachika, brahmighrtha, saraswathaghrtha, etc.
Conclusion
It is seen that the classical ayurvedic treatment done systematically give promising results in kids diagnosed with ASD. But it should be emphasised that the level of improvements is different from child to child. Another important point is that these interventions are made in a corrective manner. The child gets relieved of a lot of physical problems and tantrums. But this will not make him/her a normal child. Intensive training and special education are needed to put him on track and to catch up the peers. This requires the dedicated involvement of parents, special educators, and skilled professional like occupational therapists.
TN Safety Spotters, Inc Therapy Dog 501 (c)(3) Charitable Organization in the Mid South area
Nov 14, 2010 by Patricia BeltThese well trained registered therapy dogs, Lottie Dot and Dora travel all over the Mid South area with their owner, trainer and handler, Patricia Belt, providing comfort, motivation to special needs children. These special dogs also teach children about Fire Safety and Dog Bite Prevention for example, how to stop, drop and roll, and how to safely approach and pet a dog.
They visit schools, libraries, hospitals, assisted living facilities, Fire Stations, camps, and visit children upon special invitations.
http://tnsafetyspotters.org
Scope of Ayurveda in ASD by Vaidya Prasad
Nov 13, 2009 by AnonymousTrials with Ayurvedic medicines and treatments for their efficacy in ASD are going on at various centres in India and abroad. The main advantage of ayurvedic medicine is that it has got a magazine of safe therapeutic preparations of various forms which are developed by continuous trials and rectifications over thousands of years. There are many preparations like kwatha (decoction), churna (powder), arishta (self-fermented beverage), gudika (pill), ghrtha (medicated ghee), thyla (medicated vegetable fats) etc. In recent times, many of the herbs used in Ayurveda are proven to have excellent detoxifying effect as well as free radical- scavenging potential. The therapeutic preparations like kwatha are combinations of many herbs. These combinations are originally developed on the basis of ayurvedic principles. Till recent times these formulations were not given due consideration by the western scientists. But now the picture has changed. More and more ayurvedic preparations are under their evaluation. In Ayurveda, the compounds as well as single herbs are used for different purposes of health care like pacifying vitiated functional units called doshas, eliminating excessive toxic accumulations, providing targeted nutrients to tissues, tuning the mind-body coordination, sharpening the efficacy of sense-organs, and so on. These prescriptions are based on personalised evaluation of different aspects like body constitution, doshik status, power of digestion and assimilation, status of bowel evacuation, physical strength, mental constitution, and etc, which is done by experienced physicians. Mind is an important factor in the healing of any ailment. It is assumed that mind is like ghee, which is held inside a pot called body. If the ghee is hot the pot also gets warmed and if the pot is hot definitely the ghee also will be hot. You cannot expect warm ghee in a cool pot and wise versa. Similarly, food is given the supreme role in the healing process as well as in the maintenance of health. It is a basic concept in Ayurveda that there is no use for any medicine if one stick on to pathya (wholesome) food (as it brings about health spontaneously) and there is no use for any medicine if one stick on to apathya (nasty) food (as there is no scope for functioning of the medicine). In the context of autism, these assumptions are extremely important and seen exceptionally beneficial.
The care of autism, as per ayurvedic principles, is based on the protocol of a three-step intervention.
Again, though the stages are generalised the execution will be personalised.
The first stage is based on medicines almost completely. Medicinal preparations like purgatives, specific formulations for de-worming, for enhancing the functions of the liver and pancreas, for enhancing the digestive fire (Agni), and for regulating the intestinal motility are used in this stage. Certain preparations meant for squeezing out heavy metals from the tissues are also used. Turmeric, garlic, curry leaves, etc are having this advantage.
Second phase is mainly comprised of massages. Traditional methods like abhyanga (hot-oil massages), udwarthana (dry powder massages), pindasweda of various types, thalapothichil, pizhichil, etc are used here. These manoeuvres improve the muscle tone, reduce hyperactivity, create better motor coordination, and normalize most of the obsessive repetitive movements. Child sleeps well. The bowels become more regular at this stage. He/she will be more receptive to commands or suggestions. The demand for sensory stimulation slows down considerably and the symptoms like increased sensitivity to certain sounds (hyperacusis) slowly disappear. There will be oral medications parallel to the therapies and a few of these medications will be carried over to the next phase as well.
Third stage is very specific and sold not be started before the proper completion of the first two. This is an important point as there is a general tendency to mark the condition as mental retardation and to prescribe brain tonics and memory boosters to all autistic kids indiscriminately.
The major therapies in this stage are shirodhara (pouring of liquids like oils on the head), shirovasthi (holding of medicated oils on the head inside specially designed leather-rims), shiropichu (wetting the scalp with oil bandages), dhoopanam (fumigation with specific medicines) etc along with specific medications like kallyanakam kashayam, indukantham kashayam, gorochanadi gudika, balakanakapathradi kashayam, sidharthakam gudika etc. Certain specific herbs like sahadevi, sankhapushpi, vacha, vishnukranthi etc are also used. Follow up is done with ghee preparations like mahakallyanaka, mahapaisachika, brahmighrtha, saraswathaghrtha, etc.
It is seen that the classical ayurvedic treatment done systematically give promising results in kids diagnosed with ASD. But it should be emphasised that the level of improvements is different from child to child. Another important point is that these interventions are made in a corrective manner. The child gets relieved of a lot of physical problems and tantrums. But this will not make him/her a normal child. Intensive training and special education are needed to put him on track and to catch up the peers. This requires the dedicated involvement of parents, special educators, and skilled professional like occupational therapists.
Spooktacular!
Nov 4, 2008 by dankohnIt has been a rather eventful time for us since I last wrote. The Halloween Spooktacular was a lot of fun and the kids had a good time playing the little games. I made what was surely a very tasty and attractive pumpkin spice cake with cream cheese frosting for the Cake Walk, which we struggled valiantly (and in vain) to win back. When we finally did win, we were allowed to pick only a small treat because they were only giving away the big cakes on the quarter-hour. We were bummed and all we got for our efforts were three lousy cookies. It was nice to know that my cake was one of the “good” prizes, though.
Thomas’ teacher was at the fun fair conducting the Mummy Autopsy in the Haunted Courtyard. She was really funny and had a very convincing witchy cackle. Thomas was a little freaked out at first, but he (and Hayley) finally recognized the teacher and she watered her character down a bit so as not to scare my children in particular. Thomas really seemed to enjoy all of the festivities and after we finished up at the Spooktacular, we went to Grandma’s cottage.
Thomas had a difficult time at the cottage. There were a lot more people there than he was used to (good for us pier-workers, bad for the autistic boy) and all of the noise and bustle in the house was confusing and hard for him to handle. On Saturday, when we went outside to work, he did a lot better just being in the more open space and fresh air. The weather was actually pretty great. If there’s anything worse than working on that pier, it’s working on that pier when there’s drizzle stinging your face.
Thomas really liked using the leaf-blower, which we let him do because we’re idiots (again). Actually, it wasn’t that idiotic and it helped him. The vibration of the motor and loud noise really kept him focused and he did a good job blowing the leaves into the fire. Yeah, we had a fire going too. Jonathan was supervising and Thomas and Hayley both know to stay away from fires. Hayley actually learned about fire safety in preschool (where they CONTINUE to spell her name wrong…) and runs around the house saying, “Oops! Your arm is on fire! You better stop, drop and roll!”
After we finished with the pier, we went to the little country pumpkin farm. We don’t even go to the big, commercialized pumpkin “farm” near our house anymore. You should see how much they want for a pumpkin these days! So we go to the little country pumpkin farm up north and choose pumpkins. This place is so cool…you pay on the “honor system” meaning that there is no personnel manning the check-out counter. You just figure out what you owe and put the dough in a box. They have a tiny hay-maze, a big old tractor for the kids to sit on and this year, they had a little silo filled with corn and trucks. As you can imagine, getting Thomas out of the corn was a chore, but he loved playing in it.
We came home on Sunday and started getting ready for Halloween. As is characteristic of Thomas, he was not excited about Halloween. He still didn’t want to trick-or-treat, but as the week went on, I just didn’t let it go. We kept talking about the party at school on Friday so that by the time Friday came around, he was excited about going. Hayley and I walked Thomas to school, then I went to Hayley’s school to watch her costume parade and take pictures and then I booked back to Thomas’ school to help with his party. I put on my Cleopatra costume in the hallway before entering Thomas’ room. His teacher was a very fetching Snow White and one of the other moms was a pumpkin so I wasn’t the only goofy grown-up there. Thomas did really well; he participated in the craft (a little magnetic Candy Corn with his name on it), played Pin the Nose on the Pumpkin and played Spooky Bingo. We then went on a classroom parade, going through the other, big-kid classrooms. Then it was back to the room for cupcakes and cookies, not to mention all of the candy that other kids brought to share with their chums. Then we walked to go get Hayley (I, still wearing my Cleopatra costume. And pulling the wagon…) and then we walked home. Hayley’s backpack was really heavy and I couldn’t imagine what was in there until we got home and opened it. It was full of around five pounds of snacks and candies that classmates had brought. I felt like a deadbeat because I didn’t bring anything, but it looked like the kids had more than enough. With the amount of candy they brought home, we really didn’t NEED to trick-or-treat at all. But we did. My niece Julia looked adorable in her girl’s pirate costume. The kids did a good job, except that Thomas had the same problem as last year with staying by us on the sidewalk. He was running ahead and then running back to us but sometimes he would run a little too far ahead. I know it was definitely not his fault, what with all the sugar in his little body. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of the parents out there who gave out pretzels and whole-wheat crackers! God bless!
When we got home from trick-or-treating on Halloween night, the kids were absolutely wired. We tried to get them to eat some form of protein – anything at all that could be considered good – and were only partially successful. Hayley chose scrambled eggs which I whipped up with the enthusiasm of a TV chef. Thomas I believe finally settled on some kind of bread product and wouldn’t be induced to eat any kind of meat. Oh well. Halloween only comes once a year, followed shortly by the holidays. But seriously, only once a year. Like Easter. And vacation. And Valentine’s Day…
We had a party for Jonathan’s birthday on Saturday. His family came over and we had a very pleasant dinner for him. Thomas was okay with the whole thing, sort of. He didn’t want anybody to have any cake, EVER. I just wish I knew what that meant. He says stuff like that, but it’s one of those things where you know he doesn’t mean what he’s saying; he means something else. I just can’t figure out what he means. I’m still working on it.
Thomas’ report card came home yesterday and it was very good. He has either mastered or is progressing as expected in most skills. He still needs more work on remember his address, phone number and birthday. He also needs to work on holding writing utensils properly, but other than that, he’s really doing well. I meant to ask his teacher if he’s being evaluated just as his classmates are or if she uses a more lenient scale for Thomas. I would like to assume that he is graded on a par with his peers, but whenever I’m in class, I can tell that she’s being a little more patient with him than she is with some of the other kids. That could just be because I’m in class or it could be because she knows that certain things are harder for Thomas. I volunteered in class today and meant to ask, but forgot. She kept me busy filing, cutting, laminating and working with certain kids on recognizing letters. I had not a moment to think!
Coming up, we have…very little. My birthday is in a few weeks and I need to think about what we’re going to do for that. I hate making these decisions. It feels like I’m trying to throw myself a party. We used to go out for birthdays, but a couple of years ago Jonathan and I decided that it’s easier with the kids and everything if we just stay in and order pizza. Well, staying in and ordering pizza evolved into staying in and hosting a dinner party and Jonathan’s birthday party was every bit as stressful and required almost as much preparation as one of the kid’s birthdays. So I’m thinking of just saying that we’ll all go to Chili’s for my birthday because I don’t want to have to do as much work for my birthday as Jonathan and I had to do for his.
One thing I will do gladly, however, is accept gifts.