Vitamin B12 and folic acid may help to normalize the metabolism of children with autism.
Around 74% of parents use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) to treat their children with autism. The goal of this study was to show whether or not vitamin B12 and folic acid could improve markers in the blood of children with autism. The authors measured SAM:SAH and GSH:GSSG in the blood of 40 children aged 2 to 7 years who had autism. The children were given 75 µg/kg of vitamin B12 (methylcobalamin) 2 times/week and 400 µg folinic acid 2 times/day for 3 months. The vitamins improved the blood results in the children, but did not bring the blood results to normal levels.
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Nutrition and Essential Fatty Acids May Help Verbal Apraxia and Autism
Dec 2, 2009 by AnonymousCan nutrition help verbal skills in children with autism? A study reported the August 2009 issue of Alternative Therapies says yes, for some children. Combined vitamin E and omega 3 therapy may help a type of verbal apraxia (a type of speech problem) that may be linked to food allergies and nutritional problems.
Children with verbal apraxia have trouble pronouncing words and may have severe speech problems. Many scientists have thought that verbal apraxia is a brain disorder. This study suggests that verbal apraxia may also be related to metabolism differences and nutritional problems.
Metabolism is the process of making energy from food. Metabolism is a complex system of enzymes, proteins, fats, and carbohydrates that work together to digest food and turn it into energy that the body can use. People likely have a wide range of metabolic differences. Some of those differences can be quite large for some individuals. In this study, they suggest that some children with autism may have metabolism differences that affect how they process foods, and how their brain works.
What did the study show? This study tested 187 children with verbal apraxia, and many of them also had autism. All of the children took 400-3,000 International Units of vitamin E daily. They also took 1-3 grams of polyunsaturated fats (including omega 3 fatty acids) per day.
Almost all of the families (97%) reported improvements in speech, imitation, coordination, eye contact, and other skills with vitamin E and omega-3 therapy. There were few side effects reported during the length of the study.
The authors also described blood test results for nutritional information about 26 of the children. They reported low carnitine levels, high anti-gluten antibodies (suggesting a gluten allergy), low vitamin D levels, and fat absorption problems in most of the children they tested. They described how nutrition and metabolism might be different in some children with autism.
What do these results mean for children with verbal apraxia and autism? The results are exciting because 97% of the children showed improvements, and there were few side effects. Sounds perfect, doesn’t it? But it’s not quite as perfect as it sounds.
There are some major limitations of this study. First of all, the researchers asked parents to give their subjective opinion of improvements. The parents knew they were in a study. Although they were given specific improvements to look for, there is a possibility of bias in favor of reporting a good result.
Secondly, they did not use placebo controls. All of the parents and children knew they were getting the supplements. There is the possibility of the “placebo effect” which is when people taking placebo (“sugar pills”) report feeling better or actually show improvements. Many think it is the power of the mind/body connection that somehow influences how they feel or even how their body physically responds. There is scientific evidence for brain connections to the immune and endocrine systems to support these observations. It is possible that, in this study, the children and/or parents were hopeful that the supplements would work, and that influenced the outcome. There was a placebo effect observed in a recent study of citalopram and autism in children.
Third, the supplements may be helpful for only a subset of children with verbal apraxia. The researchers chose children with verbal apraxia who also had metabolism differences….
What is the bottom line for omega-3 and vitamin E from this study? In spite of the shortcomings of this study, the results are very promising. Children with verbal apraxia may benefit from vitamin E and omega-3 supplements, which may get their metabolism on a better track. And researchers will continue to explore the nutrition/metabolism link with brain function. Good nutrition is likely to be important for many brain functions, not just verbal apraxia.
Multivitamins that promotes the development of sensory and communication skils
Apr 26, 2009 by AnonymousHello, Just wanted to give some information on a liquid vitamin that I just came across, since I understand how difficult can be for us parents to give either medications or vitamins to our kids, and it tends to be even more difficult for parents with kids with autism, who tend to be very “picky” eaters, wanting to eat the same food all the time. The product’s name is Might-a-Mins Spectrum Isotonix Multivitamin. The main thing that caught my attention is that besides giving the nutritional supplements, it proclaims to help promote a healthy development of sensory and communication skills.This product appears to be “designed to serve children in need of digestive, metabolic or neurological support, like our kids with autism or in the spectrum, whom often have very particular tastes in food and are unlikely to eat a wide variety of items, creating a lack of nutrients.” It indicates that it “provides children in need of neurological, metabolic or digestive support with a carefully selected blend of vitamins and minerals chosen for their exceptional bioavailability.” Another benefit of this multivitamin is that is a powder that when mixed with water forms an isotonic solution. “Isotonic solutions bear the same chemical resemblance to blood and tears allowing for superior delivery and complete absorption in less amount of time”. Apparently, you can not buy this product on the local stores, I found it on www.thewaytolifeshop.com. I’m planning to order some and try it out. The product seems promising. Also, if you decide to go to their website, my recommendation is to hit the “Isotonix” icon in the featured brands box. Oh, they also have a lot of research articles done on autistic kids in regards to the use of vitamins. Again just wanted to share some of the information with those of you that like me, are trying to see how we can keep our kids healthy, when it is so difficult to make them eat a variety of foods, especially those that are nutritional.
Multivitamin that seems to promote the development of sensory and communication skills
Apr 26, 2009 by AnonymousHello,
Just wanted to give some information on a liquid vitamin that I just came across, since I understand how difficult can be for us parents to give either medications or vitamins to our kids, and it tends to be even more difficult for parents with kids with autism, who tend to be very “picky” eaters, wanting to eat the same food all the time. The product’s name is Might-a-Mins Spectrum Isotonix Multivitamin. The main thing that caught my attention is that besides giving the nutritional supplements, it proclaims to help promote a healthy development of sensory and communication skills. This product appears to be “designed to serve children in need of digestive, metabolic or neurological support, like our kids with autism or in the spectrum, whom often have very particular tastes in food and are unlikely to eat a wide variety of items, creating a lack of nutrients.” It indicates that it “provides children in need of neurological, metabolic or digestive support with a carefully selected blend of vitamins and minerals chosen for their exceptional bioavailability.” Another benefit of this multivitamin is that is a powder that when mixed with water forms an isotonic solution. “Isotonic solutions bear the same chemical resemblance to blood and tears allowing for superior delivery and complete absorption in less amount of time”. Apparently, you can not buy this product on the local stores, I found it on www.thewaytolifeshop.com. I’m planning to order some and try it out. The product seems promising. Also, if you decide to go to their website, my recommendation to find it fast is to hit the “Isotonix” icon in the featured brands box. Oh, they also have a lot of research articles done on autistic kids in regards to the use of vitamins. Again just wanted to share some of the information with those of you that like me, are trying to see how we can keep our kids healthy, when it is so difficult to make them eat a variety of foods, especially those that are nutritional.
Yummy Food or Yucky Food
Sep 11, 2008 by AnonymousOne Person's Yummy Food Is Another Person's Yucky Food
Vegetables and protein (fish, poultry, meats, and beans) are the most common food aversions. Some children even reject fruits. The diet becomes extremely restricted to bland, white foods, including sweets, breads, pasta, crackers, pretzels, chips, and macaroni and cheese. These foods are glycemic and raise blood glucose, quickly increasing the demand for insulin production. Zinc is part of the insulin molecule and is depleted, resulting in abnormal taste and taste perception. What develops is an aversion to the flavors in natural foods and increased cravings for highly sweetened foods and those foods containing MSG. (MSG affects the brain's perception of flavor.) The diet becomes more narrow, and nutritional status declines, resulting in more limited food choices. The white diet and vegetable aversion is common among children in Western cultures due to the high exposure to processed and sweet foods. For children with sensory and developmental issues, the aversions are much more pervasive and serious.
There are three potential contributors that lead to the limited appetite, cravings, and food aversions:
The negative effect of this combination can result in faulty messages from the sensory receptors to the brain and dysfunctional interpretation of those messages by the brain. Perception is the "truth" for that person. This is why begging, bribing, and punishing do not and will not work.
The solution is multifaceted. Correction of nutritional deficiencies and elimination of toxic metals are mandatory and involve appropriate therapeutic supplementation based on findings. Foods that cause reactions and/or opiate-like peptides need to be eliminated as healthy, safe foods are introduced and accepted.
How to Go from Yucky to Yummy-The Trojan Horse Technique
For those with texture issues, it is important to adapt the diet to the child's oral and food developmental stage. If textures are a sensory issue, no matter how tasty the food, it will not be consumed. By providing the food in a sensory-pleasing form, the child benefits nutritionally and begins to find mealtime more pleasant and rewarding. Purees are generally helpful. They are better tolerated and can open the door for getting more types of foods into the diet. Many family dishes, including soups, casseroles, or the meat and vegetable main dish, can also be served pureed for the child who has sensory texture issues. In this way, the whole family is enjoying the same meal.
Many of the recipes in this book have been selected to expand nutritional intake, especially using the Trojan Horse Technique-hiding a small amount of the new food (especially vegetables and proteins) within a very well tolerated and acceptable food. Each child differs and, therefore, it is important to identify what foods will work as "carriers" to get the new foods in.
Purees can be made from cooked fresh or frozen vegetables and/or purchased baby foods. If your child is offended by being served baby food, simply keep it well hidden. Create interesting new names for the foods and see that others in the family join in consuming them. The secret to success in introducing these new foods is to combine a small amount with the food the child already likes. For many children, this is the only way new foods can be introduced.
Start with 1 tablespoon (15 g) or less-and then increase when tolerated. Hide the cooked vegetable purees anywhere you can, selecting colors that are not obvious when added to the carrier food. The carrier food needs to be one that the child enjoys. It may even be a food that is being slowly eliminated. Include pureed fruits to improve the taste. Here are some examples of places to hide foods (and even supplements):
The above is an excerpt from the book The Kid-Friendly ADHD & Autism Cookbook: The Ultimate Guide to the Gluten-Free, Casein-Free Diet
by Pamela J. Compart, M.D. and Dana Laake, R.D.H., M.S., L.D.N.
Published by Fair Winds Press; November 2006;$24.95US/$32.50CAN; 978-1-59233-223-6
Copyright © 2008 Pamela J. Compart, M.D. and Dana Laake, R.D.H., M.S., L.D.N
Author Bio
Pamela J. Compart, M.D., is a developmental pediatrician in Columbia, Maryland. She combines traditional and complementary medicine approaches to the treatment of ADHD, autism, and other behavioral and developmental disorders. She is also the director of HeartLight Healing Arts, a multidisciplinary integrated holistic health care practice, providing services for children, adults, and families.
Dana Godbout Laake, R.D.H., M.S., L.D.N., is a licensed nutritionist in Kensington, Maryland. Within her practice, Dana Laake Nutrition, she provides preventive and therapeutic medical nutrition services. Her practice includes nutritional evaluation and treatment of the full spectrum of health issues affecting adults and children with special needs.