Can Autism Be Cured? Yes, Here's How
Autism can be prevented, despite what most people or even studies say. By taking care of your body and being extra careful in our very unhealthy society, you can almost ensure your child won't be born with autism!
Is There An Autism Cure?
If you search if there's an autism cure online, you'll see hundreds of articles saying there is no known cure for autism, and that proper treatment can render the disorder to be almost undetected. Today we'll give you good and bad news, but starting with the bad:
The Bad News
The bad news is that autism is caused by environmental factors which can influence someone's genetics, including:
- Unhealthy diet - Make sure to avoid any and all processed foods with added sugar and vegetable/seed oils. A healthy diet for people, whether or not they have autism, means eating whole foods such as grass-fed meat, eggs, organs, and organic fruit.
- EMF radiation - EMFs are a type of radiation that are produced by electronic devices such as cell phones, Wi-Fi routers, and power lines. Exposure to EMFs can have a negative effect on the body.
- Poor sleep - If you don't get enough good ZZZs, you'll experience lots of negative health effects, such as heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, obesity, and depression. Sleep deprivation has been shown to increase the chances of your child being born with autism.
- Air pollution - Exposure to fine particulate air pollution has been linked with increased risk of autism spectrum disorder in children, a new study found.
- Vitamin D deficiency - Make sure to get at least 20-30 minutes of sunlight everyday and take vitamin D supplements to ensure you're not deficient of one of the most important vitamins our bodies need.
- Vaccines - The question of whether vaccines cause autism has been a topic of debate for many years. However, it could be possible that certain vaccines change our bodies and cause our children to be born with autism.
The Good News
Autism can be prevented, despite what most people or even studies say. By taking care of your body and being extra careful in our very unhealthy society, you can almost ensure your child won't be born with autism!
People with autism can live and interact with the world around them with an identical rate of success as people that have no spectrum disorders.
The aim when treating autism is to raise a child's ability to interact by lowering common symptoms of its well-known symptoms.
When therapy is conducted at an early age, it allows autistic children to better adapt to settings, building their communication and social skills.
There are many treatments for autism, some of them conducted in a school and home setting.
For parents that are just putting their child through treatment in these localities, the treatment could be a bit exhausting at times.
Each child is different, so some kids may require a change in the setting during treatment, particularly if it goes on for several months.
All of this is evaluated by a therapist, who can provide recommendations on where such interventions can take place.
Talking to pediatricians and doctors with knowledge of autism in children, in person or by phone, can help parents better understand how to prepare and assist in their child's treatment plan.
What Is Being Done To Cure Autism?
Even while researchers do exist with the job of finding a cure for autism, the more common approach is in finding out how to mitigate rather than eliminate it.
Since there isn't a cure for the disorder, the primary focus for experts isn't on finding a cure but to lower the symptoms that define what it is.
Autism is a condition that springs forward from environmental, genealogical, and parental factors.
Understanding such causes isn't easy, with researchers likely spending many years in the future learning more before a hopeful cure is found.
New information is constantly being reported on and shared by therapists and researchers, so a cure could very well be made at some point.
Looking at the intestines
Symptoms in autistic individuals are easily found based on behavior changes.
Many people talk and behave in different ways from one another.
But those on the spectrum have intestinal issues that spring forth with their mood fits and tantrums.
Things like an upset stomach and persistent diarrhea have been observed in many autistic patients.
As a consequence, researchers are honed in on potential gastrointestinal alterations as a way to find out how it pertains to the disorder's growth.
In one recent observation, transplants on patients' waste were done.
There were samples taken by healthy individuals for research.
They were prepped in a lab setting for safekeeping. The samples were then added to the intestines of autistic patients.
Again, this is done for the transfer of bacteria.
Such operations are being studied to see how this can change the way that the brain operates.
There are over 100 million nerve cells in the gut alone.
As such, more studies will be done to bridge the connection between the nervous system and impairments in the brain.
After the transplants were done, an almost 50% decrease was reported in symptoms commonplace with autism. More information about the study is shown below:
- 18 people took part in the research as patients.
- Not all patients went into the study taking part in an identical diet. Different meals were eaten by them for the entirety of the examination.
- No consensus has been reached on the study yet. Observations were mostly visual, though patients did appear to progress better.
Furthermore, some researchers have begun using lab mice to conduct their studies on autism, taking human bacteria and administering them into the mice's lower digestive tract. These are quite controversial and aren't the norm.
An additional study was done in the first quarter of 2020.
It involved 83 children between the ages of three and six. The kids were separated, one group having 41 and the other 42.
The treatment involved administering 0.5 milligrams of bumetanide two times every day for a total of three months.
The control group received no treatment at all.
While the study was ongoing, brain scans were taken, which proved that the medication used during the test raised the levels of only two chemicals in the brain.
But the changes detected were observed with better behavior in the treatment group.
The control group's behavior didn't change at all.Children in both the control and research groups were rated per the Childhood Autism Rating Scale.
Overall, most of their scores were about the same.The side effects of medications can change with every autistic child.
The FDA has approved drugs that were later found to have unwanted side effects, such as aripiprazole and its effects on weight gain and unwanted behavior issues.
Any parent that provides new medication for their child should be ready for any unpleasant side effects.
Ongoing Research into Gene-Related Causes
It's been scientifically proven that genes are related to autism.
Many parents that are on the spectrum have children with the same condition, though it might be more or less severe than their symptoms.
Still, more studies must be done to find out which genes are primarily the cause of the disorder developing in their children.
Currently, there are studies given where a person with autism sends samples of their saliva to researchers.
When analyzing the samples, they seek out identifying and differing qualities in them, recommending therapies that might help them out more than others.
Since April of 2020, approximately 23,000 autistic patients were part of the study, with many more expected to enroll.
Studies on genes might also assist researchers in finding the vulnerabilities that could produce autism.
Doctors understand that the formation of myelin changes in some autistic people.
It's a vicious and fat substance that coats the nerves to allow messages to move from place to place throughout the body.
Lower amounts of myelin are found in people with less variety in their genes.
If the gene is changed early enough in an infant, as the research suggests, it may eliminate autism in them before it has time to develop.
Knowing how to look for fraudulent studies
Many studies exist regarding the treatment of autism. Not all of them should be believed.
Some could even risk the health of those with ASD. Knowing if one can be trusted requires reading through them. Here's more on what can be done:
- Go over the data thoroughly. How rational does the contact appear? How do supporters of the study say that it works?
- Check verification of all claims. Many reputable researchers in the field of autism have their work scrutinized in a peer-reviewed, scientific journal. Be sure that the journal is also accepted among professional circles dealing with autism research.
- Weight the advantages and risks of what's advised and whether or not it will help your child.
- Go over the research with your child's pediatrician and doctor, being sure to ask them if the therapy, medication, or study being done is useful.
- Use all of the above information whenever you're on social media, as there is always a constant stream of cures for autism coming from treatments that are saturated in pseudoscience.
Best Autism Spectrum Disorder Treatment
1. Behavior and communication therapies
Autistic people of all ages can exhibit problems with speaking, socializing, and behaving without tantrums.
ABA is a provable way to help them deal with symptoms as they are encountered, or rid them altogether.
ABA gives them the emotional maintenance they need to handle themselves in a manner that's appropriate for the situation they find themselves in.
It helps them learn to appreciate the experience of learning, a treatment that can benefit them for the rest of their lives.
2. Educational therapies
Educational therapy sessions are done in a classroom setting.
This is found at the average school or another learning center. Using this method of treatment, the therapist makes use of the TEACCH technique.
This stands for Treatment and Education of Autistic and Related Communication-Handicapped Children. It's primarily focused on learning through visual cues.
These can be them writing or drawing their feelings down on paper, or even verbal commands provided to the child using through showing them in writing or through actions.
3. Family therapies
Family therapy, as the name reveals, works with the fundamentals of ABA being taught to the parents of their autistic child. It can reinforce the relationship they have.
Children are familiar with their parents, so incorporating them into therapy sessions could speed up the process of getting therapy to them without the need for lengthy durations over many months.
Family therapy can also involve coaching to help a child raise their level of academic and communicative success.
4. Other therapies
Some of the alternative therapies are completely different from those previously described.
They're called Complementary and Alternative Treatments, usually done in addition to ordinary therapy sessions.
Things like dietary changes, the use of supplements containing herbs, and animal therapy are some of them.
Art and relaxation therapies are also regarded as alternative treatments, all of which are suitable for children, teenagers, and adults with ASD.
Diagnosis For Autism
For an autism diagnosis, doctors search for indicators that reveal a slow development of activities for their particular age.
When such symptoms are found, parents are then recommended to a healthcare professional with a background in treating the disorder.
For small children, the referral could be with either a psychologist, psychiatrist, or even a pediatrician with a background in neural development.
After that, an evaluation is conducted. In adults and children, symptoms can change from person to person, with one child experiencing more severe complications than another would.
This may cause difficulty in making a proper diagnosis at times.
Even today, there isn't a singular way of coming to such a conclusion.
Therefore, many parents, doctors, and guardians of children must use the following to conclude a proper diagnosis:
- Paying attention to the way a child behaves in varied social settings. During observation, care should be taken to make note of their ability to communicate or show any notable behavioral changes.
- Give the child different tests to see how well they hear and speak. This ties in with the behavioral changes but can be observed when they're either alone or in the presence of other people.
- Make note of their social interactions by writing down changes in their temperament from day to day.
- Making use of the DSM-5's information regarding the profiles of children that are on the spectrum.
- Genetic tests to know if any genetic disorders are present.
Can Medication Be Used To Treat Autism?
Medication may work to mitigate some of the symptoms, but it won't eliminate or cure the disorder.
Some of the symptoms that it can reduce are based on moods, such as anxiety, tantrums, and incidents that could lead to self-harming.
ASD patients that suffer from seizures and digestive problems can take medication to improve their condition and make tasks more tolerable.
Medications won't work the same for every person with ASD.
Recommendations should be handled by a therapist or doctor, people that can raise the likelihood of the prescription being a success.
Fake Treatments That Do Not Work (Avoid)
Autism, like other disorders or unrelated diseases, has unfortunately been exploited by people claiming to have treatments that can completely do away with the symptoms, or even cure it altogether.
These claims are often found on social media and other places where large groups of people gather online to discuss medical issues.
The best treatment for anyone with autism is a therapy that's well known or has plenty of research from good sources proving that it works.
Special diets
Diets that are free from gluten, a substance found in wheat, are not shown to cure autism, though they could be beneficial to some individuals' daily intake.
Casein-free foods and a ketogenic diet are also beneficial.
However, no known food cures autism. Food can play an important part in the therapy that's given to people with autism.
Many ABA centers work with parents in suggesting foods that could help benefit their gastrointestinal health, which has been studied as a possible factor in the way that ASD develops in some people.
A special diet can be made by a nutritionist or recommended by your child's pediatrician.
This technique as it relates to helping the improvements in spectrum-related disorders can be worthwhile.
Vitamins, minerals, and diet supplements
Because some autistic children can have problems with eating certain foods, vitamin deficiencies may arise.
These can be dealt with using vitamins that a child won't have issues eating, such as the chewable variety.
Vitamins shouldn't be thought of as a potential cure for autism.
Supplements can help with brain and emotional development.
But like medication, it's advised to speak with a doctor before prescribing vitamins as well.
Dietary supplements can work and might help some become more attentive and exhibit preferred behaviors.
Bleaching
Bleaching should never be used to treat autism, nor used as a cure.
Certain products market themselves as miracle solutions or other similar phrases.
Bleaching is unhealthy for the body and could even lead to serious health issues.
If it isn't suggested by a healthcare professional, then falsely claimed cures for autism should be avoided at all costs.
GcMAF
GcMAF is an injection that consists of human blood cells. This isn't useful for treating or curing autism.
Blood should never be administered to anyone outside of a sterile environment for a transfusion.
It's not suggested by any experts that study autism, nor is it useful in treating or mitigating symptoms.
Medicines
The only medicines that should be used for treating autism are written by a doctor.
Even then, parents should exercise caution when giving their children new medication that their bodies aren't familiar with.
People researching autism may find places marketing treatments that insist on how hormone levels and memory loss due to autism can be reversed.
One even asserts that its ability to remove metals from the body will help mitigate ASK indicators.
Such treatments aren't approved by the FDA and definitely won't offer any benefit that ABA therapy can provide.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy
Studies have been conducted to show whether or not hyperbaric oxygen therapy is useful in treating autism.
Nothing from the therapy is listed as helpful to those on the spectrum, but people that have done it found the experience uncomfortable and irritating.
It might be less risky than some of the treatments and unverified medications described but shouldn't be looked at as a way to treat unwanted behaviors better than traditional therapeutic approaches can.
Neurofeedback
Neurofeedback is when brain function is tested to change the social skills and talking abilities of autistic users.
Autism won't be cured by the procedure. It's done to improve brain function and aid in the ability to learn.
However, side effects are described as unpleasant, risky, and not advisable for anyone with autism to try.
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