Biomedical Supplements and Autism

Autistic children are sometimes given a regimen of supplements referred to as bio-medicals. These are given in an effort to increase the levels of overall functioning. There have been improvements seen in behaviors, speech and other areas that make them worth looking into; there are also some risks involved when it comes to utilizing these supplements.

Parents find that they are torn between helping their children improve and putting them through the stress of giving them supplements. There are a number of questions surrounding these and a number of reasons why specific brands are used. Autistic children often have issues with absorption or sensitivities to certain foods and other things found in supplements.

The supplements specially designed for children on the spectrum are dye, gluten, casein, wheat, milk, and generally allergen free. Which supplements an Autistic child takes should be discussed with their doctor. There are a number of children placed on special diets and some parents go so far as to remove dyes because of an association with hyper activity. A common supplement that children on a Gluten/Casein free diet are given is calcium because they lose their main source of the nutrient on the diet.

The variety of supplemental treatments used can be overwhelming which means that a doctor should always be consulted first. The seemingly harmless supplements can have a risk of some sort associated with them that requires lab work to be done to check various vitamin and mineral levels. Whether or not you can live with allowing your child to be stuck repeatedly will have a big affect on the decision that you make.

Prior to making a decision about the supplements themselves you should decide whether or not having blood drawn from your child on a regular basis is something that you can live with. There are situations that can cause parents to have doubts about having labs done; if the child has a fear of doctors or needles then parents will take longer to make the decision. The next question is if you are truly prepared for the journey and if there is a DAN (defeat Autism now) doctor close to guide you through the process.

Questions are going to arise about the supplements. Asking about what the supplement is supposed to do in association with Autism is a good idea but forgetting to ask about the side effects is not a good thing. The things used to aid functioning range from nicotine patches, prescription drugs and over the counter supplementation.

The original uses for a number of these items is often not what they are used for when it comes to treating Autism symptoms. A discussion with the child's doctor should include the original purpose of the medication/supplement given and the side effects if any that are associated with it. When it comes to supplementation the benefits must out weigh the risks.

Hyper activity is a side effect that most parents can deal with since simple dietary changes can sometimes reduce these but what about other potential side affects. Spironolactone is a medication designed to treat blood pressure issues that has been used for its anti-inflammatory properties in the treatment of Autism. Careful monitoring is done with the use of this drug to ensure that any problems are caught immediately.

The doses of the supplementation should be discussed with the child's physician as well. When determining dosage amounts the child's age and weight should be taken into consideration. Once the child shows improvement the dosage can be stabilized. Any changes whether improvement or worsening of conditions should be documented and given to the child's doctor. This will aid them in adjusting doses, removing and adding supplementation as needed.

Another consideration is whether or not you are ready to take on the responsibility of monitoring, scheduling and getting the results of tests that have been performed. Are you organized enough to keep up with the length of time between appointments? Do you keep an appointment book or can you get used to keeping one? What about your ability to track the supplements that your child takes?

When it comes to bio-medical supplements it is easy for Autistic children to take half a dozen or more each day. This makes keeping track of the supplements, doses and whether or not your child has taken them vital. Keeping a record will assist in finding behavioral issues, dietary issues and anything else that you may wish to discuss with your child's doctor.

Please Note: The considerations in this article are from personal experience and consultation with the pediatrician of the authors own child.

Sources:
Temple Grandin "Thinking In Pictures My Life With Autism"
http://autism-nutrition.com/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0000733
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17150311