Autism Treatment Using Biomedical Therapies

As I have talked about in a previous video, there are things considered traditional treatments for Autism such as a medication called Risperdal and other therapies like speech therapy, occupational therapy and behavioral therapy. The next topic I want to discuss is something referred to as biomedical therapies. And while biomedical therapies are therapies that are utilized medically, they often are not commonly recognized throughout traditional medical communities. And while they may not be widely recognized, biomedical therapies can be quite effective and so the lack of recognition should not diminish their effectiveness. And really within the traditional medical communities, biomedical therapies are not well recognized or even widely known about many times. And we can look at biomedical therapies by using different categories.

Supplements will be the first category we will discuss. For some individuals, supplements like multi-vitamins, multi-minerals, folic acid and B-12 can be very helpful. Vitamin B-6 is a particular vitamin that has been very helpful for many people on the Autism spectrum since it tends to have a bolstering effect on the chemistry of the brain. It can aid in things like eye contact, attention, focusing and even can help improve behavioral problems.

Digestive issues can also be addressed therapeutically and we see many on the Autism spectrum who face challenges with digestive health. When a child has yeast or bacterial overgrowth in the digestive tract, treatment with natural agents like probiotics or prescriptions like Nystatin, Diflucan or even antibiotics can help their cognition. We know that a link exists between cognitive functioning and digestive toxicity so improvement in digestive health can mean an improvement in cognition.

Dietary intervention can also be very helpful and the most common dietary intervention is the gluten and casein free diet. We know that there is a chemical effect on the brain from gluten and casein. And this has been traced to individuals suffering from bi-polar disorder, schizophrenia and even depression. And for people with Autism, the proteins in gluten and casein are very problematic and tend to interfere with brain chemistry. And as a result of that interference, the individual can have problems with eye contact, language, behavior and socialization.

Biomedical therapies are those therapies that tend to fall outside of the norm of the traditional medical community. They can include things like dietary interventions, supplement therapy and digestive support. These biomedical interventions can be as important if not more in some cases as traditional therapies like ABA, OT and speech therapy. So when researching ways to help support an individual with Autism it is important to stay open minded, keep learning and search for new ways of doing things. There are so many options for treatment available and this is just a few.