Touch for Health Conferentie 2014
The Netherlands
Ontvouwen in overvloed
Reveal in Abundance
NAET and autism
Author: Karin Terwey
WHAT IS AUTISM?
Autism is a syndrome mostly found in young children.
Autism has effect on the way de brain uses information and it keeps people from understanding what they hear and see. Around the age of approximately three years, the child, when receiving regular baby and toddler care and sufficient medical care, will be diagnosed as autistic.The child will see, feel, smell and hear different, and they will develop different from other children.
The typical autistic behavior will be characterized by abnormal social contacts, language problems with bad language understanding, confusing you and I, repetitive movements like: constant wiping of the face, or nose, pulling hair, constant chewing a strand of long hair etc. obsessive behavior and uneven intellectual development with mental retardation in most cases.
AUTISM TODAY
There are no geographic, social or racial boundaries for autism. It is seen everywhere in the world, in all races, nationalities and social classes. Autism is growing. There are born more autistic children in this century than ever before.
AUTISM STATISTIC
According to the statistics of the Center for Disease Control, who has done an investigation on autism for decades, 1 out of 68 children (1 out of 110 in 2006) in de United States will develop autism or associated behavior. There are 5 times more autistic boys than girls. If these statistics in the increase in autism are real, then this situation needs immediate attention. In Europe there is no study like this, so there are no numbers known, but there probably won’t be that big a difference. It is still unclear if this increase is a real increase in occurrence of autism or if it’s because of the improvement in the method of diagnosis or the broader definition of ASD
CLASSIFICATION
Depending on de manifestation of underlying imbalances in a person, autism is classified under different names. The diagnoses are not clearly perceptible under these classifications, but it helps to get a picture of the severity of every disorder.
Pervasive Developmental Disorder, not otherwise specified (PDD NOS)
Is a common term for autism and other developmental disorders which bring severe damages to the three areas which are known as the diagnostic criteria for autism? They are: bad social interactions, bad communication and repetitive or stereotypical behavior, interests and activities.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Includes the varieties of autism and reflects a relatively new perspective on this disorder, it manifests in different degrees of severity, from mild to very serious and in different forms depending on which neurological function is the most affected.
Asperger’s Syndrome
This is seen as a milder form of autism then the classic, the effect on the development of the language is less and the child could even be precocious in language.
Classic Autism
Points to the classic autism diagnose, known as Kanner’s Autism, young adult autism, child autism or autism. Normally the start of the abnormalities will be seen in the first two years of the child.
DIAGNOSIS OF AUTISM
It is not possible to objectively establish autism. Physical examination, like blood tests or brainscans, won’t give sufficient information. Doctors look at the child’s behavior and development to make a diagnosis. This can also be done with adults.
In formal terms classic autism, Asperger’s syndrome and PDD-NOS are psychiatric disorders and they are established on the basis of the worldwide used DSM classification system (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) that is released by the American institute for Psychiatry.
The diagnosis of autism (spectrum disorder) can only be made by a psychiatrist or registered GZ-psychologist. They can ask others like a logopedist to help with the diagnosis. (In Holland).
For the diagnosis of autism according to the criteria of DSM IV, there are three criteria a person should show and at least 6 symptoms from these, with at least 2 out of the first and 1 out of the second and third.
Bad social interactions
- Bad non-verbal behavior in social interactions, like eye contact and facial expression
- Not being able to engage in relationships (autistic loneliness)
- Not being able to spontaneously share pleasure or interests by showing or sharing something
- Not being able to encounter emotional rapprochement
Bad communication
- Slow language development
- Not being able to converse (due to bad understanding, distortion of first names, like saying you instead of me etc.) even if they are able to speak
- Stereotypical, repetitive words and obsessive behavior en uneven intellectual development.
- Not being able to invent, pretend or to mimic things while playing
Repetitive and stereotypical behavior, interests and activities.
- Being abnormal intensively busy with one or more interests and activities
- Apparently not flexible in holding on to routines or rituals
- Stereotypical or repetitive behavior like flapping with the hands or fingers, repeatedly wiping the face or the nose, pulling hair, constant chewing a long strand of hair, moving the whole body etc.
- Constant busy with the same objects, body parts etc.
DSM-IV is a good starting point to understand autism, but in practical terms, a lot of autistic children suffer from a lot of symptoms from other diseases. This is certainly the case when you look at autism from a biological point of view instead of a behavioral viewpoint.
A lot of parents state their child was doing fine until the age of 15-18 months. Experts in autism and parents of autistic children blame de increase and the nature of vaccinations to be the cause of the increase in autism.
Under a lot of media attention they launched the new handbook of psychiatry, the DSM-5 in America on the 17th of May 2013. In this brand new version there will be a lot of changes for the diagnosis of autism. The current diagnosis PDD-NOS, Asperger’s syndrome and Classic Autism are being combined under the denominator Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). With that it is possible to indicate whether it is a mild or severe degree of autism.
One of the most important changes is the omission of one of the three criteria for autism:
1) Limitations in social communication and interaction
2) repetitive behavior and specific interests
In April 2014 they released the Dutch translation of the book.
CAUSES OF AUTISM
The main cause of autism is an imbalance in brainfunction. This may be due to several factors.
Autism by toxic overload
According to M.D.Stephen B.Edelson, director of the Edelson Center for Environmental and Preventive Medicin in Atlanta, America, 90% of the autistic children he studied showed prove of toxic chemical exposure en 90% of their mothers were exposed to higher than normal quantities of toxic domestic and industrial chemicals.
The chemicals are among others: formaldehyde, pesticides, and toxins of paint, ceramic, ants –or flee spray and new carpet.
Dr. Edelson also reported all children he studied suffered from allergies, imbalances in neurotransmitters, deficiencies in nutrients and abnormalities in the immune system, 40% had problems with nutrient uptake
Toxic overload can be one of the reasons of the epidemic growth of autism at this time. Today people are being exposed to an unbelievable amount of chemicals. When tested, people can carry at least 250 different chemical contaminants in their body fat. The real problem which starts in the uterus and proceeds with breastfeeding is the transmission of toxins from the toxic mother to the child.
A report showed a child in the United Stated or Europe absorbs -the maximum recommended dioxin for life- in not more than 6 months. Dioxin, a byproduct of pesticides is one of the most toxic substances on earth.
Two recent reports came, independent from one another, to the same conclusion, namely the chemicals in our environment are probably playing a major role in the increase of birth –and developmental defects, especially the increase in ADD, Autism and learning difficulties.
Autism caused by medication
Experts in autism and parents of autistic children blame the increase in number and the nature of vaccinations children get as being the cause of the increase in autism. The number of vaccines has increased from 8 in 1980 to 22 in 2001.
Autism from chemical toxins
Many studies showed for instance new carpet in the prenatal period to give an increased risk.
According to Dr.Levine who worked successfully with autistic children for 20 years, children are being exposed to a huge amount of toxins from conception. Even the new carpet in your home can poison a child in the uterus or after birth. New carpet fumes gasses and also carpetglue and underlay made out of foam are very poisonous.
Other toxin related causes: heavy metals, mercury, silicones, vaccinations, immunizations, exposure of the pregnant mother to X-ray, radiation, nuclear radiation, high intake of caffeine, alcohol or drugs, toxins of allergic food and environmental substances and toxins of viral, bacterial or parasitic infections.
Sometimes an allergic child becomes autistic when it’s given antibiotics for a viral infection after a vaccination, this is caused by an allergic reaction on the substances in the vaccination.
In modern life parents leave their children in front of the television, their child exposing to an endless flow of radiation. This can cause energy blockages and cell mutations in the growing child.
In a study on 2600 children from birth till they were 7 years old, which was published in 2003, it turned out that serious concentration problems can be the result of watching television. In this study they discovered an increase in brain disorders in children, the younger the child the bigger the problems. The American Academy of Pediatrics advises no television, no videos and no computergames before they are 2 years old.
Genetic causes:
These can occur when parents have been suffering from severe illnesses or something similar before conception. For instance: rheumatic fever or malaria before the child is born, which can cause a change in the genetic code.
Emotional causes:
This includes emotional shocks. Witnessing a terrifying event in childhood can cause autistic-like behavior.
Tumors and injuries:
Physical injuries to the brain and parts of the brain as a result of a fall, accident, tumor, operation etc., can cause autistic-like behavior.
Deficiency in nutrients and allergies:
When a child doesn’t get the right nutrients when growing up, decreased grow and development of the brain and body will occur. This inadequate absorption of nutrients can be caused by malnutrition, allergies and unsufficient function of the gastrointestinal tract due to operations or congenital malformation etc.
In most cases a combination of factors is responsible for autism. Autism can be effectively resolved, but early diagnosis and intervention are vital with the prognosis of the treatment of autism.
Autism can stand on its own, or in combination with other developmental problems, like learning problems, mental retardation, Tourette’s and epilepsy. The right cause of autism is still unknown. Genetic factors can be involved just as an imbalance in certain chemicals, it can be an excess or a deficiency in the brain. Another possibility is certain messenger neurons are in resting stadium due to the effect of toxins from different sources.
These neurons are not able to deliver their messages through the meridians. Autism can be the result of a combination of these factors. People with autism also show an extreme hyperactivity or an unusual passivity in their relations with family or other people. There can be behavioral problems, from mild to severe, from aggressive till self-mutilation.
The brain is growing at an amazing speed during development. At any moment there are added a medium of 250.000 neurons during the development of the brain. At birth almost all neurons the brain will ever need, are already there, though not all neurons are functional at that time. The brain will however, until a few years after birth, continue to grow.
At the age of two the brain is approximately 80% of the size of a grownup. Brain cells and glial cells will continue to divide and reproduce themselves. (Gamelli 1996) Glial cells are having an important function in the normal brain function, including isolating the nerve cells with myelin. The neurons in the brain also make new connections after birth.
The brain, the network of the nervous system, doesn’t function normal with an autistic person, it turns out the nerves of the brain swell and this will cause the person to not being able to see, hear, smell, think and talk. Their sight becomes fogged and images deform, they see unclear images floating in front of them. This is due to blockages in the nerves which take care of the center of vision. For this reason autistic children don’t look at you, or don’t look you in the eye when you talk to them. They can’t smell because the brand nerve responsible for smell doesn’t get sufficient energy
They can’t hear properly due to unsufficient energy supply to the hearing nerve. Their thinking, creativity and fantasy are minimal or confused because the nerves and brain tissue responsible for these functions are not able to do their job due to the poor energysupply to these areas.
Autistic people are not able to talk because their center of speech cannot receive messages from other areas which put the speech or the voice into operation. Their fine motor skills are deteriorated. A swelling of the tissue, specifically in the brain and the nerves of the brain disturbs the energy supply to the different parts of the brain responsible for the functioning of the 5 senses.
Different studies state the growth and development of the brain will take place before the age of 5. But only with the right nutrients. If the child doesn’t receive adequate nutrients, the brain will not develop sufficiently. If they don’t digest or assimilate enough fats, the isolation of the nerve cells with myelin won’t take place. This will make the child extremely sensitive to different stimulations, they will show abnormal body movements (like moving back and forth, hand flapping, hair pulling etc.), disturbances in physical, social and language skills and serious deterioration in communication and social interactions.
Toxins of allergens cause accumulation of water in the body and the brain. The person cannot hear and see properly, they don’t understand or recognize sounds due to bad differentiation in voices or sounds. Imagine yourself on the bottom of a swimmingpool, trying to listen to someone standing on the side. You will hear certain sounds, but probably not clear. We are able to understand an autistic condition when we are getting a cold. In some cases of a common cold, we feel a severe stagnation in our neck; this will give a heavy, dead feeling in our head. When we go through the beginning of a normal cold, we can feel as if our brain is swollen and our hearing is reduced. An allergy is often the main cause of a normal cold. When the allergy affects different tissues of the brain, we experience symptoms of the energy blockages on those tissues.
In the autistic person, every allergen they come in contact with will attack the brain directly, giving them a constant feeling of a cold. That’s why their sight, hearing and speech are deteriorated. This will remain like this until he or she avoids the allergens or gets treated for it. The protective function of the blood/brain barrier can be non-functional as well. When autistic people are exposed to a strong allergen (like mercury, lead, cadmium, toxins of other heavy metals, antibiotics and medication for the immune system which they are allergic to, carbohydrate, pesticides, molds and fungus and strong chemicals like carpet cleaning agents), the brain will immediately be affected, this will lead to different brain related symptoms like autistic symptoms, ADD ADHD, learning problems, dyslexia, depression, aggression and behavioral disorders. Each and every of these allergens can be a trigger for the child who is strongly hereditary charged (with parents or grandparents with food –or environmental allergies), we noticed a lot of mothers with autistic children suffered from pregnancy diabetes and/or yeast infections during pregnancy. The autistic child will probably suffer from different allergies (intestinal complaints, constipation, abdominal distension, asthma, eczema, insomnia, frequent crying) from when they are born. The brain will be the weakest organ in this child, thus being attacked with every allergic reaction. Every allergen will be a trigger for autistic-like behavior in these children.
NAET THEORY ON ALLERGY RELATED AUTISM
According to the NAET theory hypersensitivity, intolerances and allergies play a role in children who are born normal and become autistic after 2 years.
Autism can be a deficiency in nutrients (Nambudripad 1999, 2005) which cause neurological and developmental problems in children. This isn’t caused by malnutrition, but by sensitivities and allergies. The children don’t get the adequate nutrients from the food or supplements they daily take in and because of this there can be no normal body functions. For normal growth and development and also for different enzymatic body functions, adequate nutrients are necessary.