Friday, February 21, 2014
FREE CARD soccer clinics
CARD, along with Tire Choice and the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers, are sponsoring a second soccer clinic FREE for families registered with CARD. The clinics will take place from 10AM-12PM on March 22 and March 29th, 2014 at Christ Church, 4845 NE 25th Ave. Ft. Lauderdale FL 33308
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Vegan Soy Free Pizza Cakes
Lately my son has been having some issues that were very similar to back when he was diagnosed with Eosinophilic Esophagitis. In other words, I think he's starting to get ulcers again. I'm partly to blame I've been adding so many new foods to his diet, and there's a possibility that he's reacting badly to some of those foods, so I decided to try more Vegan Soy free stuff. (Since in addition to being allergic to Milk & Eggs, he's also Allergic to Soy and has low tolerance for Peanuts.
I was looking around the Internet for some inspiration and came across these Pizza Bites, but after making them they seem more to me like Pizza Cakes, hence the name of the Post. At any rate, I modified the recipe a bit to fit Jonathan's needs.
Your first step in this process is to Grind up the Flaxseed. (I found it easiest to first mix it with the Egg Replacer and Water, then grind it up (I used my wife's RX mixer).
Your second step is to grate the parsley into something that looks like Rice. (Think I'll make Cauliflower "Fried Rice" for Dinner tonight)
Your Next Step is to take all the ingredients and mix it all in the Blender.
Here, I mix it in High Speed, then normally you would have to remove the mix and mix thoroughly with the Cauliflower, but in my case, with the Ninja, I simply add the rest and blend at Low Speed.
Your Next Step is to put the mix in a muffin tin, sprayed with a good cooking spray. Make sure you pack it in. (I had originally filled in Six, but after packing in and scraping off the top, I filled in another two).
The Final Result is what you see on the first picture on this page. Bon Appetite! And guess, what Even my Pickiest Eater, Jonathan ate them!
I was looking around the Internet for some inspiration and came across these Pizza Bites, but after making them they seem more to me like Pizza Cakes, hence the name of the Post. At any rate, I modified the recipe a bit to fit Jonathan's needs.
- 2 Cups Grated Cauliflower (washed, dried and grated using a food processor or cheese grater by hand until rice-like or thinner – Note – Approximately one head of cauliflower)
- 1 Tsp Oregano
- 2 Tsp Parsley
- 1/4 Tsp Garlic Powder
- 2 Tbsp Coconut Oil
- 1-2 Tbsp Frank’s Hot Sauce
- 1 Flax Egg (1 Tbsp Flaxseed plus 1 Tsp of Egg Replacer and 3 Tbsp Warm Water)
- 2 Tbsp of Earths Best Soy Free Margarine
- 1 Cup Chickpeas (Cooked and Drained)
Your first step in this process is to Grind up the Flaxseed. (I found it easiest to first mix it with the Egg Replacer and Water, then grind it up (I used my wife's RX mixer).
Your second step is to grate the parsley into something that looks like Rice. (Think I'll make Cauliflower "Fried Rice" for Dinner tonight)
Your Next Step is to take all the ingredients and mix it all in the Blender.Here, I mix it in High Speed, then normally you would have to remove the mix and mix thoroughly with the Cauliflower, but in my case, with the Ninja, I simply add the rest and blend at Low Speed.
Your Next Step is to put the mix in a muffin tin, sprayed with a good cooking spray. Make sure you pack it in. (I had originally filled in Six, but after packing in and scraping off the top, I filled in another two).The Final Result is what you see on the first picture on this page. Bon Appetite! And guess, what Even my Pickiest Eater, Jonathan ate them!
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Disney To End Guest Assistance Card
One of the things that I keep hearing and seeing on Facebook and other Social Media sites, is that they've called Walt Disney World and they're being told that nothing has changed. The reason is simple. For now, the GAC Card is only changing at DisneyLand and Great Adventure, both in California. The fear is that if we don't stand up now and make sure that Disney understands that this is unacceptable, they will eventually implement these same changes at Walt Disney World here in Florida.
found this article that explains everything, but the long and short of it is that you should go to the Petition Page and PLEASE SIGN IT.
If your family is anything like mine and you’ve visited the Disney Parks here in Anaheim, you’ve more than likely used the Guest Assistance Card program available at both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure Park. This program has been a major lifesaver whenever we’ve taken our special needs son Andrew to DL or DCA. Without it, we wouldn’t have lasted more than an hour before having to turn around and head back home in total defeat.
The card has been a game changer for our family and now, much to my chagrin, I’m sorry to report that it’s on it’s way out. I first learned of this disappointing news today, via Aunesty Janssen over at Temporary Tourist.
My heart sank as I read the rest of Aunesty’s post. I quickly logged onto MiceAge’s Disneyland Updates to read the news myself and sure enough, there it was:
In the meantime, let me count the ways that this new system won’t work for our family:
This is as good as it gets in line at DL or DCA. And this was a good day, with a Guest Assistance Pass.
1. Andrew has autism. His particular brand of the diagnosis means he has zero tolerance for waiting. Crowds overwhelm him as do certain sights and sounds. The DAS program does nothing to address these needs. Are we working on waiting with Andrew in therapy? Sure. We’re up to about 10 seconds on a good day. And that’s waiting for something simple, such as watching a favorite video. At home. I cannot fathom Andrew having to wait longer than what’s already necessary with the Guest Assistance Card at either of the Disney parks. And the sensory overload while he’s in these lines or going from kiosk to kiosk. Dear God.
2. Andrew is severely cognitively delayed. When he sees Radiator Springs Racers, all he knows is“OMG! MY FAVORITE RIDE! OMG! OMG! OMG LET’S GO ON MY FAVORITE RIDE, WAIT WHY AREN’T WE GOING ON MY FAVORITE RIDE?!!!!”He does not understand the concept of having to check in at a designated kiosk in order to get a designated time to return to his favorite ride on the planet, only to have to go back to another kiosk for another designated time for either the same or different ride. He certainly can’t comprehend why in the world we’ll have to spend the majority of our day walking between a bunch of stupid koisks just to get on a damn ride (can you see how well I’m taking this?).
3. Going to Disneyland is expensive. Over the years we’ve invested in the annual passes because we could justify them, knowing we were getting our money’s worth. The Guest Assistance Card made our visits possible. It was an accommodation we never took for granted and in exchange, we spent our hard-earned money at the parks. The Guest Assistant Card almost guaranteed that meltdowns would be minimal and rarely did we leave the park in turmoil. It was efficient and it made the rides accessible for our child in a way the Disabled Assistance Pass will not. I’m not trying to #$%& on anyone’s parade here, but watching the parades may be the only thing we’ll be able to do when this thing is implemented. Which means we just won’t be going to Disneyland anymore. We could barely afford it before but now it won’t even be worth the scrimping and saving we have to do to walk through those entrance gates.
Listen, I’m not refuting that there are a lot of problems with the current system. I was enraged back in May when major media outlets broke the story of wealthy moms hiring disabled guides in order to benefit from the “perks” of the Guest Assistance Pass. Overhaul of the current program is necessary if such blatant and rampant fraud is ongoing. But I’m getting really tired of these rotten apples ruining it for the rest of us, especially when it comes to something as important as accessibility.
Maybe the Disabled Assistance Pass will benefit some people, and for them, I say hooray. But for families like mine, where the special needs of our loved ones are varied and require specific accommodations, this new system will be nothing short of a nightmare.
And that’s going to leave a whole lot of folks – myself included – pretty damn grumpy with The Happiest Place on Earth.
Andrew kisses the tractor at Radiator Springs in DCA.
Interview with CBS Los Angeles:
UPDATE: There’s a gazillion conflicting reports on the internet so I want to go on record and say this: This post was written as a reaction and response to information I received from two different sources, both of which I link to in the beginning of this post. I WANT to be wrong. My family LOVES Disneyland. The reason I’m upset at these proposed changes is because if they are in fact going to be implemented, my family will no longer be able to enjoy the Disney parks like we have been over the years. If this turns out to be a crazy rumor, or if there is a new policy put in place that takes families like mine into consideration, I’ll be more than happy to eat crow. The end.
UPDATE: Aunesty Janssen of the Temporary Tourist, received an official statement from Disney today and she’s posted it on her site. Head over to see what Kathleen Prihoda, Manager for External Communications for Walt Disney World Resort told her. It’s at the bottom of her post.
Special Needs Fall Festival
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| Special Needs Fall Festival |
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Live Stream of the Autism Society of Broward IEP Meeting
This is a recording of the Live Streaming Event we had for the Autism Society of Broward's IEP Meeting. The video is unedited and is basically raw footage, but there's A LOT of very useful information for those of us who have Special Needs kids, and especially those looking to go to bat for their kids at their IEP meeting.
Monday, September 16, 2013
Creative Art Classes for Youth, Teens & Adults with Mild to Moderate Autism
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| www.bocamuseum.org/theartschool |
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Following The Routine Isn't Always Routine
It seems we're always giving out advice to special needs parents. Feeding issues, sleep troubles, allergy problems. Not because we're perfect in ANY way or such great experts, but simply because we have a fairly well adjusted and VERY happy little boy, and people are always out for our "secret". So it just seems kind of funny to me that we've been up since 4AM for not following our own advice, especially when I just finished telling a friend yesterday about how great our routine works for us in keeping him sleeping through the night! Just what is that routine, read on and we'll tell you everything.
Just to let you know, we didn't come up with this overnight, It took a while and it evolved over a couple of years and will probably be different for every child.
It seems Jonathan had tummy troubles since the day he was born, he was a couple of months "undercooked" and because of that Mommy was having a bit of trouble getting production flowing, so the doc suggested artificial milk as a supplement and gave him a Soy based formula. That almost immediately put him in distress and required a few more days in the hospital. Little did we know that his tummy troubles had just begun.
Fast forward a few years later and in addition to the Autism, it turns out he's allergic to Milk Protein, Soy, Egg and Peanuts. It wasn't until he developed an allergy to horses though, that I started wondering what caused allergies. (He had been riding for YEARS with no issues) Turns out it's caused by things like Tylenol! There's also a link between gut flora imbalances and allergies as well.
Now the routine.
Breakfast was hard, with him being allergic to almost every breakfast item, so we usually give him a combo of Bananas, Pears and Cherries blended with two heaping tablespoons of Organic Oatmeal
. After heating this to a boil, I pour it into a bowl and add cold "Oat Milk" (It's actually Pacific Oat Beverage)
since it's usually a bit too thick. I then put in a capsule of Florajen 4 kids
Since we don't want to bore him with the same thing every day, we switch things up with Apple's, Blueberries, Mangos, Strawberries ... the combinations are endless. The staple is the Oatmeal
Fast forward a few years later and in addition to the Autism, it turns out he's allergic to Milk Protein, Soy, Egg and Peanuts. It wasn't until he developed an allergy to horses though, that I started wondering what caused allergies. (He had been riding for YEARS with no issues) Turns out it's caused by things like Tylenol! There's also a link between gut flora imbalances and allergies as well.
Now the routine.
Breakfast was hard, with him being allergic to almost every breakfast item, so we usually give him a combo of Bananas, Pears and Cherries blended with two heaping tablespoons of Organic Oatmeal
. After heating this to a boil, I pour it into a bowl and add cold "Oat Milk" (It's actually Pacific Oat Beverage) since it's usually a bit too thick. I then put in a capsule of Florajen 4 kids Since we don't want to bore him with the same thing every day, we switch things up with Apple's, Blueberries, Mangos, Strawberries ... the combinations are endless. The staple is the Oatmeal
since it helps keep him regular, or as I like to say... Premium!
After breakfast I'll give him a blend of Green Pasture Fermented Cod Liver Oil in Licorice Flavor
and Scotts Emulsion Cod Liver Oil (Though I'm replacing the Scott's with the better rated Carlson Brand
). The Green Pastures version is superior but the taste is too strong for my son to handle so I mix it with the regular Cod Liver oil. What's great about the Green Pastures version is that it's produced the same way Cod Liver oil was produced centuries ago, and since it's not pasturized, it still has the CoQ10 along with dozens of other enzymes and beneficial bacteria that are all destroyed with the pasturizing process all other Cod Liver oils go through.
Lunch varies, but we try to always give freshly prepared meals since prepackaged foods don't seem to sit too well with him. Usually give him NAC after lunch so it doesn't affect his appetite.
Dinner is similar to Lunch, then about an hour later we give him Natrol Melatonin
(I think it works better than the Animal based version) with Oat Milk then let him soak in a tub with a cup of regular Epsom Salt
, for at least a half hour. Considering that our kids are usually sensitive to a lot of things out there, I wouldn't go with the ones who add Lavender or other things, keep it simple. To keep the water from getting cold, what I'll do is put him in when the water is about a 1/3rd full, then have hot water just trickling out of the spout, I'll then read a book for the next half hour to an hour or so. Once he's out of the tub, we give him the Cod Liver Oil blend again and usually he'll go to sleep within 15 Min. or so and sleep through the night.
So how did we screw up? We only put him in the tub for about 10 Min... Not nearly enough time for the Magnesium in the Epsom Salt to absorb into his system, so now we're paying the price for that rush through ... Oh well, Live and Learn.
After breakfast I'll give him a blend of Green Pasture Fermented Cod Liver Oil in Licorice Flavor
and Scotts Emulsion Cod Liver Oil (Though I'm replacing the Scott's with the better rated Carlson Brand). The Green Pastures version is superior but the taste is too strong for my son to handle so I mix it with the regular Cod Liver oil. What's great about the Green Pastures version is that it's produced the same way Cod Liver oil was produced centuries ago, and since it's not pasturized, it still has the CoQ10 along with dozens of other enzymes and beneficial bacteria that are all destroyed with the pasturizing process all other Cod Liver oils go through.Lunch varies, but we try to always give freshly prepared meals since prepackaged foods don't seem to sit too well with him. Usually give him NAC after lunch so it doesn't affect his appetite.
Dinner is similar to Lunch, then about an hour later we give him Natrol Melatonin
(I think it works better than the Animal based version) with Oat Milk then let him soak in a tub with a cup of regular Epsom Salt, for at least a half hour. Considering that our kids are usually sensitive to a lot of things out there, I wouldn't go with the ones who add Lavender or other things, keep it simple. To keep the water from getting cold, what I'll do is put him in when the water is about a 1/3rd full, then have hot water just trickling out of the spout, I'll then read a book for the next half hour to an hour or so. Once he's out of the tub, we give him the Cod Liver Oil blend again and usually he'll go to sleep within 15 Min. or so and sleep through the night.So how did we screw up? We only put him in the tub for about 10 Min... Not nearly enough time for the Magnesium in the Epsom Salt to absorb into his system, so now we're paying the price for that rush through ... Oh well, Live and Learn.
Friday, June 29, 2012
Bluefoot Pirate Adventure for our Special Needs Kids
Friday, June 29th Edit:
OK Guys, since the last event was rained out, we've officially changed the date to Sunday, July 22, 2012 at 2:30PM. Everyone who registered last time, I'm asking that you REPOST how many in your group are going and if you can't go on the new date, I'm asking that you please let us know.
Sorry for the delay in getting the new date but we had to work some things out before rescheduling.
As usual, we have a FANTASTIC Group Rate of just $10.00 (66% Off!) per person for our "Cost of Autism Special Needs Cruise". Additionally, the "Pirate Pack" is only $5.00 (75% Off!)
Please PRE Register by clicking on the Event here, since Space IS Limited.
https://www.facebook.com/events/429671483723428/
If you're NOT on Facebook, simply add a comment at the bottom of this page with how many are going with you. PLEASE make sure to use some sort of Authentication, such as Google, Twitter or Yahoo, so we have a way to follow up with you.
Friday, June 15th Edit:
Our Event on Sunday June 10th at 3PM was an ABSOLUTE HIT. EVERYWHERE I looked, there was NOTHING but smiles. EVERYONE, adults, our kids and their siblings had a FANTASTIC time. Check out our Facebook page for pictures and videos!
We've decided to make the NEXT event for our kids on Sunday June 24th at 1PM. To minimize confusion, I'm asking that everyone who wants to go, please go directly to the Event Page we have on Facebook and click "We are going" then on the Comments Section, put how many will be in your group!
PLEASE remember that while bringing Siblings and close friends to the Event is OK, we're primarily organizing this for Our Special Needs Kids. So if this isn't you, we would appreciate it if you would go directly to Bluefoot Pirate Adventures website and buy the regular tickets for your family. THANKS!!!
Saturday June 2nd Edit:
With one week and one day left to the event, we've had a lot of people really excited about going, which is fantastic! Unfortunately, there's been several people, (about 14 in Total including their groups) that WANT to go, but we no longer have space. So I'm reviving the idea of putting together another cruise. I'm thinking about making it for the following Sunday, at the same time 3PM, but I'd like YOUR feedback if there's another day or time that works better for you. Please let us know. If you think the following Sunday at 3PM is perfect, PLEASE LET US KNOW.... THANKS!, now hit the "Comments Section"!
Anyone who's seen the Video for Bluefoot Pirate Adventures has wanted to take their kids out to see it. However the price might scare some landlubbers away! At 25.00 per person, $100.00 for the average family of 4 might seem a bit steep. Doubly so for our families with special needs kids, as our expenses are usually higher than most. We took Jonathan on this "High Seas Adventure" and he had the time of his life! In this regard, the cost of admission is well worth the price.
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| Jonathan at Bluefoot Pirate Adventures |
As with any place, we all know that if you get a group going it's easier to get a discount, so we called Captain Jack over at Bluefoot Pirate Adventures and made a proposal to have our families come as a group if we could get a group discounted rate. The old buccaneer gave us a run for our money, but in the end settled on a HUGE discount, showing his heart for our kids was just as squishy as a jellyfish! Instead of the $25.00 usual fee, our group would get a fantastic rate of just $10.00 (a 60% discount) and instead of having you fork over $15.00 for the optional Sword, Pirate Eye Patch and Head scarf (all take home items), our kids would get them all for only $5.00!
Please keep in mind that while we are getting this special price for our "Special Needs" kids, family members are welcome to tag along at this same price, however since we can only fit 49 people in total on the ship, we would like to limit this event and exclude those kids who are not part of a family with a special needs child. An exception to this would be a teacher of a special needs child who would like her children to come and accompany a child that she teaches at a special needs school, such as PBSA. Thanks for your understanding in this regard.
"Yes, we can go on June 10th - there will be X of us" (Please include everyone, Mom, Dad, Siblings)... or:
Edit... It looks like there's just not enough interest in the first trip to warrant a second one, which is too bad because the kids will definitely have a blast and there's quite a few parents that have told me that they would like to go, but simply can't make this date. Perhaps in the future we will organize another event, but at the rate this is filling up it looks like we'll probably end up with around 40 people, not quite a full ship.
As of May 24th there are only 17 spots left, so please make sure you go ahead and fill into the Comments section if you're going, or go to our Event on FB and click that you're going and add in the Comments section how many of you are coming.
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Stanford Study: NAC Shows Promise as a Treatment for Repetitive Behaviours Associated with Autism
We figured since there are really no negative side effects to taking this and it's simply a nutritional supplement. We would go ahead and give it a shot, even before the bigger studies are out. You can follow them on Twitter to get more updates on new studies.
BY ERIN DIGITALE
BY ERIN DIGITALE
Antonio Hardan
A specific antioxidant supplement may be an effective therapy for some features of autism, according to a pilot trial from the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital that involved 31 children with the disorder.
The antioxidant, called N-Acetylcysteine, or NAC, lowered irritability in children with autism as well as reduced the children’s repetitive behaviors. The researchers emphasized that the findings must be confirmed in a larger trial before NAC can be recommended for children with autism.
Irritability affects 60 to 70 percent of children with autism. “We’re not talking about mild things: This is throwing, kicking, hitting, the child needing to be restrained,” said Antonio Hardan, MD, the primary author of the new study. “It can affect learning, vocational activities and the child’s ability to participate in autism therapies.”
The study appears in the June 1 issue of Biological Psychiatry. Hardan is an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford and director of the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Clinic at Packard Children’s. Stanford is filing a patent for the use of NAC in autism, and one of the study authors has a financial stake in a company that makes and sells the NAC used in the trial.
RELATED NEWS
Finding new medications to treat autism and its symptoms is a high priority for researchers. Currently, irritability, mood swings and aggression, all of which are considered associated features of autism, are treated with second-generation antipsychotics. But these drugs cause significant side effects, including weight gain, involuntary motor movements and metabolic syndrome, which increases diabetes risk. By contrast, side effects of NAC are generally mild, with gastrointestinal problems such as constipation, nausea, diarrhea and decreased appetite being the most common.
The state of drug treatments for autism’s core features, such as social deficits, language impairment and repetitive behaviors, is also a major problem. “Today, in 2012, we have no effective medication to treat repetitive behavior such as hand flapping or any other core features of autism,” Hardan said. NAC could be the first medication available to treat repetitive behavior in autism — if the findings hold up when scrutinized further.
The study tested children with autism ages 3 to 12. They were physically healthy and were not planning any changes in their established autism treatments during the trial. In a double-blind study design, children received NAC or a placebo for 12 weeks. The NAC used was a pharmaceutical-grade preparation donated by the drug manufacturer Bioadvantex Inc. Subjects were evaluated before the trial began and every four weeks during the study using several standardized surveys that measure problem behaviors, social behaviors, autistic preoccupations and drug side effects.
During the 12-week trial, NAC treatment decreased irritability scores from 13.1 to 7.2 on the Aberrant Behavior Checklist, a widely used clinical scale for assessing irritability. The change is not as large as that seen in children taking antipsychotics. “But this is still a potentially valuable tool to have before jumping on these big guns,” Hardan said.
In addition, according to two standardized measures of autism mannerisms and stereotypic behavior, children taking NAC showed a decrease in repetitive and stereotyped behaviors.
“One of the reasons I wanted to do this trial was that NAC is being used by community practitioners who focus on alternative, non-traditional therapies,” Hardan said. “But there is no strong scientific evidence to support these interventions. Somebody needs to look at them.”
Hardan cautioned that the NAC for sale as a dietary supplement at drugstores and grocery stores differs in some important respects from the individually packaged doses of pharmaceutical-grade NAC used in the study, and that the over-the-counter version may not produce the same results. “When you open the bottle from the drugstore and expose the pills to air and sunlight, it gets oxidized and becomes less effective,” he said.
Although the study did not test how NAC works, the researchers speculated on two possible mechanisms of action. NAC increases the capacity of the body’s main antioxidant network, which some previous studies have suggested is deficient in autism. In addition, other research has suggested that autism is related to an imbalance in excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters in the brain. NAC can modulate the glutamatergic family of excitatory neurotransmitters, which might be useful in autism.
The scientists are now applying for funding to conduct a large, multicenter trial in which they hope to replicate their findings.
“This was a pilot study,” Hardan said. “Final conclusions cannot be made before we do a larger trial.”
Hardan’s collaborators at Stanford were Lawrence Fung, MD, a psychiatry resident; Robin Libove and Surekha Nair, MD, social science research assistants; postdoctoral scholar Tetyana Obukhanych, PhD; Lenore Herzenberg, DSc, professor of genetics and member of the Stanford Cancer Institute; and Rabindra Tirouvanziam, PhD, a former instructor in pediatric pulmonary medicine at Stanford who is now at the Emory University School of Medicine.
The research was supported by a grant from the Escher Family Fund at the Silicon Valley Community Foundation. Herzenberg and Tirouvanziam are listed as inventors on two patents for NAC used for treating cystic fibrosis that are licensed by Bioadvantex Inc., which supplied NAC for the trial. Herzenberg also has equity in Bioadvantex.
Information about the Stanford Autism Center at Packard Children’s Hospital and the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, which also supported the research, is available online athttp://autism.lpch.org and http://psychiatry.stanford.edu.
Monday, May 21, 2012
CDC and ADA Now Advise to Avoid Using Fluoride
A new study in the Journal of the American Dental Association finds once again that, contrary to what most people have been told, fluoride is actually bad for teeth.
Exposure to high levels of fluoride results in a condition known as fluorosis, in which tooth enamel becomes discolored. The condition can eventually lead to badly damaged teeth. The new study found that fluoride intake during a child's first few years of life is significantly associated with fluorosis, and warned against using fluoridated water in infant formula.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is of a similar opinion. According to their website:
"Recent evidence suggests that mixing powdered or liquid infant formula concentrate with fluoridated water on a regular basis may increase the chance of a child developing ... enamel fluorosis."
Dr. Mercola's Comments:
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Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Oxytocin: A New Treatment for Autism?
There are a few studies out there showing promise for helping our kids by utilizing the "Love Hormone", Oxytocin. Unfortunately, most of these studies are YEARS away from completion and in the mean time we as parents wonder, should we gamble and use the nasal spray or the drops now, not knowing the possible side effects or should we wait for the research, possibly too late for our kids.
Please keep in mind that since the FDA has not categorized Oxytocin as a "Food Supplement", most of the Oxytocin products you see out there for sale MIGHT be scams, not containing any real Oxytocin at all.
Fortunately, there are things you can do right now to naturally increase Oxytocin levels in your child, without worrying about any harmful side effects. While most of our kids are past the breastfeeding years, which naturally creates huge quantities of Oxytocin, certain things like cuddling and massages definitely helps to increase those hormone levels. Many of our kids have an aversion to regular hugs and closeness, but at the same time, they might be OK with a back rub or a foot massage. We usually give our son a massage of sorts putting lotion on him after an Epsom Salt bath, when putting him to bed. This kind of routine might be just what our kids need to raise those Oxytocin Levels, without resorting to trying an untested hormone on our kids.
Here's some interesting reading we've found on this subject:
The ‘Bonding Hormone’ That Might Cure Autism
News about autism is almost always controversial, but the latest report that has people abuzz—about researchers who have successfully treated some symptoms of the disorder using a nasal spray of oxytocin—shouldn't come as much of a shock. Scientists have been experimenting with oxytocin as an autism treatment for years. In the new study, conducted by French researchers, 13 subjects with "high-functioning autism" (a.k.a. Asperger syndrome) became more trusting and socially engaged under the hormone's influence. It's a small study, but it has big implications, and it tracks with findings from other researchers. Mary Carmichael spoke with one of those scientists, Eric Hollander, who is the director of the compulsive, impulsive, and autism spectrum disorders program at the Montefiore Medical Center in New York. Excerpts below, with our easier-to-understand translation:
What is the oxytocin spray actually doing in the brains of these patients?
Hollander: In patients with autism, the fusiform gyrus doesn't seem to light up in response to human faces. They light up an adjacent region called the inferior temporal gyrus, which normally gets lit up when people are looking at man-made objects. But we seem to get more recruitment of the fusiform gyrus when we administer oxytocin.
Do people with autism have abnormally low levels of oxytocin?
Hollander: It's challenging to measure the blood-plasma levels of oxytocin—it can be released in blips throughout the day, so it varies—but studies in children have found abnormalities in the plasma levels, and the subgroup of children with autism who are the most socially aloof tend to have the lowest levels of oxytocin. There are also studies in monkeys that have measured oxytocin levels in the spinal fluid as well as in the plasma. These studies show if you inhibit nurturing behaviors early in life, the spinal fluid and plasma levels of oxytocin are low, and they stay low throughout life.
Monkeys deprived of love have low oxytocin levels, and so do kids with autism? Doesn't that sound an awful lot like the discredited“refrigerator mother” hypothesis?
Hollander: In extreme cases of maternal deprivation, like children raised in orphanages without any early maternal behavior, there can be a long-lasting effect on oxytocin that's associated with social deficits. However, that probably is not the case with good or bad mothering. These are extreme cases of total lack of nurturing.
Some behavioral therapies seem to help people with autism, especially if they're delivered early in life. Is it possible that these therapies work by increasing oxytocin levels?
Hollander: Those therapies are really important—that's the whole point of diagnosing autism early, because the therapies can really improve the long-term developmental trajectory—but nobody has specifically measured oxytocin in response to them. I can tell you that there are things we know of that can enhance oxytocin levels. Deep pressure massage does it, and breast-feeding, and sexual intercourse. We also know that patients with autism tend to calm down by doing certain physical activities, like lying underneath a mattress or using Temple Grandin's squeeze machine."
This means: Nobody knows how behavioral therapies for autism affect oxytocin levels. We do know that in healthy people, affectionate physical contact increases oxytocin, which is a "calming" hormone. We also know that many people with autism find that being "squeezed" (albeit not by people) is calming.
The study looked at oxytocin's effect on social behaviors. You've also found it can affect other symptoms of autism, as well as other disorders. What are those effects?
Hollander: There is a group of behaviors that are self-stimulatory. When patients with autism are bored, they start to do things like hand-flapping or rocking back and forth to get up to their optimal level of stimulation. You actually see this in other species if you restrict input of sensory signals—if you put a tiger in a small cage, for instance, it will start to pace back and forth. With those types of behaviors, we saw a big decrease in response to the oxytocin. There are other, anxiety-related behaviors that seem to respond better to very low doses of SSRIs. We've also looked at patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD), who are exquisitely sensitive to social rejection. What we found was that when they got a single dose of the intranasal oxytocin in a situation where they had stress, like if they had to do a mathematical computation in front of other people who were evaluating them, there was a normalized cortisol response. But patients with BPD also have impairment in their social decision making, so in situations where they should be cooperating, they tend to defect, and in situations where it would make sense to defect, they try to cooperate. Paradoxically, the oxytocin made that abnormal decision making even worse. It's possible that the oxytocin was stimulating their vasopressin receptors.
How long do the effects of the oxytocin last?
Hollander: Even though it's staying in the plasma for a very brief period of time, we were getting effects in terms of enhanced social memories that seemed to persist two weeks later. Some of it is binding to central oxytocin receptors, and by stimulating those, it's allowing for the laying down of new social memories. Once those are laid down they seem to persist. So, we had people listen to neutral sentences, like "The boy went to the store," but we read those sentences with different tones—happy, sad, angry, or indifferent—and they had to recognize each tone. They developed an expertise in that. They were better at identifying the tones two weeks after the oxytocin was given. We don't know whether it's permanent.
What would happen if nonautistic people used an oxytocin spray?
Hollander: When you show people threatening faces, they have a marked activation of the amygdala. If you then give those people oxytocin, they don't get as much amygdala activation, so there's less of this fight-or-flight, threat, fear response. And normally, you'd get an elevation in blood pressure, clammy skin. You don't get as much of that either.
Do you worry that an oxytocin nasal spray would end up being abused by healthy people if the FDA approved it for treating autism?
Hollander: We're still far away from getting this approved in the U.S. for the treatment of autism. You'd need to do a large-scale trial, which hasn't been done yet. But the idea of people using this as a spray to enhance performance—I certainly wouldn't want to advocate that. I'm not sure it would be used in a recreational fashion. It has the potential for decreasing the sensation of social threat, and for enhancing social reward and reinforcement and facilitating trust, but I'm not sure it makes people feel euphoric or high. There are medicines that are on the market for the treatment of social anxiety disorder, and they don't seem to be abused in a recreational fashion. I don't see people who are a little shy going out and using SSRIs at parties. On the other hand, a lot of them do self-medicate with alcohol.
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