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What is autism? Autism is a complex medical illness that affects a person’s behavior as well as many of the body’s systems, most notably the neurological, gastrointestinal and the immune systems. Children with autism have impaired ability to detoxify themselves. When exposed to environmental chemicals, instead of the body getting rid of them through its natural defenses, the substances build up and cause massive disruption in metabolism and bodily functions. Children with autism often have seizures, copious foul diarrhea and are prone to recurrent infections because of their impaired ability to detoxify.
Since autism presents differently in each individual and to varying degrees, the more widely accepted term is Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and people with ASD are referred to as “being on the spectrum.” ASD includes autism, Pervasive Developmental Disorder – not otherwise specified, Asperger Syndrome, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder and Rett’s disorder. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) are sometimes included on the spectrum.
ASD is not mental retardation. Until very recently, ASD was considered solely a psychiatric disorder and has been classified as such in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM III, published 1987 and revised in DSM IV, published in 1994). Prior to 1980, the disorder was very rare and affected only about 2-to-5 out of 10,000 people. The rates began to rise in 1980 and have risen exponentially since 1990. Autism is now considered to be an epidemic, yet physicians and researchers disagree as to why there has been such a sharp rise in the incidence of ASD, how to slow its expansion and how to treat it.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report ASD affects 1-in-150 children in the United States, affects all races and ethnicities and is typically diagnosed in children prior to age three. Boys are affected four times more often than girls. When ASD strikes, previously energetic toddlers become withdrawn, aloof and absorbed in their own little worlds. They become fixated on routines and repetition and exhibit behavioral outbursts when order or their routines are disrupted. Some injure themselves or others. Others simply withdraw unwilling (or unable?) to interact with those around them.
There are no diagnostic tests for autism and diagnosis is made based on clinical evaluation. Unfortunately, when the diagnosis is made by a clinician unfamiliar with the current advances and treatments available to autistic patients, parents are often told nothing can be done for their children and they are advised to prepare for the day when their child will be permanently institutionalized. Rarely is further medical testing done to evaluate the child’s metabolic function or toxicology, or to evaluate any of the accompanying physical symptoms such as abdominal pain and/or distention, diarrhea or the recurrent infections. In essence, a diagnosis of autism is just this side of a death sentence if rendered by a clinician unfamiliar with autism. If, as a parent, you were told that your child is “gone” at the tender age of three, could you, would you, accept that diagnosis?
Most of the research and many of the advances made in the understanding of ASD has been carried out by parents or loved ones with children on the spectrum. Bryan Jepson, MD and his wife Laurie could not accept the “inevitable institutionalization” that awaited their youngest son and did extensive research on their own to find treatments for him. Jepson, a board certified emergency medicine physician, learned that ASD is a treatable disorder – but not with “conventional” medical treatments. Jepson began researching the biochemical aspects of ASD and attending conferences on ASD where he learned how to treat autistic children medically. In 2002 he established The Children’s Biomedical Center of Utah where he treated hundreds of children with ASD using nutritional, behavioral, educational and medical therapies. He joined the staff of Thoughtful House Center for Children in 2006 and is currently the director of medical services.
“Autism is a chronic immune system problem,” says Jepson. “Children with autism have more sensitive immune systems that cannot handle the continuous environmental insults that they face. Our treatments are tailored to address the symptoms the child is exhibiting.” In addition to treating children with ASD, the physicians and staff at Thoughtful House are working diligently to find the root cause(s) of ASD.
“Many people say that autism is genetic. But studies show that’s not the case. Autism has been studied extensively in genetics, yet only 3% of those affected have a genetic component,” says Jepson. “Autism appears to have a genetic predisposition that is triggered by the environment. What we need to learn is what are the environmental triggers for autism and then how to avoid them. In the past 30 years alone 80,000 new chemicals have been introduced into the environment and yet, we have no idea what the effects of these chemicals are.”
Kazuko Grace Curtin’s son James was diagnosed with ASD 12 years ago. At the time, she was told that he was very low functioning and would never recover. Curtin could not accept that there was no help or hope for her son. Although not a medical professional or clinical researcher, Curtin attended conferences on ASD and learned about the various “alternative” treatments. Curtin learned that treatments are available in few locations and many are so expensive that the average family cannot afford them. Amassing her own resources and a staff of experts in autism management, Curtin founded The CARE Clinic in Austin in 2004 with the mission “to help children with certain severe afflictions complete the journey to recovery.” Her personalized approach to ASD treatment is covered by insurance and has drawn families from around the nation and the world to the CARE Clinic. Due to the overwhelming need for treatment, she opened a second clinic in Tampa, FL in September of 2008 and is considering opening a center in Santa Monica, CA. Plans are already underway for a full residential care facility for patients and their families, The Renaissance Center, to open in Austin in 2010.
The exact cause of ASD is yet to be elucidated, but there are several known factors. “An autistic child’s impaired detoxification system leads to oxidative stress,” says Curtin. “Oxidative stress [or impaired metabolism] leads to chronic infection, mitochondrial [energy production] problems, amino acid deficiencies and mineral deficiencies.”
Jepson has named the scenario The Multiple Hit Hypothesis and describes it fully in his book, Changing the Course of Autism – A Scientific Approach for Parents and Physicians. In summary, shortly after conception, a fetus is exposed to a variety of toxins from its mother passed down through the placenta. In susceptible children, the immune system is unable to properly detoxify and the toxins accumulate. After birth, more toxins are encountered (i.e., soaps, lotions, clothing, pets, vaccines, etc). While most children adapt (detoxify) and develop normally, children with impaired detoxification systems become overloaded and toxins further accumulate. Finally the overwhelmed immune system becomes damaged, what Jepson terms the “toxic tipping point.” The resultant tissue damage causes inflammation, which causes more damage, which causes more inflammation and so on. Soon the body cannot properly identify toxins and even begins to see itself as “non-self.” Now it can no longer compensate and a disease state sets in. In the case of ASD, the neurological regression commonly associated with autism is what manifests.
Clinicians unfamiliar with ASD may dismiss screams and tantrums as part of the autistic presentation. Experts in ASD management recognize these behaviors as behavioral manifestations of physical symptoms associated with ASD and emphasize the importance of treating physical symptoms in autistic children. Many of the current therapies are unconventional (such as Chelation, Glutathione supplementation and hyperbaric oxygen therapy) but have evidence-based efficacy in improving the functional status of children with ASD. To understand the significance of treating the physical symptoms, consider this analogy. When you have the stomach flu, you can’t concentrate on learning complex skills or concepts, behaving in an acceptable fashion or even smiling. So it is with children with ASD who have horrible chronic gastrointestinal dysfunction. These children can’t say, “I’m having horrible, debilitating cramping, pain and diarrhea and can’t focus on anything else right now.” Instead, a child with ASD may lie on the floor pressing his belly against a toy while screaming in an effort to relieve the pressure and pain. In this analogy, treatment of the physical symptom is imperative in order to avoid downward progression to malnutrition, immune system compromise and infection. In such a physically compromised state, “normal” neurological development and function is virtually impossible and the child will regress neurologically, behaviorally and cognitively. Nationally and internationally, researchers are searching for the origins and triggers for autism and for effective treatments.
ASD is more than the neurological and behavioral manifestations that we often see. A collective change in attitude from both the medical com-munity and society at large must occur for autistic children to get the necessary medical and behavioral treatments that they need. When autism is accepted as a complex medical disorder instead of solely a psychiatric disorder, medical personnel will be trained to recognize, diagnose and treat ASD. Treatments will become more widely available and regularly covered by insurance (most treatments are provided fee for service). Then and only then can children with ASD hope for and expect to live fully productive lives.
Learn More About Autism Spectrum Disorder
The organizations and clinics listed below are leading the fight against autism and provide information and treatments for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and their families.
Autism Research Institute – www.autism.com
Autism Society of America – www.autism-society.org
Autism Speaks – www.autismspeaks.org
CARD Center for Autism – www.centerforautism.com
The CARE Clinic – www.mycareclinics.com
Center for the Study of Autism –www.up-to-date.com/autism.tv/CSA/index.html
Central Texas Autism Center – www.ctac1.com
MINDD Foundation – www.mindd.org
National Autism Association – www.nationalautismassociation.org
Unlocking Autism – www.unlockingautism.org
Talk About Curing Autism – www.talkaboutcuringautism.org
Thoughtful House Center For Children – www.thoughtfulhouse.org
USAAA – www.usautism.org
CARE Clinics – Austin
Kazuko Grace Curtin, Founder and CEO
4201 Bee Caves Road
A200 and B200
Austin, TX 78746
512.306.1920
www.mycareclinics.com
Thoughtful House Center for Children
Bryan Jepson, MD, Director of Medical Services
3001 Bee Caves Road
Suite 120
Austin, TX 78746
512.732.8400
www.thoughtfulhouse.org
Changing the Course of Autism – A Scientific Approach for Parents and Physicians.
By Bryan Jepson, MD with Jane Johnson. The book is available at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble and at www.thoughtfulhouse.org.