Autism
Autism is a very complex disorder, more precisely a spectrum of disorders because it includes a variety of disorders that affect the development of the brain at the same time. While autism affects each patient individually, almost all patients have a few symptoms in common. These are difficulties...
A few years ago parents of children with epilepsy helped to create a media buzz when they showed the effectiveness of cannabis on their child’s condition. Now some parents of kids with autism are telling their stories as well.
Autism is a condition that affects over 3.5 million Americans....
For decades it was cast as a harmful gateway drug to a lifestyle of feckless criminality. But the last few months has brought a momentous shift in the official position on cannabis following pressure from families who have used it to treat conditions like epilepsy.
Home secretary Sajid Javid...
Autism Spectrum Disorders comprise conditions that may affect cognitive development, motor skills, social interaction, communication, and behavior. This set of functional deficits often results in lack of independence for the diagnosed individuals, and severe distress for patients, families, and caregivers. There is a mounting body of evidence indicating the effectiveness of pure...
Parents of some autistic children report that cannabis eases behavioral problems more effectively than conventional pharmaceuticals. Their anecdotal evidence should be taken seriously by medical researchers.
Autism is one of a group of conditions known as pervasive developmental disorders. This mysterious disability, first described and named more than 60 years ago,...
Rachel Anderson had hit a breaking point. Her son was diagnosed with a rare form of epilepsy called Lennox-Gastaut syndrome at age 4. Then when he was 6, he got diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
“We had tried six or seven pharmaceutical drugs,” she told Healthline, explaining their attempts to...
Having a special needs (SN) child brings with it many of the typical joys of parenting, but let’s not kid ourselves into believing that there aren’t major drawbacks for the parents. As a psychologist and parent of a special needs child of my own, I have detected several negative effects which I’ll describe in detail below.
Parenting can be stressful under the best of circumstances, but moms and dads of children with developmental and mental health challenges often have to deal with strain of a different magnitude. Caring for a child with special needs can become a full-time job — and an overwhelming one at that, if you...
Caravel’s autism health specialists work every day in the homes of families living with autism. They know firsthand how much is required of these parents – who need to bring more than the average amount of strength, perseverance and resourcefulness – day after day.
“The challenge can be daunting,”...
The previous chapter describes universal and widely available interventions designed to strengthen parenting and support parents of young children. This chapter turns to evidence-based and evidence-informed interventions used in a variety of settings (e.g., health care, education, the home) with some evidence of effectiveness in supporting parents and parenting knowledge, attitudes, and...
Many parents of autistic children report that their child received repeated or prolonged courses of antibiotic drugs for ear or other respiratory infections during their first year, before the diagnosis of autism. Broad-spectrum antibiotics kill good as well as bad bacteria in the gut, and this may be why autistic children commonly...