Autism: Searching for Cures
Anne Walch, PA-C

 Autism is a complex developmental disorder that affects at least 1 in 500 children and is increasing 10 to 17 percent each year – faster than any other disability or disease. It has been almost sixty years since autism was first identified, yet we still don’t know what causes it, how to cure it, nor why it is increasing at epidemic proportions.

 Autism is characterized by cognitive and sensory impairments, as well as impairments in language and communication skills.  Typical dysfunctional behaviors include repetitive body movements, sleeping and eating problems, poor eye contact, attention deficits, and altered sensitivities to pain, touch, temperatures or noise.  Autistic features can begin at birth but almost one half of autistic children begin showing developmental problems between 1.5 to 3 years of age.

 Suspected causes of autism range from genetic mutations, to viruses and toxic chemicals, to the increased vaccination of children in the past twenty years. Without a known cause, effective treatments have been slow to emerge. However, it has become clear that early identification of autism and intensive early intervention improves the child’s functioning.  Conventional therapies include behavioral modification techniques, special education, speech and occupational therapies.

 Dedicated parents and physicians have found nutritional and non-traditional medical approaches quite useful in treating autism. Sophisticated biochemical testing has highlighted definite patterns of nutritional deficiencies, gastrointestinal and immune dysfunctions, and heavy metal toxicities unique to autistic children. Significant gains have been made in autistic children by the supplementation of deficient nutrients, the correction of intestinal dysfunction, and the removal of toxic heavy metals like mercury.

 The most successful and scientifically-supported nutritional intervention involves the use of high doses of Vitamin B6 with magnesium. Multiple studies have shown that almost half of the autistic children using the vitamin B6 and magnesium supplementation had a wide range of positive benefits. 

 Researchers have documented the following abnormal nutritional profile in autistic children: low zinc and high copper levels; low serum vitamin A; low urinary vitamin C; low levels of the essential fatty acids EPA and GLA; amino acid deficiencies of taurine and glutamine. Surveys of parents who supplement their nutrient-deficient autistic child show that 40-60% will have some level of improvement, although this has not been scientifically substantiated.

 Dysfunction of the intestinal tract is a key issue with autistic children. Abdominal pain, chronic diarrhea and constipation are common in autism. An inflamed, malabsorbing, leaky gut is scientifically documented, and food intolerances are routinely found by clinicians in the majority of autistic children.  Microbial overgrowths of fungus, bacteria, and viruses have also been documented in autistic children.

 When attention is given to repairing an autistic child’s intestinal health, their nutritional status improves along with their immune system and neurological function. Parents and clinicians note improvements when autistic children follow a gluten and dairy-free diet, avoid known food allergies, eradicate foreign bowel flora, re-establish healthy bowel flora, and support the child’s digestion with digestive enzymes and other nutrients.

 A growing group of physicians treating autism believe that mercury toxicity is a cause of autism. Many of the behavioral and biochemical features of autism are also found in mercury toxicity. It’s hypothesized that the mercury used as a preservative in vaccines is the primary source of poisoning. The marked increase in the number of vaccines given to children over the past 20 years has significantly increased the amount of mercury injected into children. When autistic children are treated with agents to remove mercury,  significant improvements are seen, supporting the mercury-toxicity theory. .

 Parents and the medical community look forward to further research to substantiate promising treatment modalities for autistic children and slow the epidemic.