Autism - Brunswick,GA

Is Brunswick near Duluth at all? My friend has a special needs girl and she knows all the good places to go and can tell you who to stay away from. She is a career special needs mom for 5 yrs. I say yes to GFCF diet. All the kids I know who went on it had amazing quick changes! Stay away from drs as much as possible especially the psych ones. Get to people who can help with her overaroused or underaroused central nervous system. Also want to add that allergy testing is very unreliable in these kids unless you go to a NAET provider. The only true way to know is if you remove ALL dairy for 3 weeks and then remove all gluten for several months. Don't do them all at the same time because there is a certain amount of withdrawl that you will get.
I see you post on here everyday so I know you are lost. Please try some of the advice we give. (Except ABA...NEVER do ABA)

The GFCF diet made no difference for our son. He was diagnosed at 23 months and by 25 months was in early intervention. He was also diagnosed with severe ADHD and it was recommended that he be put on ritalin at the age of 2 (13 years ago and it didn't happen). We finally put him on meds at the age of 4 1/2 and he was finally able to make eye contact and learn in school. We have tried several different things for him over the years. He had TSS, OT...still receives speech and has learning support in school. He is able to attend regular classes with typical peers. We did have him tested for silent seizures and celiac disease...it's been said symptoms of both resemble autistic tendencies. We also did the allergy testing to find he's not allergic to anything. Does your hospital or childrens hospital have a child development unit (CDU)? A developmental pediatrician will be key...they can point you in the right directions. Our son also attends a socialization program 2x/week outside of school. It's for older kids, but something to keep in mind for your daughter. Ours is called Wesley Spectrum Services - the program is called Wonder Kids. You can google it and see if you have something similar in your area. I've seen kids as young as 5 and it goes through the age of 19, all in age appropriate groups.

When we received the diagnosis, we went full steam ahead. He was completely non verbal with lots of self stims and no ability for pretend play and no social skills. In the last year, he has joined the junior high wrestling and track and field teams...where his teammates cheer for him (I almost cry just remembering it) and he's begun approaching people in social situations and initiating coversation. Our son also sometimes uses pen and paper to have tough conversations with us. He'll either write answers to questions down or draw pictures to get his point across.

I know this is a lot to take in, but with 13 years behind us we have found plenty that has worked for us. It will take time, but you will find what helps and doesn't help your daughter.

Good luck to you all!

Before you jump to the GFCF diet, you need to have allergy testing done to make sure you also remove foods she is intolerant to. I have gone down many roads within the biomedical field and have been told that whatever works for one child, may or may not work for the next. If you have a DAN! doctor in your area, try talking to them if you do want to try the biomedical stuff. She doesn't need to see a neurologist per se, if you want to see if there is something else going on besides autism, then go ahead but I would think it would be unnecessary. To try a DAN! doctor, here is the link to find one in your area....http://www.autismwebsite.com/practitioners/us_lc.htm

The GFCF, no milk, little sugar diet helped my son tremendously. He also goes to speech and OT. It's working miracles. We went to a neurologist and she is questioning whether he is EVEN on the spectrum at this time...so before you think to much, do everything you can the natural way. Fish oil and probiotic also works wonders.

My friend's 2 children started ABA therapy (Applied Behavioral Analysis) at about that age. That was probably more helpful then anything else they did. Good luck. That is a tough diagnosis to hear.

It is great that you are reaching out for suggestions and ideas. Keep in mind that ASD is a puzzle and the kids fall on a spectrum. What works for one may or may not work for another. I have a friend who had great success with GFCF. She suggests removing dairy first before gluten. It's a difficult diet and you have to study up b/c gluten is in almost everything! Also, contact your local school system and ask about an early intervention evaluation. All children with special needs birth to 21 are eligible for free services through the school system. Most distrtcts offer a pre-K placement at a school in a program beginning at age three. They will begin testing before their third birthday. Getting as much info and help as possible is the best thing you can do for you and your son. Alway go with your gut! Early intervention is critical and has proven to be very successful. Good luck and I wish you the best. Children with Autism are often misunderstood but they can be the sweetest, kindest kids.

a few helpful online communities/references:
http://www.theautismexperience.com/
http://childrenwithasd.proboards.com/index.cgi?

A lot of therapy comes from the school when she gets there.

My son's psychiatrist is a teaching psychiatrist through Washington University. As such he does the work of a psychologist as do the Fellows under him. Andy sees him every 4 months to reevaluate meds and progress.

http://psychiatry.wustl.edu/c/faculty/FacultyDetails.aspx...

He isn't even accepting new patients right now. I guess Andy keeps him busy. :p