Unlock Autism

Biofield – This new term adopted by the National Institutes of Health in the United States describes a growing body of research purportedly showing a subtle human energy field that permeates and extends beyond the physical body. The biofield has been identified by many biophysics scientists as an integral part of our being and oversees the co-ordination and regulation of our physical body, chemical reactions, emotional balance, mental functions, energetic systems and memory. When our biofield is out of balance, we’re out of balance!

Stress to our biofield comes in many forms: Traffic jams. Irate bosses. Fears and phobias. Stressors in these examples, although they are not totally unavoidable, they can be manageable as a result of our ability to exercise positive control over our reactive, emotional human nature.

iRenew BioField Products

Other more constant forms of stress, which are more difficult and if not impossible to avoid altogether as well as being much less manageable, are delivered to us daily without consent arrive in the form of ElectroMagnetic Fields (EMF) also known as ElectroMagnetic Radiation (EMR). ElectroMagnetic Fields (EMF) / ElectroMagnetic Radiation (EMR)

You cannot see it, taste it or smell it, but some believe electromagnetic radiation is becoming one of the most pervasive environmental pollutants in industrialized countries today. Electromagnetic radiation (EMR) or electromagnetic fields (EMFs) are the terms that broadly describe the unnatural energy fields created by the vast array of wired and wireless technologies that have altered the landscape of our lives in countless beneficial ways. However, these technologies were designed to maximize energy efficiency and convenience; not with the possible negative biological effects on people in mind.

Even the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued warning, stating, “There is reason for concern” and advises “prudent avoidance.” Based on the existing science, many public health experts believe it is possible we will face an epidemic of cancers and other illnesses in the future as a result of the unnatural frequencies we absorb due to the uncontrolled use of cell phones and increased population exposure to WiFi and other wireless devices.

We live in an invisible fog of EMF which thirty years of science, including over 2,000 peer-reviewed studies, demonstrates massive amounts of evidence of possible serious health risks as a result of excessive exposure to electromagnetic fields. It has been estimated that the average person is exposed to 100 million times more electropollution than was exposed to their great grandparents.

How EMF / EMR stressors affect your BioField?

According to many top ranked scientists and professionals in the medical community, ambient man-made electromagnetic fields, across a range of unnatural frequencies, are believed to be a serious environmental issue. Every aspect of the ecosystem may be affected by electromagetic fields, including the biofields all living species from animals, humans, plants and even microorganisms in water and soil.

In the past few years there has been a drastic increase in the number of people getting brain tumors (not to mention other cancers and disease states like Autism, ADHD, CFIDS and so on). Brain tumors are now the number-one cause of death in children in Australia and the United States. It is now being predicted by epidemiologists, that within the next ten years we could see at least a 1,000 percent increase in this disease state.

Ever growing scientific research corroborates the suspicion that unnatural electromagnetic energy fields may:

* Cause brain tumors
* Harm blood cells
* Cause cellular changes
* Damage your DNA
* Accelerate and contribute to the onset of autism
* Trigger Alzheimer’s disease
* Damage your eyes
* Cause sleep disorders

This mounting scientific evidence suggests that our safety standards are inadequate and out of intelligent caution we must limit our exposure to electromagnetic fields or risk possible negative health consequences in the future.

Protecting ourselves against the electromagnetic fields of unnatural energy is not easy as we are exposed to an estimated 100 million times the levels our great grandparents experienced. So in this new landscape of what some have dubbed ‘e-smog’, it is each individual’s responsibility to take certain precautions and protections against the effects unnatural energy fields are believed, by many doctors and scientists, to have on our biofields and overall health.

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Step #1: Limit Your Electromagnetic Field Exposure

Limit your exposure and exercise prudent avoidance of the electromagnetic fields emitted by electrical devices is crucial in reducing the amount of electromagnetic radiation your body absorbs each day. Here are most common electromagnetic field avoidance and radiation reduction tips:

* Do not stand in front of the microwave while in use.
* Use the speaker phone feature on your cell phone when possible.
* Place your computer tower as far away from your body as possible.
* Place all electric clocks and other electrical devices such as telephones and answering machines at least 6 feet from your bed.
* Use incandescent bulbs instead of fluorescent lighting when possible.
* Use the oven to warm and cook your food instead of the microwave.
* Maintain at least 8 feet from the TV screen.
* Avoid using hair dryers on children.
* Rearrange your office and home area so that you are not exposed the electromagnetic fields from the sides/backs of electric appliances and computers.
* Don’t sit too close to your computer monitor.

Every day, our biofields are impacted by flickering computer monitors, irate bosses, cell phones, emotional stress, tabloid television, and traffic jams just to name a few. We are literally bombarded with electromagnetic radiation and unnatural frequencies that can wear us down. When our biofield is out of balance, we’re out of balance.

Bringing your biofield to a more balanced state is believed by many to increase mental and physical performance, reinforce our natural immunity to stress and enhance our sense of well-being.

Biofield Therapy – The New Science of Healing

Although it seems like magic, it is actually science! It is believed by many that the unnatural energy fields in our environment disrupt the natural energy frequencies on which our biofield operates causing an imbalance throughout our personal energy system.

Your Life’s Energy is Your Biofield

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Sometimes I wonder if it is better to home school or not. Any ideas? We would love to hear them and your thoughts on home schooling an autistic child, or any child for that matter.

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A new twist on the PECS system of communication and a great way to start off the new year. An app for Autistics that could one day morph into a bluetooth enabled device that offers voice prompts? Need more innovation and courage in developing new solutions to help those with Autism, and this is a great start.

What is most appealing to me is you can easily upload a photo of anything you want and add it to the picture library for future reference and use or for use right now! Its very close to spontaneous communication. Its a great app and sure to be a smashing success.Thanks Hammie and your developer for a new ray of hope to Unlock Autism.

Link to the original site

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Taking care of our selves is just as important as taking care of our loved ones.

This company also has a full line of Digestive Enzyme products which may have good results on leaky gut.

Contact them here.

Stress in Our Diets

Currently, the Average American eats 133 POUNDS OF SUGAR each year; 75 years ago, the Average American ate only 7 pounds of sugar a year! Sugar is toxic to the body, accelerates aging, depletes the body of B vitamins and minerals, and can lead to heart disease, cancer, hypoglycemia, and diabetes.  An incredible 80% OF CARBOHYDRATES consumed by Americans are in the form of refined flours and sugars.
Only 9% of the population eats the recommended five servings of vitamin-rich fruits and vegetables.
Americans eat 230 MORE CALORIES PER DAY than they did just 15 years ago. Our diet consists of refined foods. Increasing our consumption of nutrient-depleted foods means we have an even higher requirement for the vitamins and minerals needed to metabolize them.
Many people eat non-foods like MSG, saccharine, NutraSweet, Splenda, artificial colorants and flavors that put stress on our systems.
Almost all foods have pesticides, chemical dioxins, and fluorides that come into our bodies each day. Most fast-food hamburgers have been shown to contain traces of OVER 100 PESTICIDES.
Most meats have antibiotic, hormone, and chemical residues that have toxic effects on our bodies.
Our foods are contaminated with phthalates from plastic wraps, styrofoam, tupperware, and non stick coatings from frying pans, that enter and damage our system.
Even the common practice of microwaving in plastic containers contaminates our food with toxins.
Vitamin B2 is one of the nutrients used by the body to support optimal thyroid function. An astonishing 5 million US adults suffer from Hypothyroidism (an under-active thyroid that slows the metabolism); most people go undiagnosed and do not even know they have it.
More than 10% OF CALORIES consumed in America come from ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES. Alcohol in large quantities is detrimental to the liver, and it depletes B vitamins, zinc, and magnesium.
Prescription and over-the-counter medications can deplete nutrients and create deficiencies.
Birth control pills create B6 deficiencies and increase the need for B6 beyond what the diet can supply.
Those who exercise regularly have a much higher need for antioxidants and minerals.
Currently, millions of Americans are dieting and need supplements just to meet minimal nutrient requirements. Dieting increases free radical production, so more antioxidants are needed to support the health of the liver and other organs whose normal function can sometimes be compromised during weight loss.

Stress in Our Environment

An optimal selection of healthy whole foods does not give us enough antioxidants to defend ourselves against toxic chemicals and gases we absorb from office equipment, cigarette smoke, smog, and alcohol.
The average person is exposed to more than 500 CHEMICALS in the home environment and 700 CHEMICALS in drinking water that are known to deplete many nutrients.
Research has verified that routine application of organophosphate fertilizers over the past 50 years has decreased the calcium content of conventionally grown broccoli to ONE-SIXTH (17%) what it was in the 1950’s.

Even if we are drinking purified water, most of us shower in water that is full of chemicals, or sit in chemical filled jacuzzis or swimming pools, which enter our system every day.

Our clothes, mattresses, and sheets are full of chemicals, flame retardants, preservatives, and anti-fungals which enter our bodies through the skin.

Our air is full of carbon monoxide, petrochemicals, lead, mercury, plastic fumes, etc. which enter our bodies when we breathe.

The excess of cultural and environmental stressors we face daily produce free radicals. Free radicals are highly reactive molecules that trigger oxidative damage by accelerating aging and quickening disease. In order to neutralize free radical damage caused by different stressors, our livers are burdened with the task of detoxification, a process which requires additional nutrients above the RDA recommended daily amounts.

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My wife and I are blessed with 2 children and are expecting our third in October. We have been contemplating storing the umbilical cord for future use for someone in the family, should one of us become sick or if a break through occurs and we can help those with Autism Spectrum Disorder with this invaluable resource. We have decided it is worth the expense – $4,000 for a 20 year storage. Has anyone out there done this and actually used the blood to harvest stem cells? if so, please write to us.

This story hit the web recently, it helps to validate our decision for sure.

Scientists Grow Stem Cells For Parkinson’s, Down Syndrome, Other Disorders

By Stephanie Nano, Associated Press

AP – Harvard scientists say they have created stems cells for 10 genetic disorders, which will allow researchers to watch the diseases develop in a lab dish.
This early step, using a new technique, could help speed up efforts to find treatments for some of the most confounding ailments, the scientists said.
The new work was reported online Thursday in the journal Cell, and the researchers said they plan to make the cell lines readily available to other scientists.
Dr. George Daley and his colleagues at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute used ordinary skin cells and bone marrow from people with a variety of diseases, including Parkinson’s, Huntington’s and Down syndrome to produce the stem cells.
The new cells will allow researchers to “watch the disease progress in a dish, that is, to watch what goes right or wrong,” Doug Melton, co-director of the institute, said during a teleconference.
“I think we’ll see in years ahead that this opens the door to a new way to treating degenerative diseases,” he said.
The new technique reprograms cells, giving them the chameleon-like qualities of embryonic stem cells, which can morph into all kinds of tissue, such as heart, nerve and brain. As with embryonic stem cells, the hope is to speed medical research.
Research teams in Wisconsin and Japan were the first to report last November that they had reprogrammed skin cells, and that the cells had behaved like stem cells in a series of lab tests. Just last week, another Harvard team of scientists said they reprogrammed skin cells from two elderly patients with ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, and grew them into nerve cells.
Melton said the new disease-specific cell lines “represent a collection of degenerative diseases for which there are no good treatments and, more importantly, no good animal models for the most part in studying them.”
A new laboratory has been created to serve as a repository for the cells, and to distribute them to other scientists researching the diseases, Melton said.
“The hope is that this will accelerate research and it will create a climate of openness,” said Daley.
He expects stem cell lines to be developed for many more diseases, noting, “this is just the first wave of diseases.” Other diseases for which they created stem cells are Type 1, or juvenile, diabetes; two types of muscular dystrophy, Gaucher disease and a rare genetic disorder known as the “bubble boy disease.”
Daley stressed that the reprogrammed cells won’t eliminate the need or value of studying embryonic stem cells.
“At least for the foreseeable future, and I would argue forever, they are going to be extremely valuable tools,” he said.
The reprogramming work was funded by the National Institutes of Health and private contributions to the Harvard Stem Cell Institute.

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Came across this video series, http://www.modelmekids.com/autism-videos.html

Anyone ever use it? What were your results? Seems like a great idea and one I have often thought about given my sons love of the video tape, or dvd.

Thanks for sharing… is there anybody out there??

The Time for School video presents social skills in the context of school. It features elementary school-aged children demonstrating appropriate social skills in the classroom, library, on the playground, and in the hallway. Each scene lasts between 30 seconds and 3 minutes, depending on the chapter. At the end of each chapter is a storyboard summarizing the rules taught.

The video is hosted by a young boy, who narrates each scene.

With narration: In the first half of the video, the visual is combined with narration and graphics that help explain the particular rule.

Without narration: In the second half of the video, the same video is repeated without narration and graphics. This allows a parent, Autism teacher, or therapist to customize the lesson the individual child and/or to test what was learned in the first viewing of the video.

Each social skill is demonstrated in more than one situation and across environments. This is useful to children with Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome because it helps with generalization of the skill taught.

Graphics and music are used to make the video appealing to children with Autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, and Nonverbal Learning Disorders. A high production value helps keep the child’s interest so that he or she will want to watch many times.

Check it out here

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Research: “The Myelin Project”:

The exciting work of researchers funded by The Myelin Project, whose goal is to remyelinate the human central nervous system, may someday have benefits for autistic children. Only time will tell if a specific area of damaged neurons can be found and potentially repaired with stem cells.

The first human trial, conducted by Dr. Timothy Vollmer at Yale University School of Medicine, will attempt to transplant myelin-forming Schwann cells into the brains of five patients with multiple sclerosis. The cells will be obtained from the sural nerves of the patients themselves. Although Schwann cells normally produce myelin in the peripheral nervous system, several recent experiments conducted on rodents and cats have shown these cells have the ability to remyelinate in the CNS as well.

While multiple sclerosis is a long way from autism, there is discussion of anti-myelin antibodies in autism, and there is talk of inflammatory processes involving myelin. Whether this technology can help autism if it works for multiple sclerosis is anybody’s guess, but it’s exciting to wonder about.

The Myelin Project funds a Cell Culture Unit at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where Dr. Su-chun Zhang continues to generate cultures with ever-higher percentages of human oligodendrocyte precursors (OPs). Oligodendrocytes are the cells that normally myelinate the CNS. If obtainable in sufficient quantity, they would provide an alternative to Schwann cells for transplantation. The Unit has developed a method to track transplanted OPs by MRI, labeling the cells with iron particles. In another recent experiment, Dr. Baron-Van Evercooren and colleagues were able to remyelinate as many as 55% of the nerves in monkey spinal cord lesions by transplanting the monkeys’ own Schwann cells. These initial positive results, however, have not been confirmed in subsequent attempts. She suspects that the viral labels she used to distinguish the transplanted cells caused them to die. She is trying again without viral labeling. If successful, this experiment would prove that CNS remyelination is feasible in higher animals.

Several researchers funded by The Myelin Project have injected myelin-forming cells into the ventricles of the brain of experimental animals and have shown that these cells were transported by the cerebrospinal fluid to all regions of the brain. This makes it more likely that injected cells will travel to where the myelin needs to be repopulated.

The Myelin Project has funded Dr. Oliver Br�stle of the University of Bonn, Germany, and Dr. Evan Snyder of Harvard University to work with neural stem cells (NSC). These are self-renewing, multipotent cells, capable of differentiating into the major types of neural cells, including oligodendrocytes. One of their most potentially beneficial properties is their tendency to respond to signals in the CNS environment. In CNS diseases, these signals guide the cells to damaged areas. Second, they prompt them to differentiate into the specific cell type needed for the repair — neurons in nerve diseases like Parkinson’s and oligodendrocytes in myelin disorders like the leukodystrophies and multiple sclerosis.

NSCs are typically of fetal origin, but have also been found in the adult brain. NSCs can be multiplied in culture indefinitely as an “immortal” cell line. They could eventually provide an inexhaustible source of myelin-forming cells, eliminating the need for obtaining them from fresh tissue. Several research centers are now testing human NSCs to verify their safety and in particular to rule out any risk of their becoming cancerous. If this testing concludes favorably, then prospective myelin repair strategies could take a two-fold approach. NSCs would be injected into the ventricular system where the cerebrospinal fluid would circulate them to all parts of the CNS. Local signals would then come into play, guiding the cells to the specific demyelinated areas.

The Myelin Project has also funded Dr. Robin Franklin of the University of Cambridge to study olfactory ensheathing cells, a third type of myelin-producing cell. He has perfected a technique for demyelinating the area of rat brain connecting the cerebellum with the brain stem. He subsequently remyelinated the area by transplanting rat Schwann cells, which adds to the body of evidence in favor of Schwann cell transplantation as a way of repairing CNS myelin lesions.

The Myelin Project has also funded Dr. Inderjit Singh of the Medical University of South Carolina to study the use of Lovastatin in the treatment of myelin disorders. The drug corrects the biochemical defect of adrenoleukodystrophy, lowering the levels of very long chain fatty acids in plasma. Preliminary studies with an animal model of MS have confirmed Lovastatin’s ability to block the induction of cytokines, substances responsible for the inflammation of the CNS. We know that the levels of very long chain fatty acids and of some cytokines are elevated in autism. I am wonderijng already if Lovastatin might be worth trying for children with documented elevated very long chain fatty acids and elevated cytokines.

These studies present exciting possibilities for the future for treating neurodegenerative diseases. They may eventually have relevence for such diverse conditions as autism, cerebral palsy, and CNS vaccine damage syndromes. Time will tell.

find more at http://www.healing-arts.org/children/cell.htm

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We could use a hand in finding material to share with others like you. If you have an experiences or know of other great resources for information, Please leave some comments or write to us at info@unlockautism.com This site is for us all. We are trying to direct you to pertinent information about Autism. Success stories and information about therapy’s and diets which helped or those which didn’t. Keep in mind, not all therapy’s will work for all. Autistic people are individuals in the truest sense of the word, with loving and caring families trying to unlock autism and let that person out.

If we can gather enough stats and information, perhaps we can help others. For us personally, Its been a whole lot of Love, Therapy’s and at times Snake Oil. Whats worked for us has been, ABA, Signing Time, Auditory Integration and Omega’s plus the usual OT, PT and Speech. But also encouraging more social engagement.

All I know is that we as parents know what works and what doesn’t, lets help those who are just discovering Autism. Let us help each other from being fooled by the latest and greatest therapy’s promising miracle and instant cures.
If you are interested in getting involved with UnlockAutism.com, let us know and share your wisdom.

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By Chris Higbee, VP Marketing, Two Little Hands Productions

((I can tell you first hand, we owe a ton of gratitude to Signing Time, it has proven to be one of the top 2 most effective things to stimulate speech and communication))

A recent study out of the University of Washington written by Dmitri A. Christakis and Frederick J. Zimmerman suggests children’s educational videos may do more harm than good. The press release announcing the publication of the study in the Journal of Pediatrics specifically calls out Baby Einstein and Brainy Baby as ineffective. However, the press release and the study irresponsibly ignore the fact that the children’s educational programming market is comprised of vastly different products, which target different audiences and espouse different goals.

As a parent, I definitely understand the medical and scholarly communities’ concerns with overexposing our children to the potential pitfalls of television. Commercials. Sedentary viewing. The alienation of children from the family. The development of inappropriate habits. And I don’t necessarily disagree with Zimmerman and Christakis when they infer that unsupervised and non-interactive viewing can be counterproductive and keep children from reaching their full learning potential.

However, as a developer of children’s educational programming, I take issue with the idea that it’s all the same, causing readers to create incorrect and unfair associations between programs as a result. Here at Two Little Hands Productions, we receive dozens of letters and e-mails each day from our customers expressing their gratitude and sharing their success stories of how their children have grown because of Signing Time. A majority of these letters describe how children of all abilities have overcome language development problems as a result of Signing Time. Parents are often also pleasantly surprised to discover the positive effects of Signing Time on bonding and their personal relationship with their children due to its interactive nature. This anecdotal evidence along with scholarly research on sign language as a communication development device and on audio-visual learning strongly support our belief that certain types of educational content, are best suited to a video format when supervised and watched in moderation; sign language is one of those.

Sign language is a three-dimensional language. While it can be learned from books, the best way to learn sign language is to see it in motion. High quality live instruction is the best method for learning sign language, but video is also an ideal format. In fact, video or television provide something that live instruction cannot; a cost-effective and ubiquitous means of distributing it to children and adults who are interested in learning it but cannot afford or find live instruction. Additionally, learning aids such as music, animation, mnemonics, and interactive activities can be incorporated in to a video or television program much easier and more cost effectively than live instruction. And, as any early childhood professional will tell you, these types of aids have the greatest possible effect on the widest possible audience of children with varied learning styles and abilities. Additionally, for those families and educators who prefer printed media, Signing Time provides board books and flashcards that can be used on their own or supplement the instruction provided on the videos.

Another key teaching aid is interactivity. Children not only internalize concepts better, but they develop stronger communication and interpersonal bonds as they share those concepts with family and friends. Sign language provides a perfect medium for this and Signing Time is designed with this type of interactivity in mind. A child can learn sign language on his own, but what’s the point if he has no one to sign with? As with all forms of useful communication, sign language is a sort of positive epidemic. If it’s useful, it gets spread. Even if a child watches Signing Time alone, she will spread sign language directly by teaching it to friends and family, or inadvertently as curious friends and family see her using it.

Signing Time is designed for co-viewing. Signing Time is meant to be watched together by children and their parents. Even when watched separately, parents and children will use what they’ve learned from Signing Time away from the television to communicate and bond.

Signing Time was designed to teach children AND their families. This includes mom, dad, siblings, grandparents, and caregivers. In fact, Two Little Hands Co-Founder, Rachel Coleman has said regarding the founding of the company “I was tired of my dad, after three years, asking what the sign for ‘Grandpa’ was. When we originally set out to create Signing Time our goal was simple; teach Dad (and others who interacted with my daughter Leah, who is deaf) to sign.” Through the use of original music, clever animation and teaching a fun and engaging language, Signing Time has steered clear of the pitfalls of many other children’s educational programs that keep parents from watching with their kids; it’s not boring or annoying and most importantly creates an environment where children and parents learn together. The other day, I received a call from a convent in Canada where one of the nuns is deaf and the others wanted to learn sign language so they could communicate with her. One of them had seen Signing Time at a childcare center in which she was volunteering and ended up liking it so much, she told the convent and they purchased our entire DVD library over dozens of adult-oriented sign language programs, because it was fun to watch.

Signing Time is being used by state and federal education programs. Many preschools and elementary schools around the country are incorporating sign language into their regular curriculum because it is such an effective tool with young children. A large number have incorporated Signing Time in to this curriculum. Clark County School District in Las Vegas, Nevada has made it part of their ready to learn program for pre through K, while the Hawaii state legislature has put out an official declaration that Signing Time should be considered when incorporating sign language in to any state-approved special education program (http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessioncurrent/Bills/HCR223_.htm). Additionally, we receive emails and letters from families who have been referred to Signing Time by their pediatricians and speech and language pathologists. An example follows:

“I am a Speech-Language Pathologist and have been recommending these videos to all of my clients. Every single one has loved it! I do too! These are the best videos—entertaining, educational, and fun! I stop people on the street to tell them about Signing Time!”

-Laurie Grief
Mesa, AZ

The benefits of Sign Language as an educational aid are well documented by respected scholars. Drs. Joseph Garcia, Linda Acredolo, Susan Goodwyn, Marylin Daniels and many other highly respected researchers have documented the benefits of signing with hearing children. In fact, Dr. William Sears, noted author of “The Baby Book” has said of Signing Time, “We heartily recommend Signing Time books and videos – not only because they are particularly effective and fun, but because they encourage family bonding through communication at an early age.” While this is not the place to cite all of the scholarly work that shows what a powerful influence for good a television show or video series such as Signing Time can be—suffice it to say that overwhelmingly supportive research is out there and can be easily found in any university or public library. However, as with any thing we assign value to, Signing Time’s only real value lies in whether it has been effective in meeting the needs of its viewers. As mentioned before, we are overwhelmed with customer letters affirming that we have, but the best measure of our effectiveness, and this may seem very commercial for the scholars out there, but it is whether customers continue to demand it enough to keep Two Little Hands in business.

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By LIDIA WASOWICZ
UPI Senior Science Writer
SAN FRANCISCO, April 27 (UPI) — An estimated one in three families with autistic children opt for alternate treatments, usually as an accompaniment to structured counseling programs, U.S. doctors report.Some parents put their children on special diets, most often eliminating gluten and casein in the belief these proteins, found respectively in flour and milk, may trigger an allergic reaction that causes or exacerbates autism.

Some take the opposite tack, loading the child up on vitamins like magnesium and B6 or on food supplements, based on the supposition a deficit in these compounds may contribute to autism and on anecdotal reports the regimes at times can ease symptoms of the neurodevelopmental disorder.

The reported results from such remedies have been mixed. Some children may improve, some worsen and still others show little or no effect.

In general, none of these strategies has strong scientific backing as a safe and effective way to address the core symptoms of autism: social isolation, repetitive behaviors and language deficits.

What is testing well with a growing number of parents and some doctors is chelation — arguably the most defended, and defamed, of the alternative options.

For half a century, chelation has been a standard, government-sanctioned remedy for heavy-metal poisoning, typically employed following an industrial accident or environmental exposure.

In recent years, the technique has been gaining favor for an unapproved and highly controversial use: as a mercury-expelling treatment for autism.

Such use ensues from the contested assumption that mercury is the problem, hence, getting it out is a big part of the solution.

“The symptoms of early infant mercury poisoning and autism are virtually identical,” said toxicologist Boyd Haley, professor of chemistry at the University of Kentucky in Lexington.

He backs the theory — dismissed by most mainstream scientists — that connects autism to the mercury-based preservative thimerosal, which until the turn of the millennium was widely used in childhood vaccines.

“Furthermore, research indicates that autistic children genetically have a harder time excreting mercury from their bodies.” Boyd said. “This is why chelation has become such a powerful key for unlocking and undoing the disorders associated with autism.”

The medical mainstream has been unwaveringly critical of the use of the technique in autistic children, deeming it ineffective at best and dangerous, even potentially deadly, at worst.

Derived from the Greek “chele,” or claw, chelation therapy uses pincer-like molecules to grasp and purge copper, iron, arsenic and other heavy metals from the bloodstream, flushing them from the body, usually through urine or feces.

The detoxifying drugs used to remove the poisons are administered through pills, creams, skin patches, rectal suppositories or intravenous infusions. Many medications can serve the purpose, including the chemical compound DMSA, which carries the FDA seal of approval as a treatment for lead poisoning.

Doctors who prescribe it for autism are doing so “off-label,” a common practice for most medications used in children. Once a drug gets the FDA nod as a specific treatment, it can be put to any other use at the physician’s discretion, and patient’s ability to pay.

Such use is not covered by insurance, which, in the case of chelation, may mean out-of-pocket expenses of thousands of dollars.

The annual cost to treat a child biomedically runs between $2,500 and $5,000, said Charlie Hoover of West Palm Beach, Fla., a founding parent of the non-profit advocacy group Generation Rescue.

He credits chelation with his young son Lenny’s recovery. In one of the often-cited anecdotes of the treatment’s success, the boy’s classic symptoms of spinning, repetitive behaviors and tantrums are said to have melted away after the metal purging.

Convinced of its therapeutic powers, more than 150 parents of autistic children concurrently launched Generation Rescue and its ad campaign May 24, 2005, with the express purpose of spreading the word about “a safe and proven detoxification treatment known as chelation therapy.”

“Our message for parents is very simple: Autism is reversible,” J.B. Handley of Lafayette, Calif., one of Generation Rescue’s founding parents whose son was diagnosed with autism, told reporters during a news conference called to announce both events. “I see every day with my own eyes how my son Jamie is recovering from what was previously perceived as an untreatable disorder.”

Many parents and, for that matter some practitioners outside the mainstream treatment community, proclaim the same message. Hundreds of doctors list their names on Web sites endorsing chelation as a remedy for autism.

“For years we have heard the experts say that autism is a lifelong disability. This simply is not true anymore, thanks to effective biomedical treatments that can restore many, if not a majority, of autistic children to full recovery,” Bernard Rimland, who died Nov. 21, 2006, told the 2005 news conference.

The famous psychologist’s landmark book, “Infantile Autism: The Syndrome and Its Implication for a Neural Theory of Behavior,” published in 1964, is credited with dismantling the notion of autism as a fallout of cold-hearted parenting that was widely held in the 1950s and 1960s.

Although it cannot work alone and should be supplemented with other treatments, chelation makes it possible to break a child out of his isolated world, its advocates say.

(Note: In this multi-part installment, based on dozens of reports, conferences and interviews, Ped Med is keeping an eye on autism, taking a backward glance at its history and surrounding controversies, facing facts revealed by research and looking forward to treatment enhancements and expansions. Wasowicz is the author of the new book, “Suffer the Child: How the Healthcare System Is Failing Our Future,” published by Capital Books.)

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