In this calm and factual talk, geneticist Wendy Chung shares what we know about autism spectrum disorder — for example, that autism has multiple, perhaps interlocking, causes. Looking beyond the worry and concern that can surround a diagnosis, Chung and her team look at what we've learned through studies, treatments and careful listening. TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more. Find closed captions and translated subtitles in many languages at http://www.ted.com/translate This was almost my EXACT experience 7 years ago. ADHD, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and Autism Spectrum Disorder were the diagnoses given. We experimented with a few different medications until we found one that seemed to help with the severe anger and aggression, but did not (seem to) cause too many side effects. The school was happy because he was finally calm. But after a while, we noticed he was a little too calm. Within a couple of years, it was clear to everyone that my 7 year old son was in a constant state of sedation.
While the rest of his classmates were learning and proceeding to subsequent grades, my child was stuck at a 1st grade performance level, unable to learn or grasp new material despite the fact that he was in the beginning of 3rd grade. The psychiatrist advised us to put him on an additional medication to help “wake” my son up during the school day, and it was at this point that little warning bells went off in my head. I just couldn’t understand why I was being advised to medicate in order to alleviate a side effect of another medication! When I asked the doctor if there were any other options, I was told, "Nothing that is medically proven." I often tell people that I came to Alternative Health out of desperation, not conviction. At this point it my life I just knew that I had to help my child. And if there was nothing else to try that was medically proven, well, I would just research things that were UN-medically proven. I combed the library and the internet. I spoke with people who had helped their kids without medication and I slowly began educating myself on the ways of the UN-medically proven world. We tried many different things, some worked, some didn’t. The results often felt slow in coming, and many times during the process I doubted whether I was doing the right thing. But after 2 years of eliminating food dyes, high fructose corn syrup, and other “non food” food items; feeding my family nourishing, whole, full fat food; implementing precise behavioral strategies and using a daily regimen of essential oils, my boy became a different child. He still has his challenges – he probably always will. But he’s thriving in school, is making and keeping friends, and is getting along with his siblings (usually). I invite you to visit http://kidsbeyondmeds.leadpages.co/workshop/ where I share everything I did for my family -- and scores of other parents -- to great results, and how you can learn to do the same. If you are experiencing a similar struggle and need some support, you are not alone. -Devorah |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
June 2018
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