NUTRITION & AUTISM MANAGEMENT
HELLO! It’s been a while since I have written one of these BITE SIZED BLOGS! I wanted to share with you how Nutrition can be used as a powerful tool in your Autism TOOLBOX.
NOW…Lets see if I can keep this bite sized! It’s a huge topic & one I am passionate about.
Can I start by saying when we talk about how Nutrition positively effects Autism Symptoms, we aren’t trying to “CURE” Autism, we are talking about improving function and quality of life. That is where we bring in Functional Medicine! Improving function…One of the biggest over sights in today’s world of treating Autism.
With 1 in 44 children being diagnosed with ASD, we need to look at all aspects of improving function for those on the spectrum, in which Nutrition plays a huge ROLE. Things like gut function, immunity, and detoxification affect the behavioural and mood symptoms of Autism This is what I am aiming to improve in my clients… I use Nutrition and supplements to heal these systems in the body.
What does the research say?... Studies suggest that a COMPREHENSIVE nutritional and dietary intervention is effective at improving nutritional status, non-verbal IQ, autism symptoms, developmental age, and other symptoms in most individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). NOW… that is significant.
How DO we improve function with researched methods?
- ELIMINATE Gluten/Dairy and other allergens from the diet (Why Gluten and Dairy you ask…there is much evidence showing these drive toxicity & inflammation in Autism…another blog topic perhaps!...)
- Address heavy metals, bacteria, yeast, enzymes, gut function, liver function, detoxification pathways
- Supplements… Example of some essential Nutrients that are proven to be beneficial are Omegas, Zinc, Magnesium, Glutathione, B vitamins, CoQ10, Vitamin D
- Improve everyday nutrition
All whilst peeling back the layers to understand what is going on in the body! What is affecting function… What is driving symptoms…
THIS IS WHY NUTRITION should be considered an essential supportive therapy in Autism management! Unfortunately, NDIS is currently FAILING to see the substantial evidence, apparently Nutrition isn’t an important therapy requirement in an NDIS plan. Hours for accessing a Nutritionist are being reduced not increased in NDIS plans all around Australia.
Let me know your thoughts on this topic!
THANK YOU for reading my BITE SIZED BLOG…
References:
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/1471-2431-11-111
https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/10/3/369?fbclid=IwAR3yYf38T-yIjB5lsvS8flkx-X5PVINiurVzxvtbTd_aAP3hkwUHl87zqh8#metrics