Aspergers/ASD support thread

Zara33

Nicki thank you, i know for sure i certainly wouldn't have responded so brilliantly as your posts.

So vitamin d is the answer :rolleyes: stop all researching now!

Parents please be aware on so called "cures" for autism especially on internet forums.

Ted_Hutchinson

Nicki wrote: »

Sorry Ted but how can you say without seeing my child and testing her blood that she was born Vitamin D deficient!

Because the RDA for Vitamin D is set at less than one twentieth of amount the body uses anyone and everyone taking only the RDA will inevitably be Vitamin d insufficient. This research shows the very high percentage of the UK population with such a low Vitamin d status that biomakers of low staus, such as intact parathyroid hormone (PTH), intestinal calcium absorption, and skeletal density measurements are observable.
When humans are sun (or dietary) replete, the vitamin D endocrine system will function in a fashion as do these other steroid synthetic pathways, not limited by substrate. This is achieved when circulating 25(OH)D exceeded 100 nmol. A level 25% higher than used in the above research.
It is a reasonable deduction that posters to this forum are no different than the vast majority of UK citizens and if most of whom are vitamin d insufficient (the word I used not deficient). Perhaps you did spend your pregnancy in the tropics but that would have been an unreasonable assumption for me to make, imo.

Because the reported incidence of Autism continues to increase, it is important that minds are not closed to new ideas. When these are presented and supported by scientific research it is reasonable to expect those refuting that new theory, support their opinions with links to equivalent research based sources.

Ted_Hutchinson

Zara33 wrote: »

Nicki thank you, i know for sure i certainly wouldn't have responded so brilliantly as your posts.

So vitamin d is the answer :rolleyes: stop all researching now!

Parents please be aware on so called "cures" for autism especially on internet forums.

That is an unreasonable response to a well thought out and detailed paper on a possible theory behind the rise in Autism incidence.
Anyone who thinks that having suboptimal vitamin D status, at any time in your life but particularly while pregnant, is a good idea really needs to spend some time reading the papers at The Vitamin d council website

Zara33

Ted i will be quick as i'm going to collect my son from school for lunch.

According to your post history vitamin d cures/helps:
Breast cancer
Prostate cancer
heart disease
glandular fever
pms
depression
Improving female fertility
Osteoporosis
Paedophilia
and now autism

Out of interest do you actually have any experience of any of the above? Also are you letting people know how dangerous it is taking too much vitamin d.

Too much vitamin D can lead to problems with the levels of calcium and phosphate in the body. High levels of calcium in our blood can lead to kidney stones, muscle weakness, stomach upsets and thirst. It can also lead to to problems with growth in children.

Dummie_2

Hello There

I've not been on here for a while but it's so nice to come here and read all your messages of support, sharing your experiences and knowledge and wishes of luck. Thank you. :T

Thursday is finally approaching. Our HV will be coming over to carry out the questionaire. This day will mark another step forward in our journey.

This past month has seen quite a big change in Aidan. He has gotten so noisy and active . He's not talking but he is screaming, shouting, whinging and babbling. I can't describe it. Finally, our house carries the sound of a toddler existing here. To hear his feet running around and to hear his screams of fraustration. Those sounds are like music to my ears.

Nursery is going great. On his first day there, we walked into the room and immediately he let go of my hand and sat himself down helping himself to the toys that were laid out. I was so surprised. He's also eating his snack at this nursery. Something he never did in all the 7mths he was at his old nursery. Also, when I go to pick him up he is happy and relaxed. At his old nursery, he used to look so very sorry for himself and was often tearful and clingy. He must obviously be very comfortable with the people here and with the whole set up. I'm so pleased and can't thank our HV enough for finding us this nursery place.

Because of the changes that have taken place in Aidan, I am feeling very confused. So I re-did the CHAT questions again and found that he has moved on from where he was way back in Nov 06. Some of the symptoms he used to show he no longer shows. Is this right? Are autistic symptoms something that stays with them for life or do they improve/change over time? Like with him pressing the same button over and over again. Would you expect this same symptom in a 16yr old? Or would that symptom develop/change into something else? Am I making sense?

Ted_Hutchinson

Zara33 wrote: »

According to your post history vitamin d cures/helps:

Breast cancer

Association between low levels of 1, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D and breast cancer risk
Vitamin D and prevention of breast cancer: Pooled analysis.
Vitamin D and Reduced Risk of Breast Cancer: A Population-Based Case-Control Study

Prostate cancer

A Prospective Study of Plasma Vitamin D Metabolites, Vitamin D Receptor Polymorphisms, and Prostate Cancer
Our data suggest that a large proportion of the US men had suboptimal vitamin D status (especially during the winter/spring season), and both 25(OH)D and 1,25(OH)2D may play an important role in preventing prostate cancer progression. Moreover, vitamin D status, measured by 25(OH)D in plasma, interacts with the VDR FokI polymorphism and modifies prostate cancer risk. Men with the less functional FokI ff genotype (14% in the European-descent population of this cohort) are more susceptible to this cancer in the presence of low 25(OH)D status..., high plasma 25(OH)D level was related to significant 60%70% lower risks of total and aggressive prostate cancer.
Vit d Drug Combination Helps Halt Prostate Cancer
OHSU Cancer Institute Researcher Finds Drug Combination Helps Halt Prostate Cancer

Mortality rates from prostate cancer are significantly higher among African Americans than Caucasian Americans and are inversely related to the availability of ultraviolet (UV) radiation. These findings support the hypothesis, originally proposed in 1990, that prostate cancer may be caused by vitamin D deficiency.

heart disease

Hypocalcemia as a Cause of Reversible Cardiomyopathy with Ventricular Tachycardia.Ann Intern Med. 3 April 2007 | Volume 146 Issue 7 | Pages 541–542.
Effects of atorvastatin on vitamin d levels in patients with acute ischemic heart disease.Am J Cardiol. 2007 Apr 1;99(7):903–5. Epub 2007 Feb 8.
Vitamin D supplementation and cardiovascular disease risk.Circulation. 2007 Feb 20;115(7):827–8. Editorial.

glandular fever

The Antibiotic Vitamin Deficiency in vitamin D may predispose people to infection
Epidemic Influenza And Vitamin D

pms

Cyclical Changes in Calcium Metabolism Across the Menstrual Cycle in Women with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD).
Calcium and vitamin D intake and risk of incident premenstrual syndrome.

depression

Randomized comparison of the effects of the vitamin D3 adequate intake versus 100 mcg (4000 IU) per day on biochemical responses and the wellbeing of patients
Vitamin D Deficiency Is Associated With Low Mood and Worse Cognitive Performance in Older Adults.Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2006 Dec;14(12):1032–1040

Improving female fertility

Seasonality in human reproduction: an update.
Vitamin D receptor found in human sperm.

Osteoporosis

Vitamin d and rehabilitation: improving functional outcomes.

Paedophilia
Lower omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and lower docosahexaenoic acid in men with pedophilia. If I claimed a Vit d connection it would be indirectly via improved uptake of the omega 3 DHA via ion exchange.

autism

Autism and Vitamin D

Have you any evidence to dispute any of the above associations?

Out of interest do you actually have any experience of any of the above?

Personal experience only of the Antibiotic properties of Vitamin D and it's ability to reduce colds/flu/infection by 70% given a high enough status and reduced depression status (no need to use SADLIGHTS any more)

Also are you letting people know how dangerous it is taking too much vitamin d.

Certainly not it would be as stupid as telling people they can die of water intoxication as it happens so rarely in the UK. Do you put notices on each of your taps warning of the potential danger?

Why don't you use up to date sources for your information like I do.
Risk assessment for vitamin D -- Hathcock et al. 85 (1): 6 ...
Where the authors present a risk assessment based on relevant, well-designed human clinical trials of vitamin D. Collectively, the absence of toxicity in trials conducted in healthy adults that used vitamin D dose 250 µg/d (10,000 IU vitamin D3)

If you don't quite grasp the significance of the words I've made bold The absence of Toxicity refers to the NO OBSERVABLE ADVERSE EVENTS LEVEL

You would have to take that amount DAILY for over a YEAR before observable (and easily correctable) adverse events were found. As almost everyone can get access to sun in the summer no one should need to supplement 365days continuously and certainly not at that level.
The amount your body uses daily is between 3000-5000iu/daily so no moneysaver would be so daft as to take twice the amount needed daily for over a year particularly when they can get it for free when/if the sun ever shines again in the UK. (do you think we had Summer in April? we've put the CH on again)

Warning of the dangers of overdosing on Vitamin D3 while in the UK and with a population where using a very low level as a threshold 90% of the population are insufficient in Winter and 60% remain so throughout the Summer would be as barmy as warning of the dangers of drowning to a person in the desert, dying of dehydration from want of water.

chmmy

Dummie I imagine that the actual action would change, but a certain paterrn of behaviour would still exist. I worked as an LSA with a 5year old boy with ASD at the beginning of this school year (Ive moved classes now:( ) and he used to be obsessed with his cars at the start, but now Im told he's obsessed with the computer. He only babbled at the start of the year, but his language is coming along now, so that's definite progress.

I havent read all the thread, but it's great that your little man is enjoying nursery and getting on well. I imagine he will follow his own winding path of development, and because ASD is such a wide range that's why it's so hard to make head or tail of it.

Dummie_2

Had the meeting with our HV and the multi-disciplinary team coordinator. Was basically just to fill in a very long questionaire. Writing down details of our concerns and answering set questions.

The team coordinator offered to arrange a time to observe DS at his nursery whilst I'm not there. Is this normal procedure? Just confused because I thought her job was to coordinate and arrange appointments and such. Anyone know what her jobs is exactly?

A couple of things that were noted were that 1) DS is double jointed and 2) he might be intolerant of certain foods because of his dark shadows under his eyes, his eczema reaction to his formula when he was a baby (he later got prescribed an hypoallergenic formula) and his servere constipation as a baby.

I'm confused as to why these things were noted. Are they important? And are they linked?

Again they pointed out that DS coming to me for cuddles were a good sign. Also, he is beginning to request things by standing by whatever he wants and making a noise. He's also beginning to clap his hands and stamp his feet to the If You're Happy and You Know It song and will touch his head, eyes, mouth and nose to the Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes song.

Generally, because of this huge improvement I've seen in him during the past month I am feeling that maybe I can still afford to hold on to some hope? Or maybe I'm kidding myself. I don't want to be too hopeful just in case he does get diagnosed and the fall will hurt even more. I'm so confused. Am considering calling my HV and asking her for her honest opinion on what she thinks. She has said in the past that 'I'm on the ball' regarding what's going on with DS but she has also said that him coming to me for cuddles is a good sign.

I know I'm thinking too much and reading too much into everything that is being said. But I can't help it. The possibility of DS being on the spectrum hangs over my head and I hate not knowing.

Anyway, enough of my rambling! Thanks for reading.

Nicki

A lot of children on the spectrum have problems with muscle tone, etc, and they do look for this. Equally, a lot of children have problems with muscle tone or are double jointed, and aren't on the spectrum, but make fantastic gymnasts so its not conclusive.

There is some research (which is inconclusive) on diet and autism which suggests that some children on the autistic spectrum may have problems digesting gluten and/or casein (found in dairy products) and one of the signs of this are bowel irregularities and skin problems. The key researcher in the field is Paul Shattock and the work is being done at Sunderland University. If you google this you'll find more information. Alternatively if you've had a chance to check out the asd support group I posted about in my first post on this thread, they have loads of information about diet.

There's always hope, and it is great that he has been making lots of improvement. Keep your spirits up. You're doing a great job.

Savvy_Sue

Dummie wrote: »

Generally, because of this huge improvement I've seen in him during the past month I am feeling that maybe I can still afford to hold on to some hope? Or maybe I'm kidding myself. I don't want to be too hopeful just in case he does get diagnosed and the fall will hurt even more. I'm so confused. Am considering calling my HV and asking her for her honest opinion on what she thinks. She has said in the past that 'I'm on the ball' regarding what's going on with DS but she has also said that him coming to me for cuddles is a good sign.

I know I'm thinking too much and reading too much into everything that is being said. But I can't help it. The possibility of DS being on the spectrum hangs over my head and I hate not knowing.

The spectrum is broad, and you've seen changes over the last month. So of course there's hope - and you have the hope that whatever problems your DS may have they will be properly identified NOW so that you and he get the help he needs from a young age, rather than years down the line.