Autism in Jacksonville and Serving Ponte Vedra Beach & Jacksonville Beach, FL
Autism is a very common diagnosis these days. 3/100 children have this diagnosis. A lot of parents want to know why autism is becoming more common. The answer is multifactorial. Some of the higher cases are due to an increasing awareness of the symptoms of autism but environmental and genetic factors such as having children later in life, environmental exposures and toxins are implicated as well. Diet and vaccinations have been questioned but not proven. What we do know is that autism is treatable with therapies and that our minds are not static, and have a great capacity to heal. Many children with even severe autism can make progress that is astounding with the right therapies, diet, supplements, parental and school support.
Many parents wonder if their child (at any age) could have autism. Some of the symptoms can be:
- Lack of eye contact
- Lack of pointing and gesturing
- Not responding to their name when called
- Speech delay
- Not interested in social interaction
- Repetitive Movements
- Lack of imaginative play
Diagnosing autism involves a thorough medical and developmental evaluation, and a psychiatric evaluation depending on the age of your child. Sometimes consultation with a neurologist or geneticist are necessary. Most importantly your child needs your love, support, and therapies such as speech therapy, occupation therapy, and may need to start ABA (applied behavioral analysis) therapy.
The functional medicine approach to evaluating autism may involve gut microbiome testing, ruling out nutrient deficiencies and toxins, genetic and metabolic problems, and food sensitivities that may be contributing. Some children with autism have significant improvements after addressing these issues.
There are complementary ways of managing autism, including:
- Dietary changes
- Supplements
- Prescription medicines