Asperger's Syndrome - Can a Gluten-Free Diet Help?
A gluten-free, casein free diet is recommended for Asperger's Syndrome children and adults.
Often parents feel rather overwhelmed with such a restrictive diet, and only opt to embrace it as a last resort. The results produced by the diet varies markedly - but the keyword here is RESULT. You can expect some result.
Children with autistic spectrum disorders usually have gastointestinal problems as well, such as reflux, constipation, diarrhoea, vomiting and hiccups. It is known that the proteins found in wheat, rye, oats, barley and dairy products (gluten and casein) aren't completely broken down in children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders. These undigested proteins can leak into the bloodstream, potentially interfering with neurological processes by having an opiate-like effect upon their systems.
It's suggested that these undigested proteins (peptides) can reach toxic levels, with the Asperger child seeming to "crave" milk and wheat products. Symptoms of gluten/casein intolerance include red cheeks and ears, dry skin, runny nose, headaches, hyperactivity, tantrums and malformed bowel movements. Does this sound familiar?
So what results can the diet produce? Parents report a variety of outcomes, including - improved sleep patterns, improved speech and communication, improved focus or attention span, improved social skills, improved personal hygiene habits, improved fine motor skills, improved intestinal function, increase in affection shown, reduction of tantrums and irritability.
So a gluten-free, casein-free diet is definitely worth considering for your Asperger child. You don't have to feel overwhelmed by the restrictive nature of the diet. I suggest simply starting slowly and eliminating one group (either gluten or casein) at a time. Once you're comfortable without wheat or dairy products, then you can tackle the next element. If you see a desirable result from
eliminating one component, you may decide not to go any further.
For our family simply substituting gluten-free flour in all recipes I used was a simple but highly effective action. I'm a home-baker, so in any cakes, biscuits, slices and desserts I just substituted gluten-free flour in my usual recipes. I didn't add any extras like Xantham gum, and
didn't have any failures.
Finding an alternative to bread was our biggest obstacle. The gluten-free varieties just weren't the same, so instead we excluded bread altogether. The gluten-free pastas on the market are excellent, but do tend to cook slightly quicker.
I suggest you email all the major distributors of snack foods, such as muesli bars and fruit slices and ask for a list of their gluten-free products. This helps with easy identification at the store.
Eating out is difficult at first, but if you mention you're gluten-free most restaurant or cafe chefs will gladly prepare something gluten-free. (Of course, this rules out the fast food chains who aren't so obliging!)
For our family the diet finally eliminated all our son's known trigger foods such as peanut butter, chocolate and caffeine in sodas. We stayed on the diet strictly for 10 months before gradually reintroducing gluten. We have seen no return of the eliminated characteristics in our son (all of those mentioned above). We have continued to use gluten-free pasta and flour in our cooking.
I believe that the gluten-free diet had a detoxifying effect not only on our Asperger Syndrome child, but on all of us, and the benefits have been obvious. So be adventurous and try a gluten-free/casein-free diet for your Asperger child....you may be nicely surprised!
©Nelle Frances
www.nellefrances.com
Asperger's Syndrome and Anxiety
Children with Asperger's Syndrome are known to be more naturally 'anxious' than their non-ASD peers. The challenges presented by the 5 characteristics of Asperger's Syndrome (social impairment, communication impairment, sensory sensitivity, repetitive behaviours and difficulty with change) potentially make their world a confusing and frightening reality. Add anxiety to the mix and you may have a child who is anxious and worried 100% of the time. Anxiety and stress
over sustained periods of time is shown to lead to exhaustion, the development of allergies and illness.
Children with Asperger's Syndrome demonstrate their anxiety through a variety/combination of behaviours:-
Physical symptoms (stomach pains; headache; racing heart; sweaty palms; constricted chest; tight muscles; insomnia)
Avoidance desire
Inattention and
Irritability
Anxiety in children with Asperger's Syndrome can be triggered unconsciously; when this is coupled with their inability to verbalise effectively it compounds the effects of anxiety the
Asperger child can be extremely anxious, and unable to tell you why (they may not know themselves). They may be able to tell you they have a stomach ache, or don't wish to go to
Joey's birthday party, but not know why.
Children with Asperger's Syndrome are known to have 'perfectionist' attitudes towards many areas of their lives, and this can be witnessed through their 'obsessive/compulsive' behaviours, their repetitive patterns of behaviour and their difficulty coping with change. This self-imposed 'perfectionist' attitude can contribute to their anxiety and 'pressure to perform'. In other words,
children with Asperger's Syndrome usually place extreme/unrealistic demands on themselves.
It's important to remember this when dealing with an anxious ASD child.
Some useful techniques for supporting an anxious Asperger Syndrome child include:
Redirection/distraction
Physical energy 'burn' (physical activity such as running, bike riding, jumping on a trampoline, swimming etc)
'Whole-body' activities (tug-of-war; monkey-bar; rolling on floor/ground)
Body brushing/massage
Deep pressure activity (lying under a heavy blanket/cushions/mattress)
Chewing/sucking (relieves pressure in the jaw)
Listening (hearing what the Asperger child can tell you)
Anxiety levels in children with Asperger's Syndrome are 'cyclic' in nature, making it more difficult for parents/teachers/carers to identify anxiety triggers. Cycles vary from 4-6 weeks (often linking with lunar cycles). What causes the ASD child mild anxiety one week, may cause extreme anxiety ( and/or avoidance desire) the next.
When our Asperger son was 9 he progressed from a child who was slightly more anxious than his peers, to a child who was extremely anxious, paranoid and agitated in the space of 6 months.
Various methods of dealing with anxiety were introduced by the many therapists/professionals treating our son, much of them with conflicting advice. All of them failed to acknowledge the physical symptoms our Asperger son experienced, tending to present the attitude that the anxiety was "self-imposed", and "if he's not going to speak about what's causing the anxiety, then we can't help him dispel the physical symptoms of that anxiety".
Our son with Asperger's Syndrome is now nearly 16, and in the last year has begun to verbalise much more about his experience of that time. He tells us he was very frightened by his physical symptoms, and most of the time he didn't know what it was about a situation or event that was causing him anxiety, he just knew that the thought of participating sent him into panic. The 'fight or flight' response occured almost immediately (before he'd had a chance to process the feeling
of panic) and he felt he had no control over his world.
He also says we should've listened to him more. For example, if he said didn't want to go to Joey's birthday party, we should've understood that he:-
a) knew birthday parties were fun
b) liked eating party food
c) liked singing Happy Birthday
d) knew all the other kids were going
e) wanted to be like all the other kids
We should've understood that if there was any way he could've coped with the party, he would go. At that point he'd already tried 100 things in his head to talk himself into going. In saying he didn't want to go, his real message to us was "I can't cope with that today".
As you support your child with Asperger's Syndrome to cope with their anxiety be mindful of 'hearing' them not all avoidance desire is 'manipulative' behaviour.
Yes, children with Asperger's Syndrome can be manipulative, but their desire to not be 'different' together with their 'perfectionist' attitudes is a strong, internal force that drives them to be all they can be.
©Nelle Frances
www.nellefrances.com
Home is Where the Money Is
An at home business that can help others with their various jobs can be very lucrative. Busy people with busy lives - single mothers, overextended executives, and entrepreneurs are great prospects for jobs that offer virtual assistance or errand services that someone can run as an at home business.
If the budding entrepreneur doesn't have that college degree and doesn't think he or she is qualified for jobs that allow him to create an at home business, he should think again. Errand services can be as simple as picking up the dry cleaning, ordering the birthday cake, dropping off the film to the photographer's or walking the dog. The great thing about these errand service jobs is not only that they are an at home business but that they don't need much start up money. Any jobs that let the owner do her business at home leaves her free from additional leasing overhead, additional utility deposits, minimal utility increases and the savings of the daily commute.
A home business career should start with rudimentary legal knowledge about business matters that can commonly crop up. Here are a few common terms and ideas that someone starting a home business career should know.
Common discussions during a home business career are whether to become a corporation. The biggest plus, as understood by many is the idea that a corporation will protect the owner from personal liability. The truth is that yes, the creation of a corporation as part of someone's home business career can protect the entrepreneur from personally liability. Referred to as a corporate veil, it protects individuals involved in the business from having creditors attack their personal assets should a lawsuit be filed against the corporation. It's not enough, however, for the venture to be named a corporation, however.
The home business founder has to have a corporate feel in his or her career, with meetings of the board of directors, minutes and note taking and publishing, as well as a corporate checking account and perhaps credit cards in the name of the corporation. Someone whose career involves a home business and who is thinking about creating a corporation should seek the advice of an attorney.
Here are some ideas that can be very useful in home business marketing:
Start a frequent buyer club. Your loyal customers should be rewarded for patronizing your store. That way, they will give their business to you, and no one else. It might be helpful for you to track the purchase information of your customers, and once they've reached a certain threshold, give them a gift certificate or a rebate. Alternatively, you can give them future discounts, or simply a free gift. These ideas can be varied almost endlessly, so get creative and experiment with what works best for you.