Yeast and the Child with Autism

autism (1)

How Do I Know if My Autistic Child is Suffering from Yeast Overgrowth?

Autism is a disorder that affects the mind, leading to slow and improper development of some social or motor skills as the child grows. Some symptoms can be caught in the child’s fetal stages but most families discover their child’s disorder through behaviors that arise as the child reaches toddler age.

While there is no cure in sight and no definite idea of what causes Autism yet, scientists have made strides in trying to help families with Autistic children to increase their child’s brain activity on a biological level to encourage growth through learning techniques and therapies. Several years ago, it was proposed and accepted by scientists and doctors across the nation that an overgrowth of yeast in the both can amplify the symptoms of Autism in children and adults. This overgrowth in the body is harmful in all people but becomes particularly disturbing in regards to Autism as it could be hindering the child’s mental development. Yeast overgrowth is a medical issue common to autism that can cause sleep disturbances, sensory issues, hyperactivity, picky eating, stimming, and more. 

How Do I Know if My Autistic Child is Suffering from Yeast Overgrowth?

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Some of the behavioral signs of a yeast overgrowth include:

  • ADHD and other hyperactivity
  • Issues with Sleep or Night Walking and fatigue
  • Random flapping of hands or walking on their toes or increased stimming
  • Uncontrollable fits of laughter that have no source
  • “Spacey” behavior including inattentiveness and difficulty concentrating
  • “Fogginess” or poor cognition

There are also strictly medical signs to watch out for as well:

  • Constant or frequent ear, nose or throat infections
  • Bed wetting or other accidents
  • Foul smelling gas and stools
  • Bloated belly and/or gastrointestinal pain
  • Constipation
  • Signs of yeast on the body such as in rashes or under fingernails or a white tongue
  • Constant cravings for food containing high amounts of sugar or carbohydrates

How Do I Decrease the Levels of Yeast in My Child’s Body?

One of main causes of modern yeast overgrowth is a child’s overexposure to yeast at a young age. Prenatal doctors are currently trying to combat this by helping expecting mothers implement a new diet plan that is high in raw nutrients and low in yeast and processed foods.

The constant use of antibiotics is another factor. Antibiotics not only kill the bad bacteria but also the good bacteria that helps the body process yeast safely and naturally.

The best way to combat yeast overgrowth in the body is to safely make changes to the not only the child’s diet but the diet of the family a whole. Focus on eating more fermented foods such as yogurt to increase the amount of good bacteria in the body and keep the yeast at bay. Yeast feeds on sugar. Limiting sugar intake can help prevent yeast overgrowth.

Make sure to contact a medical professional before making any drastic changes. They may be able to recommend alternative treatments or options to help get your child’s yeast levels under control, especially if the child is Autistic as yeast exacerbates the symptoms of Autism and inhibits brain function development.

Additional Resources:

Raising Children Network

Together, we can unlock your child’s potential

Special Needs Bikes, Trikes and Trailers: Enjoying Bike Riding with Your Child

A List of Bikes for Children with Autism to Enjoy

It is that time of year where everyone is looking for fun activities to do outdoors. A favorite past time for many, especially kids, is bike riding. For many children with special needs bike riding doesn’t come easily. Having to coordinate steering, pedaling and balancing is often a difficult task for most children to begin with. Children with Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, autism spectrum disorder or other similar conditions may never be able to ride a two wheeler on their own.

However an adaptive bike will allow you and your child to enjoy bike riding together. There are a number of really good options out there, the key is finding the solution that works best for you and your child. While Lighthouse Autism Center doesn’t endorse any one particular brand or device over another, here are a few that we thought might be helpful based on reviews. These range in prices go from under a hundred dollars up to $7,000.

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Autism and Schools

The Benefits of Autism Options in Public Schools

It is estimated that one in 100 children in America are born with one of the various forms of Autism. So many, in fact, that public health officials have declared it a national health emergency. While intense treatments and specialized schools are expensive and difficult to get into, the government is now requiring public schools to offer educational options for Autistic students.

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Going Out to Eat with a Child who has Autism: Preparation

Few parents would argue that taking your child out to eat can be a challenging experience. When your child has autism that challenge is often magnified tenfold, the dirty looks from other patrons, the misinterpretation of behaviors, snide remarks about how you should better “control” your child.

It would be great if other people would demonstrate kindness and understanding. The fact is that you can’t control the reactions of others. That doesn’t mean you can’t take your child out to eat. Here are a few tips that you can use to make eating out a more enjoyable experience for your child and your family.

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Every 11 Minutes a New Person is Diagnosed with Autism

April is Autism Awareness Month

April is just around the corner.

April is Autism Awareness month, with the 2nd of April being Worldwide Autism Awareness Day.

In the month of April alone more than 3,900 people will be diagnosed with Autism.

New research shows that we are no longer at 1 in 88. The national average is 1 in 50. One out of every 50 kids born this year will be diagnosed with Autism.

  • More than AIDS, cancer and diabetes combined. 
  • Research shows that Early Intervention offers these children the best outcome.

Here, at Lighthouse Autism Center, we are making it our mission this month to spread the word about Autism and provide families that resources they have long been without.

Lighthouse is sponsoring a number of Public Service Announcements that will run on Sunny 101.5 and Oldies 94.3.

For the month of April we have partnered with WNDU to raise awareness through television and the WNDU.com homepage.

Lighthouse is also helping the Climb Project Foundation with their fundraiser. Climb Project Foundation was created by parents of a child with Autism. Their mission is to raise money to help families in our area get the help they need.

If you would like to help Lighthouse and the Climb Project spread hope and help as many families living with Autism in our area as possible, give us a call to see how you can help.

Together, we can unlock your child’s potential

ABA for Autism: Sign the Petition Now

Autism Live is an interactive web show that provides support, information, resources, facts, entertainment and inspiration to parents, practitioners and teachers that work with children on the Autism Spectrum.

They have started a petition, petitioning the Honorable Kathleen Sebelius, the Secretary of Health and Human Services. The point of the petition is to make sure that Applied Behavior Analysis is kept for individuals with Autism. The Affordable Care Act could actually result in individuals with ASD getting less coverage.

The reason this is important, Congress had directed Secretary Sebelius to define ten essential health benefits that make up the minimum insurance coverage required by the Affordable Care Act. Secretary Sebelius, instead of defining them on her own, directed each state to define the essential health benefits. This move puts in jeopardy existing health care coverage that those with Autism have and overlooked that intent of the coverage, as it is meant to cover vulnerable populations.

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How to Make the Most of Meal Time

Getting Your Autistic Child Involved with Food

The involvement of the family has always been a critical component of Applied Behavioral Analysis for treatment of autism. Parents often ask how they can be more involved, how they can take what their child is learning during therapy and apply it at home.

Mealtime is an excellent time for the family to be more involved and help your child with autism apply their new skills into everyday life.

Setting the Table

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Robots and Children with Autism

Written by our Family Outreach Coordinator, Lisa DelPrete

I recently read an article from the BBC news entitled “Robots in the classroom help autistic children learn” and I have to say that I do not totally agree with the entire article and this is why.  In the summer of 2010, our entire family experienced how the use of a robot could help our  then 10 year old son, Mateo, who was diagnosed with Autism at the age of 4 ½.  Mateo spent about two days a week throughout that summer working with a robot through the University of Notre Dame’s FUN Lab. 

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