Homeopathy for Autism

The incidence of autism spectrum disorders (A.S.D.s) in children of the western world has now reached epidemic proportions. Whilst such numbers of A.S.D. - affected children are new, the homoeopathic remedies used to treat them are not.

This article first appeared in the December 2007 edition of Similia (Vol. 19 No.2) the journal of the Australian Homeopathic Association.

We Have a Problem

The world is in the grip of an epidemic. Autism Spectrum Disorders (A.S.D.s), have increased ten-fold or more over the last decade. A recent report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention concluded that up to one in a hundred American children now have ASD.

In past decades, the estimates had been four or five children per 10,000 . Figures from Great Britain show a similar increase. Whilst a government database on the prevalence of autism does not yet exist in Australia, a recent peer-reviewed paper concluded from the data that was available that one in 100 Australians will be diagnosed with this disorder and that two out of three are currently under the age of 15. Between 2000 and 2005, the Victorian Education Department alone reported a 276 percent jump in students with an A.S.D. Boys are four times more likely to be affected than girls from the first descriptive report of autism in 1943 by psychiatrist and physician Leo Kanner, the worldwide prevalence of this disorder has exploded. The reason is not yet known but viral infections, genetic factors, birth trauma, environmental toxins, and vaccines have all been suspected.

Greater awareness and better diagnosis may be responsible for a small part of the increase but do not explain it all; they do not, for instance, explain why the majority of new cases have emerged from the 2 – 6 year age bracket. As autism is classified as a lifelong condition, better recognition of already existing cases should have led to a similar increase in the number of diagnoses among adults, but this has not happened. Obviously, the answer lies elsewhere.

What is Autism?

When people talk about autism, they are generally referring to one of several neurological disorders that significantly impair the way a person communicates, interacts socially, thinks, or behaves.

These disorders are normally grouped under the umbrella term of Autism Spectrum Disorders (A.S.D.s) and include:

  • Autistic Disorder (also known as Infantile or Childhood autism);
  • Aspergers Syndrome;
  • Retts Syndrome;
  • Childhood Disintegrative Disorder; and
  • Pervasive Developmental Disorders Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS), which is also known as Atypical Autism.

    • Those with Autistic Disorder and an unaffected IQ may also be described as having High Functioning Autism (H.F.A.). Autism is considered by health authorities to be a life long disability of unknown aetiology and with no cure.

    Common Signs and Symptoms

    Diagnosis of an A.S.D. is based on a syndrome of symptoms relating to impaired social ability, communication skills, behaviours, and sensory or motor functions.

    These impairments may consist of:

    • Flat or high-pitched speech;
    • Repetition of words and phrases (echolalia);
    • Difficulty in recognising and understanding another person’s feelings or perspective;
    • Lack of eye contact;
    • Reluctance to initiate or continue conversation;
    • Preference for activities that require little verbal interaction;
    • Difficulty in comprehension;
    • Hyper or hyposensitivity to pain, light, sound, crowds, and other external stimuli;
    • Repetitive behaviours and ritualised activities;
    • Inflexible behaviour and difficulty in coping with change;
    • Narrow bands of passionate interests or obsessions; and
    • Awkwardness, or delayed development of fine and gross motor skills;

    Because of these impairments, people with A.S.D.s often find the demands of everyday life overwhelming. They frequently experience anxiety, confusion, and frustration.

    An Error of Thinking

    The children coming to our clinics today are changing. No longer do they arrive with just tonsil, middle ear, or eczema problems; increasingly, they also come with an A.S.D. diagnosis. Because A.S.D.s are a relatively new phenomenon, and their symptoms deep and pervasive, it is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that these children must be difficult to treat; that great skill and expertise, a cutting edge methodology, and new, exotic remedies are needed.

    Fortunately, this is not so. As with most things in homeopathy, answers frequently lie among our remedies. If prescribed according to similia – "like treats like" – and combined with sound case management, these well known remedies produce remarkable results for seemingly intractable conditions – even autism. Please see 'Testimonials' for some cases of Autism which we have treated successfully with homeopathy.