Autism is diagnosed based on social communication and behavioural differences
Social Communication
Social communication involves both verbal and non-verbal elements such as gestures, eye contact, and facial expressions. Individuals with ASD experience varying difficulties in this area. Some may have limited speech but retain language comprehension, while others may speak fluently but struggle to understand communication nuances. Expressive and receptive skills may not align, so support should be based on broader assessments rather than verbal ability alone.
Difficulties in social interaction include trouble forming relationships, interpreting emotions, and expressing their own feelings, leading to challenges in school, work, and social settings. Misunderstanding social norms can result in bullying or exclusion. These challenges affect their ability to relate to others and handle the demands of social environments.
Behaviour and Sensory Processing:
People with ASD often face sensory processing challenges in areas such as sound, smell, or touch. They may be hypersensitive to stimuli, leading to behaviors like covering ears or avoiding noisy spaces. Many have a preference for fixed routines and exhibit intense interests in specific areas, which can be leveraged to foster engagement and a sense of value.
ASD is also often associated with a range of health physical abnormalities
There are many other health characteristics associated with ASD, though they are not present in all individuals.
“ ASD is strongly associated with several coexisting conditions which may significantly impact on the wellbeing of the person and their family and/or carers…
Other conditions associated with ASD include sensory problems, gastrointestinal disturbances (such as inflammatory bowel disease, coeliac disease, diarrhoea, and constipation), and epilepsy”
Autism is a condition that is recognised as being not wholly genetic, i.e. where both genetic and environmental factors contribute to its development
There are many peer reviewed papers that acknowledge the dual gene-environment causalities, including the NHS and US governmental health agencies.
The Nice guidelines for Autism states:
“The precise cause of ASD is unknown. However, numerous genetic and environmental factors are thought to play a role in development.”
The Great Ormond Street Children Hospital states:
“The genetic and environmental factors that influence brain development and function are not specific to autism - the same factors that cause difference in brain development may also result in associated conditions e.g. epilepsy, intellectual disability, motor difficulties, mental health difficulties, atypical behaviour.”
The US Center for Disease Control (CDC) and National Institute of Health (NIH) states:
“Scientists have found rare gene changes, or mutations, as well as small common genetic variations in people with autism, implying a genetic component. A growing area of research focuses on interaction of genetic and environmental factors.”
The CDC goes into much detail about the different environmental factors; stress, infection, pollution, heavy metals and nutrition.
Lifestyle, dietary and nutritional intervention
As registered Nutritional Therapy Practitioners (NT), our practitioners are regulated by the British Association of Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicines (BANT) and Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC) to make lifestyle, dietary and supplement recommendations. BANT and CNHC provide guidelines on working with children including information on consent and parental responsibility, who attends the consultation, documentation, safeguarding children, children attending group programmes and working with a child’s GP.
The supplements are classified as a food or food supplement in the UK, as such no medical claims in a commercial context in respect of food supplements are made. The NTs can also recommend functional testing based on their professional judgement to better understand a person’s health concerns. NTs liaise with the person’s GPs on medical diagnosis.
Our son was diagnosed with severe ASD when he was 18 months old. As soon as we contact Dr Amet the effectiveness of the treatment was quite obvious and we were able to have remarkable success with our behavioural at-home program. We cannot emphasize the importance of a biomedical treatment to help your child alone with proper therapy, hand to hand. We will be very grateful to Dr Amet forever.
OSCAR- parent
Frequently asked questions by our clients
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There could be a range of reasons that can contribute to these behaviours; gut dysbiosis, yeast overgrowth, lack of nutritients, food intolerances or allergies. We aim to understand the root causes of the problems to address them more effectively.
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Several different issues can contribute to behavioural outbursts; gut dysbiosis, excessive dietary intake of sugar, lack of sleep, communication difficulties, behaviour management problems. We aim to understand the root causes of the problem for each child.
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Such behaviours are often refer as stimming behaviours. Stimming serves a protective and self-regulatory purpose for the child, such as managing sensory overload, relaxing, or self-soothing. It may increase when the child is unwell or stressed.
If new or intensified stimming occurs, we explore possible health-related causes.
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We provide full assessment of the physical and social contexts which may contribute to developmental difficulties and the occurrence of behaviours that challenge. Our focus is to identify a set of valid intervention strategies to improve the quality of life outcomes for both the person with disability and their parents.
If you’d like to know more, please get in touch or book in a free call with Lorene by clicking the link below.
