Medical Treatments for Autism

What are the best treatments for Autism? Regardless of which ones are chosen, the overall goals are:

A) make the autistic person functionally independent, and B) to improve his or her quality of life. There are several types of Western treatments available for Autism. Here are some of the most common ones, along with some of their benefits and drawbacks:

1. Gluten-Free, Casein-Free (GFCF) Diet

Certain types of diets (i.e. gluten-free and casein-free diets) are often used to treat Autism patients. The goal of the GFCF diet is to eliminate the proteins Gluten and Casein from autistic people.

Pros:

Some clinical studies have indicated that GFCF diets can be somewhat beneficial in treating the various symptoms related to Autism. However, it should be stressed that the results are inconclusive at best.

Cons:

There is conflicting evidence that there's a link between Autism and digestion disorders. In fact, clinical studies on the issue are somewhat conflicting. It should also be noted that such diets have the potential to cause new health problems.

2. Dietary Supplements

Various types of dietary supplements can be used to treat people with Autism. For example, some studies have suggested that the combination of Vitamin B6 and Magnesium could be beneficial in effectively treating some symptoms of Autism. However, the studies conducted have been limited. Vitamin C might be somewhat beneficial in treating Autism. However, clinical studies have provided limited evidence of that, while high doses of Vitamin C could result in unwanted side-effects. Omega-3 fatty acids are a popular treatment for Autism patients, although clinical studies haven't verified their effectiveness for treating the disorder.

Pros:

The majority of dietary supplements for treating Autism have fairly mild side-effects. This is certainly a significant benefit over prescription medications, which often cause moderate-to-severe side-effects due to the powerful chemicals they contain.

Cons:

Minimal research has been conducted on dietary supplements, to determine how effective they are in treating Autism.

3. Prescription Medications

Physicians prescribe several types of medications to treat the symptoms of Autism. In fact, over half of all children in the U.S.A. diagnosed with Autism are prescribed certain types of medications. The most common types are:

antidepressants: used to treat conditions such as depression and anxiety disordersantipsychotics: tranquilizing medication used to treat psychosisstimulants: drugs used to provide improvements in one's physical and/or mental function Pros:

Clinical studies show that certain prescription medications seem to be effective in successfully treating certain types of Autism symptoms, such as irritability, tantrums, and aggression. In fact, the U.S.A.'s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved particular medications for treating certain symptoms of Autism. Other prescription medications seem to be somewhat effective in treating Autism, yet the FDA hasn't approved them for treating the disorder specifically.

Cons:

Various possible problems can result from the use of prescription medications to treat Autism. One is that different people will respond differently to various prescriptions, so it's crucial that physicians closely monitor how their patients react to various types of medications. Another possible problem is when an Autism patient receives a dosage that is higher than it should be. Yet another possible drawback of prescription medications is the human-made chemicals that they contain, which can cause an array of unwanted side-effects.

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