Autism - Tests and Diagnoses

According to the Autism Society of America (ASA), "autism is defined by a certain set of behaviors and is a 'spectrum disorder' that affects individuals differently and to varying degrees."
So, not only is there no concise definition of this disorder, there are no hard and fast rules governing the manifestation of the disorder, but there are screening processes that can help parents help their health care practitioners get an earlier diagnoses and earlier treatment. What, then, are the ways in which children are tested for, and diagnosed with, autism?

Screening and Observation

While there is no medical test for detecting autism, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that autism spectrum disorders can be detected as early as 18 months of age; signs of autism generally manifest themselves when children are under age three.

Autism is treatable, and, like other disorder, early detection is key to obtaining timely and effective treatment. The ASA offers several signs to look for in children, including "lack of or delay in spoken language; repetitive use of language and/or motor mannerisms (e.g., hand-flapping, twirling objects); little or no eye contact; lack of interest in peer relationships; lack of spontaneous or make-believe play; and persistent fixation on parts of objects."

The first place to start is with your child's regular visits to the pediatrician. Screening can "help identify children who might have developmental delays," according to the CDC. Screening cannot, however, "give sure evidence of developmental delays, and . . . cannot be used to make a diagnosis." Developmental screening during a regular check up will determine if a child needs more intensive evaluation in the form of developmental surveillance.

Developmental surveillance consists of observing a child and accurately recording observations regarding his development. More information about developmental surveillance is available here.
Screening for high-functioning autism or Asperger's syndrome can be performed on school-aged children; these disabilities are often present in the absence of language delays.
Comprehensive Diagnostic Evaluation

The next step is for a child to undergo a diagnostic evaluation to determine if he has autism. This may consist of a comprehensive developmental history, parent interviews, psychological evaluations, speech and language evaluation, and possibly genetic, physical, and neurological testing. The CDC cautions that, because of the complexity of autism, "no single tool should be used as the only basis for diagnosing autism." Diagnostic tools rely on direct observation of a child as well as information reported by a parent or caregiver.
What Parents Should Do

Parents should know the developmental milestones appropriate to their child's age. The CDC's "Learn the Sign. Act Early" site offers a concise overview of what a child should be doing at ages three months through five years.

If you suspect your child has a developmental delay, discuss that with your pediatrician. He or she may refer you to - or you should ask for a referral to - a developmental specialist. Knowledge is power, so be sure to consult the CDC and ASA websites for more information.

For more information on Autism behavior characteristics of autism or Signs of Autism please visit us at childdevelopmentmedia.com

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Autism Intervention - How Heavy Metal Testing Helps Your Child

An Autism Intervention Specialist Doctor Explains:

Autism intervention includes the biomedical testing for heavy metals. This article explores the issue of heavy metal diagnostic testing. Testing in an important component of medicine, and the diagnostic tools available for heavy metal exposure and toxicity are important to understand.

There is NO TEST that absolutely tells the exact level of heavy metals stored in your child's body.

You can get an idea about the presence of heavy metals, but no absolute total value is measurable. The reason is, metals are stored in many different places in the body, i.e. brain, kidney, liver.

So why do testing at all? The reason it is important to develop a baseline for any individual on the autism-spectrum to determine the need and progression overtime with biomedical autism Intervention, such as detoxification treatment.

HAIR:

• Gives an idea of past exposure of metals that have been in tissue circulation for the past 10-12 weeks.
• Cheap, non-invasive and easy to obtain.
• Autism-spectrum children generally show lower levels of heavy metals compared to many neuro-typical children, particularly mercury. This could indicate that a child is not excreting the mercury effectively.

FECAL (stool):

• Gives an idea of environmental exposure via food, air, and water.
• Levels on fecal test DO NOT necessarily indicate what is being detoxified from inside the body (from the bloodstream into the digestive system).
• "In through the mouth, out through the rectum" - is most likely what is being evaluated.

BLOOD:

• Normal most of the time unless there is recent or ongoing exposure. For example, many kids have blood serum mercury tests done that are normal. All this indicates is that they have not been recently exposed to mercury. It does not rule out the possibility of mercury storing in body tissue and staying there causing damage.
• Blood immunology (antibody) testing can give an idea of toxicity - difficult in some kids because production of antibodies is deficient and testing not widely available.

URINE:

• Preferred test for provocative challenge testing. This is where a detoxifying agent is consumed and then urine is collected over a period of time to determine the level of metal excretion into the urine. Usually, a baseline urine sample is collected before the challenge test to get an accurate measurement of detoxifying heavy metals.
• Indicates what is truly coming out.
• Gives an idea of what the body burden maybe, but not 100% all the time.
• Porphyrin Urine Analysis - a unique test that does indicate cellular toxicity to heavy metals.

Critical Point: The heavy metal tests listed above indicate that your child has been exposed to a particular metal, and that toxicity is likely a possibility. They indicate what is coming out of the body, but not how much is left behind. No one heavy metal test will provide all the answers.

Don't let ANYONE tell you there is nothing you can do to help your child. Autism really is treatable! Start your child down the road to recovery from autism. Biomedical Autism treatments and therapies have resulted in many, many children improving - even losing their autism-spectrum disorder diagnosis. For more information and a free ebook on biomedical autism treatment go to http://www.AutismActionPlan.org

Dr. Kurt Woeller is an autism biomedical specialist, with a private practice in Southern California for over 10 years. He has helped children recover from autism, ADD, ADHD, and other disorders, and has the information you need to help your child. Get his ebook, "7 Facts You Need To Know About Autism (But Probably Weren't Told)." You can download it right now for free at http://www.AutismActionPlan.org

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