Autism is a pervasive developmental disorder that usually becomes apparent in the first three years of life: in contact with other people, in language and in recurring patterns of behaviour. Its expression varies greatly from child to child, which is why we speak of the autism spectrum.
Children with autism are usually treated with psychotherapy and medication. Assessment by child and adolescent psychiatry and educational support remain the foundation. What we offer supplements them and does not replace them.
Looking at the body
Many children on the autism spectrum have complaints that at first seem to have nothing to do with behaviour: abdominal pain, constipation or diarrhoea, very one-sided eating habits, sleep disorders, frequent infections. A child who finds it hard to communicate often shows such complaints only through behaviour.
These complaints can be assessed and often treated. When the child is physically better, parents not infrequently also report more calm, better sleep and more attention. We look at four areas in particular.
Gluten and casein peptides
Gluten is a protein in wheat and related cereals, casein a protein in milk. If these proteins are not fully broken down in the gut, fragments remain, known as peptides. According to one hypothesis, some of these peptides can pass through a permeable intestinal lining into the blood and act in the brain in a similar way to opiates.
This hypothesis has not been proven. Studies of the gluten-free and casein-free diet come to differing results: some families report an improvement, for others nothing changes.
We therefore first test whether casein and gluten peptides can be detected in the urine. Only then do we recommend an elimination trial, and we support you through it.
Food sensitisation
Besides the immediate-type allergy, which shows within minutes, there are delayed reactions to foods. They are harder to recognise because hours or days can pass between eating and the complaints.
The history, a food diary and blood tests for antibodies to foods provide pointers. A raised value alone does not prove an intolerance. What matters is whether the child is better when the food is left out for a few weeks, and whether the complaints return when it is back on the table.
More on this: Allergies and intolerances
Candida in the gut
Yeasts of the genus Candida belong in small numbers to the normal intestinal flora. After repeated courses of antibiotics, in small children for middle ear infections for example, they can multiply strongly.
Excessive colonisation can irritate the intestinal lining and lead to bloating, abdominal pain and irregular stools. That metabolic products of the yeasts also influence behaviour is suspected, but has not been shown.
We establish whether there is excessive colonisation with a stool test. If there is a finding, the colonisation is treated specifically, the intestinal flora is rebuilt and the diet is adjusted, above all with regard to sugar.
Vaccinations
Many parents report that the first signs in their child appeared after a vaccination. We take these observations seriously and record every child’s vaccination history carefully.
We discuss questions about vaccinations, individual vaccines and timing in our vaccination advice: Immunology and vaccination medicine
What parents can expect
The aim is to recognise and treat physical burdens so that the child is better and support can take better effect.
We discuss with you in consultation which assessments make sense for your child.