Today's Research Presentation - Autism Spectrum Disorder
Today in my pediatric clinicals I am giving a presentation on Autism Spectrum Disorder.
I don't know if all of you know my son, Joey.
Joey was born on May 8th, 1996. My best friend Jeanie was there.... And after three hours of labor, about 10 minutes of pushing, this precious little guy was born.
Joey was an amazing baby. He crawled at 2 months. When he was four months old I took something (I don't even remember what now!) away from him and put it on the bookshelf. He crawled around the living room for 20 minutes, pulling pillows off of the couches and chairs. He pushed them over to the bookshelf and tried to crawl up them to get it back! Needless to say, Joey has never been what anyone would consider a "normal" child.
When Joey was six months old, his pediatrician walked into the room to find him putting together an 8 piece jigsaw puzzle. Her assessment of him was that he was "scary smart".
Here's Joey at age 2 months.
When Joey was 15 months old he had a high fever. This fever was in response to an allergic reaction to his MMRs.
Please understand... I am not pro-vaccination. I am not anti-vaccination. There are important benefits and risks to all vaccinations. I AM pro-information. All parents should understand those risks and benefits and be able to make an informed decision for their children.
Through my research I have come to believe that there are children who are more susceptible to vaccine side-effects than others. Even the most conventional of doctors understands that there are children who are allergic to some vaccines... just as some children are allergic to bee-stings... or strawberries.
This is Joey at age 4. Note the lack of eye contact.
When Joey was diagnosed, it was a relief. Now I had some understanding of what was going on. With the help of some wonderful people at the Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential, Alison (then age 5) and I began an intensive crawling/repatterning program with then aged 2 Joey.
These were the years we referred to as "losing Joey to the 'Dark Side'".
Around age 6, Joey was moved up the spectrum to Aspergers. Now at age 10, he is considered mildly developmentally delayed, possible sensory integration disorder. He is about as high up the spectrum as you can get and still be on it.
This was Joey this morning... age 10:
Yes, he does that to his hair on purpose. He thinks it's "cool". Considering what his father just did to HIS hair, I can't complain too much.
Not to mention, I have a beautiful, happy boy who can look me in the eyes and tell me he loves me. Despite his other (mild) delays, I couldn't be happier.
New information has come out regarding the potential causes of Autism Spectrum Disorders. The latest research seems to indicate that there are parts of our brain called "mirror neurons". They allow us to read other people's actions and intentions. It is also what allows us to empathize with others and to learn from watching others. In children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, these mirror neurons are either missing (congenital Autism) or damaged (Autism spectrum disorders developed post-birth).
There is also research indicating that children with ASD have a sort of auto-immune response to their own brain tissue. Perhaps this is what causes the damage to the mirror neurons.
Also, there is some linkage between ASD and ADHD. I have ADHD. Alison has ADHD. Jonathan has ADD. Perhaps Joey was just mean to have ADHD before the brain inflammation damaged enough mirror neurons. I know that the repatterning we did under the guidance of IAHP is what allowed Joey to rebuild connections in his brain... and it was done when he was young enough and his brain was still "plastic" enough to build those connections. Maybe it's not the mirror neurons themselves that are damaged in all cases... maybe it's just the connections between them and the rest of the brain. I don't know.
In addition, the synapses in ASD children do not have the same myelination as "normal" (boy, do I hate that term - I understand why some people in autism reseach call them neurotypical instead) children. Without proper myelination, the neurons that are there cannot fire properly.
Also, children with ASD do not learn well from watching others. They have to physically do something for their mirror nuerons to fire and allow them to learn. Marc used this last week when he realized Joey didn't understand how to peel the carrots from watching him do it... He put his hands on Joey's hands and peeled a carrot together with him. After that, Joey could do it perfectly.
This is why I am becoming a nurse. Because I remember people telling me that Joey should be institutionalized. I remember that pain.... and knowing that locked inside my little guy was a brilliant, bright, happy child. And I know that other children are out there whose parents don't know how to unlock their children...
Over the past few weeks I have determined that after I finish my RN to BSN at Rush University I will get my Family and Pediatric Nurse Practitioner licenses and finish up with a child development doctorate at the Erikson Institute in Chicago.
I am going to be in school forever....
I don't know if all of you know my son, Joey.
Joey was born on May 8th, 1996. My best friend Jeanie was there.... And after three hours of labor, about 10 minutes of pushing, this precious little guy was born.
Joey was an amazing baby. He crawled at 2 months. When he was four months old I took something (I don't even remember what now!) away from him and put it on the bookshelf. He crawled around the living room for 20 minutes, pulling pillows off of the couches and chairs. He pushed them over to the bookshelf and tried to crawl up them to get it back! Needless to say, Joey has never been what anyone would consider a "normal" child.
When Joey was six months old, his pediatrician walked into the room to find him putting together an 8 piece jigsaw puzzle. Her assessment of him was that he was "scary smart".
Here's Joey at age 2 months.
When Joey was 15 months old he had a high fever. This fever was in response to an allergic reaction to his MMRs.
Please understand... I am not pro-vaccination. I am not anti-vaccination. There are important benefits and risks to all vaccinations. I AM pro-information. All parents should understand those risks and benefits and be able to make an informed decision for their children.
Through my research I have come to believe that there are children who are more susceptible to vaccine side-effects than others. Even the most conventional of doctors understands that there are children who are allergic to some vaccines... just as some children are allergic to bee-stings... or strawberries.
This is Joey at age 4. Note the lack of eye contact.
When Joey was diagnosed, it was a relief. Now I had some understanding of what was going on. With the help of some wonderful people at the Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential, Alison (then age 5) and I began an intensive crawling/repatterning program with then aged 2 Joey.
These were the years we referred to as "losing Joey to the 'Dark Side'".
Around age 6, Joey was moved up the spectrum to Aspergers. Now at age 10, he is considered mildly developmentally delayed, possible sensory integration disorder. He is about as high up the spectrum as you can get and still be on it.
This was Joey this morning... age 10:
Yes, he does that to his hair on purpose. He thinks it's "cool". Considering what his father just did to HIS hair, I can't complain too much.
Not to mention, I have a beautiful, happy boy who can look me in the eyes and tell me he loves me. Despite his other (mild) delays, I couldn't be happier.
New information has come out regarding the potential causes of Autism Spectrum Disorders. The latest research seems to indicate that there are parts of our brain called "mirror neurons". They allow us to read other people's actions and intentions. It is also what allows us to empathize with others and to learn from watching others. In children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, these mirror neurons are either missing (congenital Autism) or damaged (Autism spectrum disorders developed post-birth).
There is also research indicating that children with ASD have a sort of auto-immune response to their own brain tissue. Perhaps this is what causes the damage to the mirror neurons.
Also, there is some linkage between ASD and ADHD. I have ADHD. Alison has ADHD. Jonathan has ADD. Perhaps Joey was just mean to have ADHD before the brain inflammation damaged enough mirror neurons. I know that the repatterning we did under the guidance of IAHP is what allowed Joey to rebuild connections in his brain... and it was done when he was young enough and his brain was still "plastic" enough to build those connections. Maybe it's not the mirror neurons themselves that are damaged in all cases... maybe it's just the connections between them and the rest of the brain. I don't know.
In addition, the synapses in ASD children do not have the same myelination as "normal" (boy, do I hate that term - I understand why some people in autism reseach call them neurotypical instead) children. Without proper myelination, the neurons that are there cannot fire properly.
Also, children with ASD do not learn well from watching others. They have to physically do something for their mirror nuerons to fire and allow them to learn. Marc used this last week when he realized Joey didn't understand how to peel the carrots from watching him do it... He put his hands on Joey's hands and peeled a carrot together with him. After that, Joey could do it perfectly.
This is why I am becoming a nurse. Because I remember people telling me that Joey should be institutionalized. I remember that pain.... and knowing that locked inside my little guy was a brilliant, bright, happy child. And I know that other children are out there whose parents don't know how to unlock their children...
Over the past few weeks I have determined that after I finish my RN to BSN at Rush University I will get my Family and Pediatric Nurse Practitioner licenses and finish up with a child development doctorate at the Erikson Institute in Chicago.
I am going to be in school forever....