Treating Autism: An Introduction There is no single best autism treatment. One point that most professionals agree on is that early treatment for autism is important; another is that most individuals with autism respond well to highly structured, specialized programs. Before you make decisions about your child's treatment, you will want to gather information about the various treatment options available. Learn as much as you can, look at all the options, and make your decision on your child's autism treatment based on your child's needs. You may want to visit public schools in your area to see the type of program they offer to special needs children. Do not become so infatuated with a given autism treatment that functional curriculum, vocational life, and social skills are ignored. The National Institute of Mental Health suggests a list of questions parents can ask when planning for their child: Read more: Autism Treatment - eMedTV: Health Information Brought To Life … Continue reading →

In an effort to do everything possible to help their children, many parents continually seek new treatments. Some autism treatments are developed by reputable therapists or by parents of a child with autism. Although an unproven treatment for autism may help one child, it may not prove beneficial to another. To be accepted as a proven treatment, the treatment should undergo clinical trials (preferably randomized, double-blind trials) that would allow for a comparison between treatment and no treatment. Following are some of the interventions that have been reported to have been helpful to some children but whose efficacy or safety has not been proven. Dietary Interventions Dietary interventions are based on the idea that: If parents decide to try for a given period of time a special diet, they should be sure that the child's nutritional status is measured carefully. Some parents have found a gluten-free, casein-free diet helpful to their autistic child. Gluten is a casein-like substance that is found in the seeds of various cereal plants -- wheat, oat, rye, and barley. Casein is the principal protein in milk. Because gluten and milk are found in many of the foods we eat, following a gluten-free, casein-free diet can … Continue reading →

There's no known cure for autism. But there are enough autism treatment options to fill a library full of books. Find out what's available, how it works, how it's provided, and whether it's right for you or your child. What to Do When Autism Treatments Don't Work What do you do when autism treatments don't work? How do you decide whether it's time to take action? Here are concrete questions to ask as you determine whether now is the time for a change. Tips for Funding Autism Treatments How can families afford autism treatments? Here are some hints and tips from reader Mike Bernoski and your About.com Guide to Autism. How to Save Money on Autism Treatments Autism treatments can cost a fortune, but it's possible to save money while also providing your child with high-quality autism treatments. Find out how. Top Treatments for Autism Which are the best treatments for autism? While that's an open question, these are some of the most popular and effective treatments for autism. Of course, there is no hard and fast rule about which is "best," nor is there any law against mixing and matching techniques. Low Cost, Low Risk Treatments for Autism Treatments … Continue reading →

Risperidone, the first drug approved for children with autism and the most widely used, improves some behavior but can have severe side effects such as sleepiness and weight gain Although numerous studies have documented risperidones risks, efforts to find safer alternatives have so far come up short. Credit: Thinkstock Risperidone, the first drug approved for children with autism and the most widely used, improves some childrens behavior but can have severe sideeffects, suggests an informal analysis of the drugs use. The drug effectively treats the explosive and aggressive behavior that can accompany autism. It has pretty big effects on tantrums, aggression and self-injury, saysLawrence Scahill, professor of pediatrics at the Marcus Autism Center at Emory University in Atlanta, who has conducted clinical trials of risperidone. The change can be dramatic, he says, taking effect in a matter of weeks. It has also been shown to reduce hyperactivity andrepetitive behaviors, though the Food and Drug Administration has not approved it for those purposes. Through these effects, risperidone allows children with autism to benefit from social services, educational programs and behavioral interventions, experts say. If you cant sit still during speech therapy, youre attacking the teachers, youre not going to be able … Continue reading →

Your doctor will probably prescribe several medicines after you have had a stroke. Medicines to prevent blood clots are typically used, because blood clots can cause TIAs and strokes. The types of medicines that prevent clotting are: Cholesterol-lowering and blood-pressurelowering medicines are also used to prevent TIAs and strokes. Anticoagulants such as warfarin (for example, Coumadin) prevent blood clots from forming and keep existing blood clots from getting bigger. You may need to take this type of medicine after a stroke if you have atrial fibrillation or another condition that makes you more likely to have another stroke. For more information, see the topic Atrial Fibrillation. Antiplatelet medicines keep platelets in the blood from sticking together. Statinslower cholesterol and can greatly reduce your risk of having another stroke. Statins even protect against stroke in people who do not have heart disease or high cholesterol.2 If you have high blood pressure, your doctor may want you to take medicines to lower it. Blood pressure medicines include: Medicines used to treat depression and pain may also be prescribed after a stroke. See the original post here: Stroke-Medications - WebMD … Continue reading →

Having to deal with a loved one going through a stroke can be a very devastating experience. This is especially the case if you dont understand what a stroke is. Seeing your loved one who was originally normal, paralyzed, confused and maybe even unconscious may be more than what a lot of people can bear. It doesnt help if a person gets a doctor that views pessimism as being reality. Yet, despite the seriousness of stroke, the situation is not hopeless. With the right treatment for strokes, doctors can not only bring a person out of a stroke attack but possibly return them to the state they were before the stroke occurred in the first place. This article will explain the two types of treatment for stroke: the treatment for stroke that helps a person survive the initial attack and the treatment for stroke that helps rehabilitate the person. The first step involved when it comes to treatment for stroke is trying to keep the person from dying. Yes the above sentence may cause a lot of people to shiver on the inside, but when a person has a stroke they are battling for their lives. This is because when … Continue reading →

The neurovascular team at UCSF Medical Center, along with your primary care doctor, will design a treatment plan tailored to your medical condition, state of health and individual needs. You may need more than one kind of treatment, and you may require several visits to UCSF. You may be referred to additional doctors or other medical professionals. It is critical to come to the hospital immediately if you experience a stroke because treatments might reduce or completely reverse the brain injury from stroke. These treatments must be given within the first few hours of stroke symptoms, so call 911 to get transportation to the Emergency Room quickly. These treatments include administration of a t-PA a drug that opens blocked blood vessels or devices to remove the clot from the brain using a catheter. The next step in treating a stroke is to carefully control and monitor your blood pressure. Once your blood pressure is under control, we focus on cholesterol, smoking cessation, control of diabetes and analysis of any heart conditions you may have. Also, there are surgical techniques that may be used to prevent stroke including: Treatment for hemorrhagic stroke is designed to allow the brain to heal safely … Continue reading →

Glutamate imaging reveals ischemic lesions in the first 3 hours after stroke that are not distinguishable in T1-weighted and T2-weighted imaging. Researchers using chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST), an emerging MRI technology, have found that using glutamate with CEST shows high spatial resolution in vivo. The finding has the potential to speed diagnosis -- and, therefore, treatment -- in the critical first hours after a stroke. "I have been interested in glutamate imaging since its inception," said researcher Zhuozhi Dai of Second Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China. "Being able to evaluate glutamate in the brain could be of great benefit in the clinical setting." Dr. Dai will present the study on Monday, May 5 at the 2014 ARRS Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA. Story Source: The above story is based on materials provided by American Roentgen Ray Society. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. See the original post here: Glutamate imaging better than MR spectroscopy in first 3 hours after ischemic stroke … Continue reading →