Here is a great resource for special testing to treat kids on this spectrum without drugs!

www.greatplainslaboratory.com

I've posted before but there are so many new people, I thought I'd do it again. It really isn't just for that, my dh has stomach/bowel issues so I just ordered the food allergy kit for him to see what the heck he is eating that is causing his problems. It could be such a simple fix! I'm lucky whereas our insurance will pay for that test.
Thought I'd share...

Thank you so much for sharing this information again. With all the problems we have with the autism, identifying food issues would help. I already had to give away our inside cat because of my DS allergies and he is so much better already!

April

Glad to help. I also read that if a baby is on alot of antiobiotics early on that affects the brain and can lead to autistic like symptoms. But I know sometimes parents don't really have a choice to use them.

One word of caution on the labs - do your research before using them. There may be a local place for you to use that can run the same tests, which are also covered by insurance. So many companies are jumping on the bandwagon and charging astronomical costs for tests like these - pure profit, and much of it is baseless. Just do your research. We get our vitamins for DS from Kirkman Labs, as recommended by his doctor, and they, too, have been called on the carpet by the FDA for making unsubstantiated claims (involving Taurine), but are still a good company, based on the extensive research I've done. However, I know not to believe every claim made by them or the products they carry. Just have healthy skepticism, and be careful before shelling out your hard earned dollars to fulfill someone else's dreams.

Re the antibiotic, that is news to me, also. However, I wouldn't want this probability (of which there are so many out there) to prevent parents from using an antibiotic when it's needed, as the ramifications are even worse, such as pneumonia. Go with your instincts and doctor's advice. Most doctors today really try hard not to overuse antibiotics. Just be sure yours isn't an antibiotic pusher just to pacify you and move on to the next patient.

Shabin, I had my son tested, per doctor's orders, and basically, a few things came up, such as mild allergies/sensitivities to things like milk, eggs, etc. I already knew that - he had a very hard time with milk as a baby, and my face gets numb from eggs if I eat them very early in the day. I ended up spending a lot of money to the lab, because my insurance only covered 80%. I hope it helps you. For me, I felt it was a waste of time, money, and was hard on my little guy - they took out 6 vials of blood, then called me saying that I had to come in for two more. I guess it was good that things were ruled out, but I think I would have rather moved right on to therapy. We, too, wanted to stay on the no drug path if possible, which works for us because no drugs help Aspergers. If you do find something out with yours, we would love it if you would share it with us. DS' dev. ped. wants us to use certain ways of preparing foods, avoiding wheat, etc., and other things which are soooo difficult. During the trial time, I never saw a difference. Same with all the expensive vitamins we're using. Dr's response is that it takes a long time. It's been over a year now. I am actually planning on taking him elsewhere for a second opinion, as I've heard many parents now say that this place (which is always booked) uses expensive techniques and not many parents have seen results. Basically, I used them for a diagnosis, but can't pay $300-$700 for classes not covered by insurance, which is what they suggest. The Dr. actually seemed a little affronted when I said there was no way I could pay $300 for six weeks of therapy, on top of traveling an hour each way, with a baby in tow. Her therapist was so good, you see. Well, if so, why was she not on my insurance? I found one closer to home who is on my insurance. It's too bad, because this place does have some good things going for it - just gets a bit greedy. Each consultation is $300, which my ins. covers except for my copay. $300 for 45 mins. of talking is very high. OK. Off my soapbox!

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Good points! Here are a few things that I know were used when I worked in an office that mainly treated kids in the spectrum.
-High yeast affects the brain-again the great pkains lab tests for that (it's a urine test I believe) can be given nystatin for this
-Vitamin B12 deficiency-they always recommended it sublingually daily (I use myself) but for better absorption an IV or shot of it.
-also avoiding high allergy foods-eggs, dairy, wheat, gluten

After just doing a few of these things, parents were seeing such great improvements such as their kids starting saying a few words, stopped spinning, etc.

Milk/dairy is a very high allergy food for young toddlers. There are so many kids at my children's daycare with constant runny noses and dark eyes and that's a major sign of dairy allergy.

And food dye was another recommendation-to avoid it. My best friend can tell if her son sneaks candy or something w/dye as she pays the consequences for at least the next 2 days with his hyperactivity. He is 5 now and still has the temptation but is understanding what it does to him. She controls it just by avoiding dye, no medication!