A symptom is something that an individual notices.
A sign is something that a doctor or other person observes. I’m writing this series to give readers a glimpse into how common conditions can present uncommonly, in my 30 years of experience as a practicing naturopathic doctor.
The Case: A Mother’s Intuition
Child is 14 months old. Mother is concerned that her daughter does not look at her. Child does not react to seeing her mother after she has been outside of the home for several hours. Mother has 5 older children and notices big differences in her daughter’s overall style of interaction compared to her other children. She ignores her siblings and the 3 small family dogs.
This mother has consulted with Dr. Google, Dr. Instagram and Dr. TikTok regarding her concerns. However, she did not follow the advice from these sites as her maternal intuition advised her against it.
Signs of Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Here is what I observed in the young child:
- Child is lost in her own world—when playing, she does not look around the room to share the activity with her mother.
- Repetitive hand mannerisms.
- Fixates her vision towards the ceiling.
- Looks up at the ceiling for no apparent reason (This is concerning because all the action is at her eye level).
- Repetitive mouth and wrist/hand movements.
- Opens mouth wide and moves her wrists and hands in repetitive, self-stimulatory manner, especially while watching television.
- Repetitive play with thread—finds pieces of thread, e.g., on a blanket, and plays with the thread repetitively.
- Reduced regard for familiar and unfamiliar adults in her environment.
- Lack of eye contact and does not acknowledge family members.
- Likes to watch objects spin—drops objects and watches them spin.
To learn more about how repetitive behaviors can look like in ASD, read my article on repetitive play in young children.
What to Do Next If You Observe These Signs
If you observe these signs in your young child, I recommend seeking an evaluation from the department of Early Intervention to gain access to services that can benefit the child. Early intervention can include: Special instruction, speech and language therapy, and psychological and occupational therapy.
Read more about caring for a child with ASD in my article about navigating an ASD diagnosis.
How Naturopathic Medicine Can Help
In addition to a full assessment, diagnosis, and early intervention services, naturopathic medicine can holistically support your child’s healthy development. Naturopathic doctors can support the child’s whole-body functioning, including but not limited to their:
- Neurological development
- Digestion and nutrition
- Mental and emotional wellness
- Sleep and restorative functions
Using natural remedies, lifestyle modifications, and personalized nutritional recommendations, naturopathic doctors can support children with ASD, no matter the age and co-occurring conditions.
Image by Freepik
An approach to help children with autism and other developmental disorders. Step by step causative factors (pharmaceutical and over the counter medications, environmental toxic exposures, effects of illness, medical/dental procedures, etc.) are detoxified with homeopathic remedies. CEASE stands for Complete Elimination of Autistic Spectrum Expression. This approach was developed by Tinus Smits, MD, a Dutch homeopathic physician to help children and adults on the Autistic Spectrum recover and optimize function.This approach can also be used for children and adults with chronic disease. No 2 children are the same, therefore, every plan is individualized as exposures and causative factors vary from case to case.
This involves looking closely at your typical food intake in combination with the stressors in your life. What you eat, levels and types of stress, and your relationship with food all inform the consequences of your lifestyle choices. We will discuss how to modify them to improve your health and well-being.
Dilutions of flower material that affect change on mental and emotional levels. The effects can be compared to the experience of hearing a favorite song or looking at a photo of a beloved friend, family member or pet. That same feeling of joy, bliss and happiness can occur when a flower essence is customized and blended for you.
Plant-based remedies used to support and strengthen, or calm and pacify different body systems. Based on your unique needs an herbal formula can be prepared. Formulas may be in the form of a tablet, capsule, tincture, tea, or powder.
Homeopathic and energetic remedies used to detoxify the body and stimulate a state of wellness. The goal is to re-balance the body so it can handle normal, daily stressors and help establish an increased level of wellness.
Keeping in mind the naturopathic medical premise that the body has the innate ability to heal itself, we look at your diet to determine whether or not you are getting the essential nutrients your body needs to maintain optimal health. I then make the recommended dietary modifications needed to re-balance essential nutrients supporting your body’s ability to healing itself.