"I Think My Kid May Have Autism," Vaccines, and Other Hot Buttons

“I think my kid has autism,” vaccines, and other hot buttons.

I’ve had a number of moms reach out to me in the last few years asking me if I think their child may have autism. I’ve also been asked the typical “controversial” questions about an ASD diagnosis. The truth is, I cannot answer most of these with any academic medical degree or medical certainty, only what I have experienced, observed, researched and learned in my 7+ years of dealing with child developmental issues. But what I can do is give some advice as to what to look for within the ASD community and what to do about it – this is educated and super-experienced mom advice.  So, let’s start with the basics:

How old is your child?

This is a big one for a number of reasons. If your child is 12 months old their development has a different threshold than if your child is 18 months old. The main questions I have gotten from more than 3 neurologists has been:

-          At 12 months of age, does your child point to items they want?

-          At 12 months of age, does your child look at you when you call their name?

If your answer is yes, keep going. Ask your pediatrician for more “milestones.” What else should you be looking for? And keep an eye on his/her eye contact. Does his/her eyes light up when others are in the room? When people speak does he/she look intently like you are speaking to them? Does your baby raise his/her eyebrows with interest? Babies assume everyone is always talking to them.

This is stuff I never would have noticed (eyebrows, really?) before Brody came along. It is amazing how these little pieces all fit in development.

If your answer is no to the list above, it does not mean your kid is delayed or autistic. It could mean he/she is still young. But it would not hurt to ask your pediatrician for some advice. Maybe your baby needs a Baby Gym class? Or a play group? Or a new school? And keep talking to your baby like a psycho. You cannot talk to a baby or hold a baby too much (again more advice from like 3 doctors and none of whom are named Jenny McCarthy). And do not start Googling “signs of autism.” Just Breathe….

What does your pediatrician think? Do you trust them?

ONLY get medical advice from sources you trust. DO NOT get medical advice from chat rooms, websites, your friend who has a friend or conspiracy theory websites. If you have a pediatrician you trust, ask him/her for next steps if you think something is up. If this doctor starts ignoring you and states “this is nothing” get a second opinion and quickly leave their office. You are the parent and you know your kid the best.

A good pediatrician will refer you to an additional expert for speech or OT, or even a pediatric neurologist or developmental pediatrician (they have those!). Brody’s doctor referred us to a pediatric neurologist (who said he was fine but whatever… we went two 2 more). And we then enrolled him in special needs preschool; AKA the best decision we ever made.

A bad pediatrician will blow you off and say you are worrying about nothing. You need to exit the building when they do this to you.

 Is Gluten-Free all it is cracked up to be? Can this help my kid not be autistic-y?

Our family goes back and forth with this topic. I can only speak for Brody in this and from what his doctors say…you ready? 3 Out of 4 of his neurologists have said Gluten-free does nothing. If your child has a gluten allergy it is amazing. You WILL see progress if your child has an allergy, which they might have one.

Here is the skinny: eating healthy = healthy results. If you feed your kid crap, they will be miserable. Like we are miserable when we eat like crap. Now imagine not being able to say “I feel like crap.” That is bad, right? If you feed your child healthy food, they will perform better. That is all. That is it. So, you can argue Gluten-free is healthier…or you can just feed your kid healthy food in general. It is up to you. When Brody eats better, he IS better all around. Check out that allergy business, tho!

Some (if not most) ASD kids have issues with their diet. They are stuck on certain foods. Chances are if you eat chicken nuggets 7 days a week, you will have tummy issues. But ASD kids like to eat the same things. It provides comfort. Gluten (my theory based on our doctors only) helps with digestion in kids with ASD. Normal kids can say or express “I have a tummy ache. I need something to feel better.” While ASD kids cannot. An ASD kid on a gluten-free diet could have fewer tummy issues so they in turn perform better and make more progress – they are less distracted by their tummies.

By the way, the 4^th neurologist we asked about Gluten-free, who we LOVE, said,

 “Eh, it’s worth a shot. Why not?”

So, there you go.

If my kid has autism, did he/she get it because I got them vaccinated?

HUGE hot button issue and I get asked this about once a week. The Internet drives me nuts with this question.

So here is my personal story and then I’ll give you my theory:

Brody was diagnosed within the hot bed of autism awareness. So, I made his baby food from scratch, fed him only organic jarred baby food if I used it at all, I quit my job to work part time, and we also spaced out his vaccines. I talked to him all the time. I held him 24/7. We did all of the things we were told would “prevent” autism. And he is nonverbal, autistic with severe ADHD. Plus he is allergic to peanuts and has eczema!

My theory with autism is based on 3 parts:

1.)    The population has exploded and therefore more kids are being born and as a result, more vaccines are being administered. That is why we have a rise in autism and have a rise in vaccinations. MORE PEOPLE.

2.)    Awareness is through the roof right now for autism. Which is great. This leads to more diagnoses of the disorder.

3.)    There is a theory that Autism is a spectrum (duh) and other disorders are on this spectrum such as ADD, ADHD, Turrets Syndrome, and OCD. You could argue that the explosion of the ASD diagnosis is a result of these other disorders falling into the spectrum category.

Believe what you wish to believe with vaccines. Some feel vaccines are dangerous. I respect that opinion. I feel they are not. That is just my opinion. Just be sure to get your information from a credible source, not from Jenny McCarthy or Internet chat rooms or the guy at Walgreens.

Does my kid have Asperger’s because he loves trains (puzzles, cars, movies, bowling, etc)?

Probably not. But there is a “but…” does his or her love of trains (or silly string or cupcakes) prevent your child from forming relationships, learning, and/or functioning daily? That is a concern anyway. If their love turns into something that is interfering negatively on their lives, then step in, Asperger’s or not.

So, there you have it. I know I rambled on with this post. Take the info for what it is worth to you. I am not an MD. I cannot give medical advice. But I can give support to friends, fellow moms, dads, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles and cousins who need it.

And never, ever forget - if your child is diagnosed with any disorder, it does get better. You do find a new "normal." And most importantly, you will be OK.

Next Blog – what about those siblings of autistic kids?