Vitamins, Minerals, Allergies and Autism

My son was identified with high functioning autism recently. He also has proprioception difficulties, as well as sensory processing disorder. He has a hard time realizing where his body is in space (proprioception difficulties). He is accident prone, so much so that his nickname is "Boo-Boo". His senory processing effects his ability to eat. He has a hard time sitting at the table to eat a meal. He also won't touch certain foods because of texture, etc. More so than just a usual five year old picky eater.

Being his mom, I find myself always researching. I have checked out numerous books at the library and also been looking online at reputable sources for more information. Knowledge is power. The more I learn, the more powerful I feel. I hope the information that I share can help at least one other family that may be experiencing similar life experiences that we are experiencing.

Something I found that is very interesting is the link between vitamins/minerals and autism. In particular Vitamin B6 and Magnesium. An important thing to remember is that Magnesium needs to be taken in conjunction with B6. Also, too much magnesium can be harmful. It has only been a couple of weeks, however, I have already seen improvements in my son's daily life. He is more focused, more affectionate and eye contact has been improving, slightly but indeed improving. Magnesium and Vitamin B6 in particular have been found to improve concentration and brain function.

I used to give my son a daily multi-vitamin in gummy form. He loves gummies. However, he was found to have a mold allergy. His allergy doctor suggested we start a mold elimination diet. This includes eliminating a lot of foods that are processed including: lunch meat, sliced cheese, condiments (ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, salad dressing), yogurt. The list is extensive. Also, avoiding processed foods is recommended for people with autism as well. Generally, if you can't pronounce the ingredients in a food, why eat it?

He had been taking 5ml of Zyrtec at bedtime every night since he was about 18 months old. Finally found the source of the allergies. He had a reaction to nearly all the enviromental allergens. We are going through the testing to see what foods he may be allergic to as well. We have to stop the anti-histimine (Zyrtec) before allergy testing. Occasionally he will wake up with sneezing, runny nose, but most days he is feeling much better. I have also noticed that his voice is less nasal sounding than it used to be. Another thing we have found recently is that my son is allergic to soy. He will be tested for wheat by itself in early March. When he had the food allergy skin prick test done, the soy poke was about the size of a quarter and the wheat poke was next to it and about the size of a nickel. I imagine he is also allergic to wheat. For now we are avoiding soy as much as possible.

We started giving him a pediasure milkshake in the morning with breakfast (before we found out about the soy allergy), to help give him extra vitamins and minerals as well as to help aid in weight gain. He has weighed about the same weight for nearly 2 years. Also giving him the "old-fashioned" Flintstones chewable vitamin with immunity support. It includes B6 but not magnesium. I found a bottle of magnesium tablets for adults in the vitamin aisle in the grocery store. The tablets are 250mg. I use a pill splitter to cut the pills into 1/4s. He gets the Flintstone multivitamin and 1/4 of the magnesium with his breakfast. I could be giving my son more magnesium, but choose to give him approximately 60mg to start.

Giving about 3 or 4 mg of magnesium per pound of body weight, up to 400 mg per day for adults, enhances the effects of the B6 and protects against possible B6-induced magnesium deficiency. This is not a megadose of magnesium, but rather the amount that many researchers believe that everyone should take for optimum health. Almost every type of food processing depletes magnesium, so supplemental magnesium is essential to avoid a deficiency.

I will update from time to time as to how adding vitamins and minerals are helping my son. He still enjoys playing by himself mostly, but has shown that he wants to play with me some too. He actually grabbed me by the hand and said, "Mommy, play with me!", since I have started this treatment. It warms my heart.

There are some cases when a person with autism also has seizures. In those instances I believe medications should be prescribed. However, in the absence of seizures I believe that autism is best treated in a natural way. I believe it is a must to go through allergy testing to rule out allergens (environmetal and/or food). Also reducing processed foods as much as possible. And of course supplementing your child's diet with at least a multivitamin. As parents we often shop for the best deal to stretch the dollar at the grocery store. While looking at prices, never forget to also read the labels for what you are feeding your children and families.