Posts

Aspergers in Adulthood: Live Q & A with Mark Hutten, M.A.

The Connection Between "Leaky Gut Syndrome" and Autism Spectrum Disorders

Image
“We are concerned that our son with autism (high functioning) may have a leaky gut. How can we know for sure? Is this part of the disorder? What can be done to help with this problem?” RE: “How can we know for sure?”    The only way to know for sure is to do an intestinal permeability test, which is the most common test for Leaky Gut Syndrome (LGS). Your child will ingest a specified amount of a solution containing lactulose and mannitol (water-soluble sugar molecules). Over a period of six hours, you will test your son’s urine for elevated levels of lactulose and mannitol. Read the results. Mannitol is absorbed quite easily, while lactulose has larger molecules and is usually only partially absorbed by the intestines. Leaky gut syndrome is very likely if the levels of both sugars in the collected urine are high. Part of the problems inherent in LGS is that the body is naturally designed to fight off foreign particles. Food particles that leak into the gut are “foreign” a

Promoting Social Reciprocity in Younger Children with ASD

Image
"Are there techniques that therapists use for teaching children on the autism spectrum how to socialize properly that can also be used at home by parents?" A significant issue for children on the autism spectrum is a lack of social or emotional reciprocity , which includes such problems as inappropriate or limited responses to the approaches of others, and limited offers of comfort shown towards others. Let's look at two examples: Kaci enjoyed going to the hardware store with her father. She could easily locate the items on the shelves, loved to sample the free snacks often available, and figured out the correct change while in the check-out line. However, when the cashier spoke to Kaci and tried to make small talk, Kaci generally did not look at him, did not answer his questions, and sometimes made a remark completely off the topic, but one that was of interest to her.   Similarly, Sarah was walking outside with her grandfather on a cold winter day when