14 Feb Medication and Dietary Supplements for Autism — Should You Use Them?
Posted at 02:55h
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There are a variety of medications and supplements out there, but which ones are right to treat the behavior of an autistic child? As it turns out, the answer will vary from person to person. Two children can have two completely different sets of challenges, and therefore two completely different solutions.
Learn from Dr. Mary Barbera as she discusses the viability of medication and nutritional supplements for the treatment of autism.
What We Learned from this Video:
- Dr. Barbera’s son, Lucas, was not prescribed any sort of medication until after he was set up with an ABA therapy program.
- The majority of supplements Lucas was given were ineffective, and many of the medications he was given had side effects.
- Autistic children can have nutrient imbalances that may require supplements to correct.
- Lucas benefited greatly from a melatonin supplement that helped him sleep better, but Dr. Barbera has seen this have the opposite effect on other children.
- Though many medications were not particularly helpful to Lucas, some caused huge improvements in symptoms and behavior.
- DNA testing can be done to tell how someone would react to various kinds of medicine. This testing is expensive, but may be covered by your health insurance.
- Only implement one medicine or supplement at a time in order to track side effects, improvements and regression.
- Be open minded regarding medications and supplements.
There are a host of different options when it comes to supplements for your child with autism. Take a look at our hand-picked selection of nutritional products, and ask your regular practitioner if any of them are right for your child.