Dope

No cure exists for autism.  That much we know.  But something that I haven't really discussed much in this blog, and that perhaps bears looking at now, is how autism is treated organically.  And by that I mean, what do parents and caregivers do to alleviate the symptoms of autism other than take their kids to therapy sessions and seek out specialized education?

You can't really treat autism as a whole.  It's a mystery, it's an enigma, we have only scratched the surface of it.  And each child is different.  What one autistic child does may be unique to that child.  However, there are main symptoms of autism that many children share, that often can be alleviated with the help of medication.  Some of these symptoms include:

OCD (obsessive compulisive disorder)

Repetitive behaviors

Aggression and irritability

Mood swings

Self-injurious behaviors, such as picking at a sore 

Anxiety and general nervousness

Disrupted sleep

We have personal experience with all of the things on this list through our son, Logan.  He has exhibited all of these at one time or another.  

There are some people that are violently opposed to putting a young child on any kind of anti-psychotic medication.  There are many people who point out the risks of medicating children with drugs such as Risperdione and Naltrexone, because medicating children with these types of drugs is not an exact science.  Children change all the time. They grow, their weight changes, they may not respond to the medication the way that is expected.  And many of these medications have side affects such as weight gain, increased irritability, and eventually, tolerance.  This means that over time, the child will develop a tolerance to the drug and it ceases to be effective.  And some people believe that it's just plain wrong to give your kid a medication like that, and that a good ol' fashion whippin' will do the same thing.  These people are ignorant and have never had to raise a disabled child.

It's a difficult and sometimes heartbreaking conundrum.  Do I medicate my kid and watch him get heavier and perhaps, even , sit back while his personality changes?  Or do I not medicate him and watch while he beats his head against the wall or engages in multiple temper tantrums a day?  Which should I do?  I can try something else.  Perhaps change his diet.  Perhaps move out and separate him from his siblings.  Perhaps have him committed.  You see, folks, it's not that easy.  It's not like treating a bacterial infection.  "This medication isn't helping so I'm going to go back and get a different one."  It doesn't work that way.  There aren't many specialists in the state of Texas who will treat something like this.  A normal pediatrician, in my experience, hesitates to mess around  with these types of medications.  You can't call up the autism doctor and set up and appointment for your kid.  In the state of Texas, good help is hard to find if you're looking for someone who will evaluate your child and then recommend a medication that's appropriate for what he or she is going through.

In conclusion I will acknowledge that yes, there are side effects.  Yes, sometimes they are detrimental.  Yes, you should exercise extreme caution when choosing a medication for your child.  But you are also the only one who knows what is best for your child, and despite what other people may say, that is what you have to rely on.