What is Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)?
Autism is a pediatric condition defined by deficits in social skills, repetitive behaviors, and speech and nonverbal communication. The diagnosis of autism was previously given to a child who exceeded a threshold score on a special rating questionnaire. If a child’s score was above the threshold he had autism; if it was below the threshold he did not. Currently, autism is called Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). ASD is diagnosed in children with the above deficits and a constellation of symptoms that exist on a spectrum or gradient of severities from mild (high functioning, e.g. Asperger’s Syndrome) to severe. According to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control, it is estimated that 1 in 54 children in the United States are affected by autism.
One difficulty in understanding autism is that within the “spectrum of autism” there are many different combinations of symptoms that can be described as subtypes. Within each subtype patients each patient has his/her own combination of distinct strengths and challenges.
Unfortunately, there is no known single cause of autism, but it is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. The key to understanding autism is the realization that it is not a psychiatric condition, but a biological condition. In some cases the combination of environmental and genetic factors results in wounding to the brain. In others inflammation is dominant, in others it is a lack of connectivity, and in others it is unknown. What is commonly found on blood flow imaging of autistic patients are deficits in the temporal and frontal lobes of the brain.
Effects of Autism
Autism is generally diagnosed by 2-3 years of age, however,many patients are symptomatic by 15-18 months of age and some exhibit symptoms before 6 months of age. Autism patients often have difficulty with three areas of development. These are language, behavioral, and social interactions. Symptoms vary greatly on a patient by patient basis, but some of the common symptoms are listed below:
Social Skills
Little to no eye contact
Doesn’t respond to their name
Inability to establish friendships with their peers
Little to no interest in sharing their interests or achievements with others
Inability to understand another person’s feelings
Prefers to play alone instead of with others
Often retreats into their own world
Language Skills
Doesn’t speak at all or has speech delays when they do
Doesn’t appear to understand simple directions or questions
Loses the ability to say words or form sentences like they used to
Repeats words verbatim, without understanding how to use them
Cannot initiate or maintain a conversation
Behavioral Symptoms
Inability to sit still
Engages in repetitive movements like rocking or spinning
Has specific routines and becomes distrubed if they are disrupted
Unusually sensitive to light, touch, or sound while also being oblivious to pain
Has a preoccupation with certain topics
Has extremely narrow and specific food choices
While many people think of challenges when it comes to autism, patients might also display other symptoms. Some children with autism have unusual talents or abilities like a remarkable memory, strong visual and auditory learning, or a keen aptitude for subjects like science, math, art, and music.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment of Autism
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a treatment for wounds in any location and of any duration. In autistic patients with brain wounds or in those with inflammation HBOT is ideally suited since HBOT treats wounds and suppresses/treats inflammation. In autistic patients where genetic influences are prominent HBOT can also be effective due to its widespread effects on gene expression and suppression. HBOT has been shown to turn on or off over 40% of all human genes, some 8,101 genes. The largest clusters of genes turned on are the growth and repair hormone genes and the anti-inflammatory genes. Regardless of cause, hyperbaric oxygen treatment of autism allows for healing of the brain. It does so by providing the brain’s tissue and cells with the appropriate levels of oxygen and pressure. Healing is accomplished with minimal side effects.
There are many benefits of HBOT for people with autism. This is because it has been shown in multiple different studies to benefit the underlying disease processes that cause autism. It thereby benefits the condition itself. The benefits of HBOT for people with autism are improvements in social deficits, repetitive behaviors, sensory, intestinal, language, and emotional problems.
Why Come to Dr. Harch for Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment of Autism
When standard medicine is not working, HBOT can be a great way to improve a patient’s quality of life. However, when seeking hyperbaric oxygen treatment of autism, there is one doctor you should trust. Dr. Harch is the pioneer of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for the use in the vast majority of off-label conditions it is used for today. His research and proprietary protocols, Harch Protocols,TM have revolutionized and expanded the understanding and use of HBOT around the world.
Dr. Harch treated his first autistic child in 1995 and has since seen noticeable improvements in 80% of autistic children who received HBOT. HBOT works best when it is dosed properly, which is Dr. Harch’s specialty. With the correct dosage prescribed by Dr. Harch, it is highly probable that HBOT will improve your autistic child.
Case Study
Ben was a five year old boy whose mother had diabetes in her last trimester of pregnancy that was not appreciated by her obstetrician until the time of delivery which was 2 weeks after her due date in 1990. After a prolonged 30 hours of induced labor Ben was born with a grossly misshapen head at 12 lbs. 10 oz. He had meconium staining of the amniotic fluid, a sign of fetal distress, and low APGARS (the grading system used to characterize a newborn baby’s viability). He required resuscitation that resulted in intubation in the nursery.
Once home he was clearly abnormal, showed developmental delays, and was eventually evaluated by a neurologist for high muscle tone on the right side of his body, repetitive autistic behaviors, including emotional detachment from his mother and siblings, a learning disability, speech problems, frequent staring spells, and cognitive problems. He showed no socialization (he didn’t relate to those around him). EEGs were abnormal, but an MRI of the brain only showed a small (1/4 inch) clump of abnormal blood vessels that had nothing to do with Ben’s problems. His Childhood Autism Rating Scale score was 29 (clearly on the autism spectrum, but 1 point shy of the threshold used for the diagnosis of overt autism in 1993).
Ben underwent a single SPECT brain blood flow scan which showed abnormalities in both temporal lobes and frontal lobes which improved after a single HBOT (see scans). He continued treatment for 35 treatments, took a break, and returned to New Orleans for an additional 28 HBOTs that was truncated by a family emergency, requiring his return home. During and after the HBOT Ben experienced an improvement in his cognition (see sequential drawings below at 35 and 63 treatments), school performance, interaction with his brother, emotional attachment to his mother for the first time in his life, improved motor function on the right side of his body, gait, coordination, and communication. Six months later his EEG had worsened, yet he spontaneously said to his mother, “it is so much better not living in the dark anymore.”
Ben’s SPECT before HBOT: Note the temporal lobe abnormalities, the dominant finding in autistic children, and the cerebellar areas that control coordination (the blue band at the bottom of the image). The slices on the right side of the picture have a coarse texture with multiple colors.
Ben’s SPECT after 1 HBOT: Note the improvement in temporal lobe blood flow and the cerebellum (the light blue area at the bottom of the image). The slices on the right side of the picture are smoother and appear more normal.
Drawing before HBOT: Dr. Harch drew a square in the upper left corner, which Ben tried to copy. His first attempt is in the right upper corner and second and third attempts are in the lower left and right.
Ben’s attempts to copy the square after 35 HBOTs: first attempt is in the left lower corner and 2nd and 3rd attempts in the right upper corner.
Ben’s attempts to copy the square after 63 HBOTs: first attempt in the right upper corner, 2nd attempt at the bottom. The “glitches” in the first attempt are where the paper crinkled as Ben was drawing.
Ben’s attempts to copy a triangle before HBOT: first attempt at the bottom and second attempt on the right.
Ben’s attempts to copy the triangle after 35 HBOTs: first attempt at the bottom and second attempt in the right upper corner.
Ben’s attempts to copy the triangle after 63 HBOTs: first attempt at the bottom, second attempt in the right upper corner, third attempt inside the first attempt at the bottom.
*Summary of all treatments for Autism compiled from questionnaires from 27,000 parents of autistic children by The Autism Research Institute. HBOT was fifth among all Non-Drug Supplements and superior to all prescription medications listed: https://www.autism.com/pdf/providers/ParentRatings2009.pdf
