Tag: developmental delay

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5 Ways the Environment Can Be Harming Your Child

In the search for a cause and cure for neurological disorders such as autism, ADHD, OCD and others, medical experts and researchers have recently focused on our environment and how it relates to neurological development. Some of the environmental factors being looked at include: air pollution and other sources of heavy metal toxification, genetically modified food, parental age, processed food and diet, screen time, ultrasounds, and vaccinations. Fortunately, if an environmental factor is the cause of your child’s disorder, there are a variety of approaches you can take to possibly reduce or eliminate their symptoms.

Five common factors that can affect neurological development include:

  • Heavy metals
  • Processed foods
  • Other dietary issues that cause allergic reactions
  • Bacteria and/or viruses
  • Neuro-physiological development

This is an excerpt from the Pathway to HOPE Resource Guide. To learn more about these environmental factors and how to remediate them, purchase your copy (Oakland County, MI residents pay only S&H thanks to a grant from United Way of Southeast Michigan and from Oakland County government), visit https://healingcomplexkids.org/product/2021-pathway-to-hope-resource-guide/.

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Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC)

A major obstacle in autism research has been the lack of a valid means of measuring the effectiveness of various treatments. Over the years, researchers have published hundreds of studies attempting to evaluate different biomedical and psycho-educational interventions intended to benefit autistic children. Much of this research produced inconclusive or, worse, misleading results, because there are no useful tests or scales designed to measure treatment effectiveness.

Bernard Rimland and Stephen M. Edelson of the Autism Research Institute developed The Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC) to fill this need.

The ATEC online assessment checklist asks parents a series of multiple choice questions. Parents can respond about whether a given symptom is a problem for their child and, if so, how frequent or severe the issue is.

At the end of the assessment, parents will be given a numerical rating… the higher the number, the more severe the autism symptoms.

A child who is old enough to be talking and potty trained, and is not might be considered in the more strongly impacted range and score near 100.

A child who is potty trained, talking, and in a mainstream school with an IEP and a pull-out for special education might be considered “high functioning” and have an ATEC score closer to 40. Often these kids have issues like sensory processing problems, trouble with social connections, inflexibility, hyperfocus on certain topics, or issues with body awareness and coordination.

You can find the ATEC online at https://www.autism.org/treatment-ratings-for-autism/.

This article is an excerpt from the Pathway to HOPE Resource Guide. To purchase your copy (Oakland County, MI residents pay only S&H thanks to a grant from United Way of Southeast Michigan and from Oakland County government), visit https://healingcomplexkids.org/product/2021-pathway-to-hope-resource-guide/.

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4 Steps to Take If You Suspect Your Child Has a Developmental Delay

What do you do if you suspect there is a medical issue going on with your child?

  1. First, begin by making an exhaustive list of your child’s symptoms. Be as specific as possible. Examples include: my child has an extreme amount of energy and only sleeps 2 to 3 hours per night, my child appears to be exhausted ALL the time, my child sleeps twelve hours a night and still has dark circles under their eyes. Be specific about what you are seeing, including behaviors and illnesses. Write down your child’s symptoms and any observations, as well as any supplements or medications that your child is taking. Have this information, as well as any questions you have, ready to discuss with your doctor.
  2. Second, phone your primary care physician and request an appointment. Tell the office your concerns and, if possible, ask if there are any tests that can be completed prior to your appointment. This will give you a more productive appointment and more data for your doctor to begin helping you. Your goal is to obtain as many data points as possible, as quickly as possible, so you can get to the root cause of your child’s issue.
  3. Third, if you need to find a primary care doctor take these four initial steps:
    1. Contact your insurance company and find out which doctors accept your insurance plan and are in network.
    1. Compare this list of doctors in network with reviews you will find online.
    1. Reach out to various mom or parent groups and ask parents for their opinions. Moms will be quick to tell you what they liked and didn’t like about a doctor.
    1. Seek word of mouth recommendations from family, friends or previous doctors to aid in your research and help you narrow your list. Don’t forget the information you are gathering is based on other people’s opinions. Your child is unique and you need to work with someone that you are comfortable with, who will listen to you and is willing to help you.
  4. Fourth, do not end your doctor search until you have met with your new doctor. You need to be sure you are comfortable and able to communicate easily with your new doctor.

These four steps are an excerpt from the Pathway to HOPE Resource Guide. To purchase your copy (Oakland County, MI residents pay only S&H thanks to a grant from United Way of Southeast Michigan and from Oakland County government), visit https://healingcomplexkids.org/product/2021-pathway-to-hope-resource-guide/.