Case Histories of Acupuncture - Autism

Autistic Children

Autism sometimes called classical autism, is the more common disorder in the group of autistic spectrum disorders, which also includes Asperger’s syndrome, Rett syndrome and Pervasive Development Disorder (PDD).

The main feature of autism is impaired social interaction.
As babies become toddlers and toddlers grow into school going children, the impaired social interaction becomes more and more evident and is expressed in a variety of ways. 

We may see the following.

• They may be unresponsive to people.
• They may focus on one item for long periods of time.
• They avoid eye contact.
• They do not respond to their name.
• They engage in repetitive movements as rocking, or twirling, or watching a fan moving.
• They engage in self abusive behavior as biting themselves or banging their heads on a wall.
• They are abnormally sensitive to sound and touch, and do not like to be hugged or cuddled.
• They are not able to interpret body language.
• They love routine and cannot bear a change in protocol: the same daily routine for breakfast and the same way to travel to school.
• Many have special interests like art music or even computers.
• Some are so hyperactive that they cannot be still even for a moment.
  

Autism has become much more common now. In the U.S.A. and the U.K., it has increased to 1%of the population. Autism is present in India and is now recognized by pediatricians  and psychiatrists. Associations have formed in different states to help create awareness among people and parents about the condition, for any guidance needed, and to get government recognition.

 
To date the real cause has not been discovered as yet. Research has come up with a wide range of suggestions. 

• The possibility of a special set of genes
  Environmental factors at very early stages in life, including the mothers emotions.
• During pregnancy, circumstances of the birth process( induction of labor, deep forceps delivery, birth under anesthesia)
• Environmental pollution especially magneto-electric pollution
• Neuro-immune dysfunction (NID) syndrome
• Vaccination

To date there is NO cure for autism.

Therapies and behavior interventions are designed to relieve symptoms and promote change. As medication, Ritalin is commonly used, and the effect of Oxytocin is being researched. Nutritionally, a casein and
gluten free diet might be helpful. Also supplements such as magnesium and vitamin B6 are beneficial. Acupuncture and Chinese herbs are successfully used in Kuala Lumpur to treat autism. Therapists there report that with therapy these children become nearly normal.

We have tried treating a few autistic children, but only 1 took the course to final completion. The mothers encountered too many difficulties—the demands on time were so much they were afraid of losing their jobs. In one case, coming from another state was also difficult with such a child. However we are putting down our results because even with 1 or 2 sessions, changes were taking place in the children with acupuncture.

NOTE ALL NAMES HAVE BEEN CHANGED

 Case Studies

KIRAN is a 7 year old autistic child who came to the clinic in May 2005. Karyotyping shows a long arm on Y on the 23rd chromosome.

Mother’s history during the pregnancy The mother married out of her culture. There were constant disagreements and fights between husband and wife. They divorced after 4 years.

Observations He was hyperactive. He was constantly poking both ears with his fingers. He did not speak at all. He walks 2 miles without any problem. He suddenly goes on all fours and starts crawling on the floor. He had a rash on both legs. He had delayed milestones. He was fond of TV before, but not any more. There was a high level of heavy metals in his urine. He cried when he was hungry, but did not know when to stop eating. He had no bowel or bladder control. Though he had a mild disposition, he threw things when angry.

Treatment  Session 1 (May 23rd–June 3rd 2005)  He was able to take the acupuncture fairly well. On the 5th day, he cried for 4 hours at night. He seemed to be able to control stool and urine better. He had now started to say “Yes” and “Mama”. Session 2   (August 22nd – September 2nd 2005) His eczema on the legs had completely disappeared. He had disturbed sleep. His face had changed and he appeared more serene. He was able to sit still and eat breakfast. He no longer roamed around the whole room, but is able to sit still. On the 9th day of acupuncture, he did not poke his ears. He was able to call out “Mama”. As the child comes from another state and the mother married again, he did not return.

SHANTI was a 4 year old hyperactive, autistic child when she came to our centre in May 2006.  Mother’s history during the pregnancy Her mother conceived without the father’s knowledge and took no contraceptives. She had a lot of mental stress in the first 3 months as the husband did not want a child at that time. She was afraid he would demand an abortion so she went to her mother’s house for the rest of the pregnancy. She also realized after the pregnancy that the father wanted a boy.

Observations at our centre She couldn’t sit still and is always running around aimlessly. She couldn’t talk. She had a constant cold. She had enuresis. She was aggressive.

We could not give this child any help as the father did not want the child treated .The case is included to highlight the effect of emotional trauma during pregnancy.

ROWLAND was 8 years old when he came to the centre in February 2008. He had been diagnosed as autistic.  Mother’s history during the pregnancy The mother admits she is hot-tempered. Throughout her pregnancy, she worked at the computer.

Observations He was very stubborn. He played with a fan and watched it moving. He dowsed the kitchen table and floor with soap water. He banged his head and bit others and himself especially when angry. He was fidgety and could not sit in one place. He was fond of sweet things and ate a great deal of anything served to him. He goes to the toilet to pass urine or a stool, but was unable to wash himself. He slept well at night without any problem.

Treatment  Session 1 (May 5th – May 22nd 2008)  At the beginning of the session, he struggled. He later quietened down and took the acupuncture better. He stopped biting himself and others. He started making eye contact. He was able to say “Mama” and “Papa”.

We advised the couple to bring him only if the transport improved and he could get proper sedation. We suspected that sedation was not given and he was brought on a 2 wheeler between the mother and the father.

When JOAN came to us in January 2009 she was already diagnosed as autistic by the pediatrician. In this case, the mother’s history will be given at the end. Observations She was 6 years old. She was hyperactive and always running around and making useless actions and could not sit still. Somebody had to be with her all the time. She could not communicate for hunger, or for the toilet. She often had a ear infection. She was not responding to her name. She made no eye contact. Though she ate other food when fed, she would not drink milk.  Treatment  Session 1 (January 25th–February 11th 2009)  With sedation and a painkiller, she took the acupuncture well. Changes observed: After 4 days of acupuncture, the child had calmed down already and was not hyperactive. On the 5th day, she was laughing and playing with others and her hyperactivity had disappeared. She even called out “Mama” to her mother in the evening which means she had started recognizing people. By the 10th day of acupuncture, she was literally wailing for long periods during the acupuncture. The wailing was so loud it was as if someone had expired. It appeared to be an unconscious wailing. (The explanation for this will be given later.) For 2 days, she was vomiting. The treatment however was continued and she cooperated. She had loose stools as well for those 2 days. After the treatment ended, she was pleasantly quiet. She was making good eye contact, when she left.  Mother’s history during the pregnancy The mother said her pregnancy was peppered with pain and the deaths of loved ones. Her father was sick and hospitalized and then died when she was 3 months pregnant. Then her father-in-law also died after a short illness when she was 6 months pregnant. She was close to her father-in-law. In the last 3 months, her mother was very sick, but recovered. She delivered soon after. Knowing this history is it any wonder that the child was wailing after a while. The mother’s emotions were transmitted to the child during pregnancy and as we know acupuncture releases the unconscious emotions. A special Homeopath had started treating her and he insisted she does not get any other treatment.

MARY was diagnosed as an autistic child and was brought to us by her mother in April 2009. Since she was so hyperactive, we decided to treat her with hair energy transmission till she calmed down a little. She was a cesarean section baby and cried after birth. Her milestones were normal until 8 months old. She fell off the bed at 8 months. Fifteen days after this fall; her head hit her mother’s head when her father struck her mother’s head. She had convulsions after this, and was diagnosed as West syndrome.

Observations The child at present did not speak at all. She was hyperactive and could not sit still, and roamed around aimlessly. She did not make any eye contact. Her IQ was below average 70%. She constantly had a cold. Sometimes there was enuresis. She cried when hungry. She was very aggressive and hit out when she refused something. She was not completely toilet trained. She had to be fed all her meals.

Treatment  Session 1 Hair Energy Transmission  Her hair was put for hair energy transmission of homeopathic medicine as she was too aggressive to take acupuncture and would need a heavy sedation. Moreover the mother was working in order to send the girl to a special school and the timings did not allow the mother to bring the girl for acupuncture. Changes noted after hair energy transmission: She was much quieter. She was more aware of her surroundings and people. She was making eye contact. She pulled her plate when hungry. When she wanted to pass a stool, she went and stood in the balcony and waited for someone to take her to the toilet. Frequency of enuresis had decreased.  Session 2 Acupuncture (August 9th–August 26th 2010) Her eye contact had improved. She interacted with family members. She has started to say “Baba”. Her face now had some expression. She was more active at home. She now understood what was said to her and made some sounds in response. A 2nd session was tried, but after 2 days the father did not want to continue. We need to remember that the father drinks and often beats the mother, and there is trouble at home.

ARCHIE was 7 years old when he came to the centre in July 2010.  Mother’s history during the pregnancy She had a shock when she was 4 months pregnant. The family lost all their savings in the bank and her husband lost his job and fell ill.

Observations He could not speak. He was constantly running around aimlessly and had to be watched constantly. He was not aware of his surroundings or people and lived in his own world. He beat others and threw things around. He turned stools and chairs upside down. No toilet training was possible. However according to the mother, there were no repetitive movements. The mother complained that he ate a lot and wondered where the food was going.

Treatment  Session 1 (July 12th–July 28th 2010) The changes observed after this session: On the 4th day, his facial expression changed. His walking had improved as he used to fall frequently before. He was less cranky. From the 6th day onwards, he was smiling more often and was cheerful. According to the mother, he was more aware of his surroundings. He was making sounds as if he wanted to talk. From the 13th day, he did not wake up at night, but slept soundly. Before leaving, he was trying to put on his clothes and socks. He no longer banged the door when closing it.  Session 2 (October 8th–October 22nd 2010) Changes reported seen after this session: His understanding had improved a lot. His salivation had decreased. His awareness had improved a lot. He knew where to throw the waste. He has learnt to manage his toilet by himself. He was happy and cheerful and made happy noises to express this. His eye contact had improved. He could hear better as he responded faster than before. He was trying to speak, but the words were not clear. Remarks: This boy has now started to go to school and is happily adjusting. His mother is most grateful. He will return for more acupuncture this year during the summer holidays. The mother keeps in touch.