Asperger Syndrome: Natural Steps Toward a Better Life for You or Your Child (Complementary and Alternative Medicine)

201 Pages·2007·0.61 MB·English

by  Suzanne C. Lawton

Asperger Syndrome:
Natural Steps toward a
Better Life
Suzanne C. Lawton, N.D.
PRAEGER
Asperger Syndrome
RecentTitlesin
ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine
HerbsandNutrientsfortheMind:AGuidetoNaturalBrainEnhancers
ChrisD.Meletis,N.D.,andJasonE.Barker,N.D.
Asperger Syndrome
Natural Steps toward a Better Life
Suzanne C. Lawton, N.D.
Foreword by Judyth Reichenberg-Ullman, N.D.
ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine
ChrisD.Meletis,SeriesEditor
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Lawton,SuzanneC.,1955–
Aspergersyndrome:naturalstepstowardabetterlife/SuzanneC.Lawton;foreword
byJudythReichenberg-Ullman.
p.;cm.—(Complementaryandalternativemedicine,ISSN1549–084X)
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN-13:978–0–275–99178–4(alk.paper)
1.Asperger’ssyndrome. 2.Asperger’ssyndrome—Alternativetreatment.[DNLM:
1.AspergerSyndrome. 2.Adolescent. 3.Adult. 4.Child. 5.Complementary
Therapies.WS350.6L425a2007] I.Title. II.Complementaryandalternative
medicine
RC553.A88L395 2007
616.85(cid:1)8832—dc22 2007023402
BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationDataisavailable.
Copyright(cid:2)C 2007bySuzanneC.Lawton,N.D.
Allrightsreserved.Noportionofthisbookmaybe
reproduced,byanyprocessortechnique,withoutthe
expresswrittenconsentofthepublisher.
LibraryofCongressCatalogCardNumber:2007023402
ISBN-13:978–0–275–99178–4
ISSN:1549-084X
Firstpublishedin2007
PraegerPublishers,88PostRoadWest,Westport,CT06881
AnimprintofGreenwoodPublishingGroup,Inc.
www.praeger.com
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
Thepaperusedinthisbookcomplieswiththe
PermanentPaperStandardissuedbytheNational
InformationStandardsOrganization(Z39.48–1984).
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Thisbookisintendedtoprovidethereaderwithinformationonly.Asnotedthroughout
thetext,individualsshouldconsultappropriatehealthcarepractitionersknowledgeable
inthefieldofnaturalmedicinepriortopursuinganyparticularcourseoftreatment.
Namesandidentifyingfactshavebeenchangedforallcasestudiesincludedwithinthis
booksothatindividualswhomaybedescribedinthecasestudieswillnotberecognizable.
Anysimilaritiesbetweenthecasestudydescriptionsandactual,livingpersonsarepurely
coincidental.
Thepublisherhasdoneitsbesttomakesuretheinstructionsand/orrecipesinthisbook
arecorrect.However,usersshouldapplyjudgmentandexperiencewhenpreparingrecipes,
especially parents and teachers working with young people. The publisher accepts no
responsibilityfortheoutcomeofanyrecipeincludedinthisvolume.
Contents
SeriesForeword vii
ForewordbyJudythReichenberg-Ullman,N.D. ix
Preface xiii
Chapter1: AspergerSyndrome:WhatItIsandWhatItIsn’t 1
Chapter2: WhatAspergerSyndromeLooksLikeinChildrenand
Teenagers 11
Chapter3: WhatAspergerSyndromeLooksLikeinanAdult 29
Chapter4: FaceBlindnessandPlaceBlindness—WhoAreYouand
WhereAmIGoing? 41
Chapter5: ConventionalAspergerTreatment:ThenandNow 53
Chapter6: PhysicalSymptomsAssociatedwithAspergerSyndrome 65
Chapter7: WhatYouEatAffectsHowYouAct 77
Chapter8: HowtheEnvironmentAffectsAspergerSyndrome 99
Chapter9: DeerintheHeadlights—DealingwithAnxiety,
Depression,andSleep 119
Chapter10: Homeopathy:AGiantLeapForward 135
Chapter11: WhatYouCanDoRightNow 145
AppendixA:ResourcesHelpfulinAddressingAspergerSyndrome 153
vi CONTENTS
AppendixB:CommonMercuryDerivatives 157
AppendixC:TastyPestoRecipesWhichWillAlsoHelpwith
ChemicalDetoxification 159
Notes 163
SelectedBibliography 175
Index 177
Series Foreword
Dr.SuzanneLawtonandthegrowingnumberofphysiciansthatembracehealth
carefromatrulyintegrativeapproacharepioneeringthewayforthenextquantum
leap in significant advances in both academic and clinical medicine. With the
support of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Center for
Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) and funding from both
private and public sectors the appreciation for the integration of health care
educationanddeliveryisbecomingagreaterreality.
Thereisnomoreimportanttimeforallhealthcareproviderstoembracethe
conceptof“individualizedpatientorientedwellness.”ThankstotheworkofDr.
DavidEisenbergandsimilarstudieswenowknowthatAmericansareallocated
billions of discretionary dollars to seek out what used to be termed “alternative
medicine” approaches. Yet what was once considered fully “alternative” is be-
comingintegrated,asevidencegrows,intothemainstream.Thefirststepintrue
integration is to realize that health care is a continuum that is both fluid and
dynamic.
The nearly ten-fold increase in autism over the last twenty years demands
that this epidemic serves as a unifying force for all fields of medicine to work
seamlessly in resolving what many consider the ultimate “coal miner’s canary”
of modern society. It is only through the concerted efforts of the whole health
careandresearchcommunitythattheformulationofhypothesesrelativetothe
increasedprevalence,potentialetiologies,diagnostics,andtreatmentoptionscan
most expeditiously be addressed. With our public and private school systems,
families, and social services fully entrenched in this epidemic and the current
trendingofstatistics,theonlyoptionispreventionandearlyintervention.
ThisworkonAsperger’ssyndromeisanimportantcontributionthatprovides
aplatformforhealthcareproviderandpatientaliketoproceedwithaheightened
viii SERIESFOREWORD
level of awareness, insights, and literally a head start in establishing a working
foundation to meet the unique needs of each patient as they participate in the
lifelongjourneyofhealthcare,whichshouldbewiththeadventofanintegrated
approachthatwouldmoreaccuratelybetermed“wellnesscare.”
ChrisD.Meletis
SeriesEditor
Foreword
Asperger Syndrome (AS) has, as Dr. Suzanne Lawton so correctly reminds the
reader, baffled Dr. Hans Asperger and baffles parents, children, physicians, and
other health care practitioners, researchers, and others to this day. We cannot
seemtoagreeonthecauseoreven,universally,onthediagnosis,muchlessthe
treatment.Auditoriumsfullofangry,impassioned,sometimesdesperate,parents
havegatheredtoberatetheapparentlackofconcernonthepartofgovernmental
institutionsregardingmercury-ladenvaccinepreservatives.Familiesspendinor-
dinateamountsoftime,energy,andfinancialresourcesonanynumberofhealth
careapproachesfortheirAspergerchildren.Somanyaffectedchildren,somany
questions,andsofewanswers.
Wecanagreethatthenumberofchildren,andadults,diagnosedwithAShas
risentothepointthatmanywouldconsidertobeepidemic.Thecurrentestimate
is one out of every 150 children in this country. Though, coinciding with the
removal(relativelyspeaking)ofthimerosalinmostchildhoodimmunizations,the
numbersappeartobediminishing;theincidenceissaidtobegrowingconsiderably
inChina,wherewearenowexportingthoseearlierbatchesofpreservedvaccines.
Given the groundbreaking discovery of a gene associated with autism, we
may agree on some genetic component. Yet to come to light is exactly how
that hereditary tendency might make this group of children and adults more
susceptibletoenvironmentalinfluences.
WecanagreethatASembracesacomplex,curious,andoftenconfusingcon-
stellation of symptoms. And that, despite their sometimes superior intelligence
andeffortstoadapttoourneurotypicalsociety,thesechildrenandadultsexperi-
ence tremendous challenges—physical, emotional, social, academic, and senso-
rial.Despitetheireffortstodothebesttheycan,theyfrequentlyfindthemselves
misunderstoodandostracized.