1. Kidshealth.org This one is pretty obvious, tons and I mean a ton of information on the site. I love how it is organized into 3 simple sections on their homepage. One for parents, one for kids and one for teens. You could spends days on end reading great articles from this site.   2. AboutKidsHealth.ca Another great website with tons and tons of information on it. You can honestly spend and find so much information on this site you might leave it for hours!   3. Jamie Oliver Food Revolution Jaime Oliver is one of the leaders in changing the culture with food … [Read more...]

9.  Talk about your thoughts on the diet aspect of helping your child with autism. Do you believe it helps? If so what diet helps? Dr. Kari Miller: Many anecdotal reports attest to the positive effects of dietary changes in the behavior of individuals on the spectrum.   Some diets that have helped people include: eliminating gluten, the protein in wheat, eliminating casein, the protein in dairy products, limiting sugar limiting refined and highly processed foods increasing Omega 3 fatty acids increasing Vitamin B6, taken with magnesium (which makes the vitamin … [Read more...]

8. Do certain types of daily schedules help with autistic children? If so, what kind? Dr. Kari Miller: All kids need structure and routine to feel safe and to thrive.  Therefore, setting up supportive structures for meals, sleeping, self-care, social interaction, learning, and recreation are necessary for children to feel comfortable enough to engage in the exploration of their environments that is essential to their growth and development.   I’d like to answer this question by talking about areas that are rarely discussed— how your child’s learning is affected by … [Read more...]

Do you think there will ever be a cure for autism and if so when?   Dr. Kari Miller: The term cure is problematic.  Some people on the spectrum do not desire a “cure” and do not view autism as a “disease”, but instead, see it as part of who they are. However, some individuals with autism do experience troubling symptoms, such as extreme sensitivity to environmental stimuli, and may value improvement in the symptoms.  Clearly, research will continue and more will be learned about the risk factors, treatment and educational approaches that benefit people with autism—that is … [Read more...]

Describe to me an average kid with autism   Dr. Kari Miller: Each individual is unique and there is no way to present a “typical” picture.  However, there are three core areas that are affected by autism:  social skills, language and communication, and repetitive and/or restricted behaviors.  Each child with autism will show some degree of challenge in these areas, but need not show a marked difficulty in all areas.  Kids may also have sensory and/or motor problems, to varying degrees.   There are other conditions that may coexist with autism, such as mental … [Read more...]