3 Easy Ways to Connect Your Loved Ones with Answers and Healing of Autism
Brain Harmony is here to help you with 3 easy ways to connect your loved ones with answers to healing autism.
First, a crucial update on Autism Statistics:
When Brain Harmony first started treating children with this diagnosis the autism rate was 1 in 125 according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC).. But now, the autism rate is believed to be 1 in 36 children, which is 2.8% of children and expected to keep rising, but why? Is there anything that we can do about this? Why doesn’t my pediatrician know more?
Brain Harmony’s Purpose:
There are many reasons that can be attributed to the onset of autism, including exposure to prescribed and over-the-counter medicinals, environmental toxins, exposures while pregnant, as well as genetic factors to name a few. In this article, we will discuss potential causes for this continued surge and treatment options for parents looking to reverse autism and the comorbidities that often accompany this condition. We understand it’s a difficult topic for parents, grandparents and teachers to discuss, but we also realize it’s a true and rising epidemic and needs to be addressed.
We are here to offer answers, solutions, knowledge, and support. Please feel free to forward this article to anyone who is involved in your life or your child’s life who may benefit from understanding more about this condition, and assisting in the ways we tackle it. Our approach is the results of managing 1000s of families with a child or multiple children with autism. We are not in the space of what do we do, the priority is giving families access to preventative data and our program to accelerate neurological healing. We use an, individualized, compassionate, and patent-pending process, with no need for medicinals or ABA. (more about this below).
First, a quick quote from our friends at Epidemic Answers that explains the recent increase:
“Granted, we are better at diagnosing autism due to increased awareness and due to better diagnostic tools and tracking, but it simply cannot account for the meteoric increase in children with autism since the 1980s. If we’ve gone from 1 in 150 children in 2009 to 1 in 36 in 2023 due to better diagnosing, this means we “missed” about 1.5 million kids (or 75% of those diagnosable).
Their Senior Scientist, Randy Reiserer, looked at the U.S. Department of Education IDEA data, which documents increases in the services in school provided to children with autism from 2005 to 2019 by state. In this chart, you can see that states were paying increasing amounts for autism services in that time period. States would not have made these payments unless there was a verifiable diagnosis. Thus, these data help prove that rising autism rates weren’t simply due to better diagnosis.”
1) Use a Method that Uses Both Big and Small Approaches
At Brain Harmony, we have treated Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and the characteristics of the condition for many years and we know from experience that the negative symptoms CAN be lessened and in some cases resolve the conditions by addressing the root causes in the brain and nervous system. We rely on vagus nerve regulation and neuroplasticity of the brain.
We have discovered and developed both big leaps - such as our groundbreaking Autism Five-Step-Plan (explained in detail below) as well as “inch stones” that can be addressed in small but potent ways every day, all without using medications or ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis). We know that applying our protocol with the daily tips below can greatly reduce the symptoms of autism, which sometimes includes tics.
For example, we know that most adults and children with autism have the inability to detox, especially if you have MTHFR markers that make you more susceptible to side effects from medicinals and toxins in your environment. We recognize this is a frustrating issue, and we created our program with this in mind.
We also know the basic environmental changes to the food, air and water we need everyday to live can reduce the symptoms and delay the severity of the condition. After witnessing the onset of severe facial tics after a child received their 7th grade booster shot required for school, an incredibly frightening facial tic presented within hours of the injection. Functional Medicine pediatrician advised she drink an abundance of Figi water,* which worked amazingly. But why?
Apparently, Fiji water has naturally occurring silica in it that binds to aluminum and then is flushed out of the body. Gallons of it were consumed over a weekend and the tics resolved.
But why didn’t the entire 7th grade who also got the required vaccine develop a tic? We have learned that each variable added to the nervous system is like a drip in the nervous system bucket, and for some one last injection spilled over the nervous system, resulting in facial tics. If an individual has a double MTHFR marker then they are more likely to have adverse side effects from injections. 90% of individuals diagnosed with Autism have this MTHFR gene. Good to know, especially BEFORE you commit to a schedule of the injections. If you knew your child was unable to detox approved amounts of heavy metals in injections, would you space them out? Would you wait until the child was speaking and could tell you how they were feeling before injecting one?
Another addition to add to your family environment is a water filtration system that helps reduce contaminants like arsenic, fluoride and lead. If your child is genetically unable to detox, would this be an important modification to your home to add even before mom becomes pregnant?
Keep these tips in mind as we move to the next step: understanding ASD from a cellular level, before diving into how we can approach it with our holistic program.
2) Understanding Autism From A Cellular Level
We are frequently asked about the causes of ASD:
Is it the environment? Is it the vaccines? Is it the food? Is this an autoimmune disorder? Is it genetics? From experience in dramatically improving the multisystem dysfunction of autism on a neurological level, the answer is all of the above.
We have become big fans of the team at Epidemicanswers.org, which is a private hub for research on the causes of many chronic conditions, and they emphasize that autism can be viewed as a multi-system developmental disorder caused by an accumulation of environmental stressors turning on a genetically susceptible predisposition to the condition.
This explanation is important on their website because it acknowledges there is hope; if we can alter the internal and external environment of the individual, and lessen the expression of genetic disorders, then significant healing can and will occur as well as severities avoided.
Environmental Stressors
Top Chemicals in environment linked to ASD
Although there are more toxins in our environment today than ever before, researchers out of Mount Sinai Medical Center put together a list of the top ten environmental chemicals they believe are linked to ASD.
These include:
1. Lead
2. Methylmercury
3. PCBs or polychlorinated biphenyls, are industrial products or chemicals.
4. Organophosphate pesticides
5. Organochlorine pesticides
6. Endocrine disruptors
7. Brominated flame retardants
8. Perfluorinated compounds
Stressor Categories
While cellular healing for the treatment of autism is a requirement and best sequenced early, many do not know of the accelerants to healing the brain and nervous system, as a necessary feature in autism recovery.
Here is a list of common stressors, many surprising, identified by Epidemic Answers, which is also available in a free webinar: https://epidemicanswers.org/webinar/rising-autism-rates-why-and-what-you-can-do/
Antibiotics
Chemical Exposures
Prenatal Exposures
EMFs
Over-the-counter medications
Excessive sugar
Injectible Medications
This is good to know if you are planning a family, have a young child and or have a child already suffering with symptoms of larger diagnosis.
By addressing the brain and nervous system as the common denominators, recovery from autism and comorbidities like ADHD, sensory processing disorders, speech and language delays, social delays are not only possible, but common, with the right perspective.
3) Treat Autism with Neuroplasticity
Brain Harmony specializes in the treatment of these conditions in the brain and nervous system, with accelerants. Our first step is always to turn off the sympathetic nervous system that we all know too well - the fight, flight, freeze of fawn aka survival mode. We can enhance vagal tone, which enhances parasympathetic states (the opposite of sympathetic) of rest, digestion and calm.
For most children with autism, ADHD, sensory processing disorders and language delays, the nervous system is overwhelmed, overstimulated and on edge. This creates characteristic behaviors like emotional dysregulation, anxiety, and sensory sensitivities. The severity of each of these is unique to each individual and linked to the amount of stressors they are exposed to.
By beginning with returning safety to the body first and organizing the sensory system, our friends are less reactive and less hypervigilant. Then they are ready to awaken the social portal of human engagement.
Awakening The Social Being
This is a feature of the Brain Harmony program that distinguishes our outcomes from traditional therapeutic interventions because of the way social skills are accessed.
Unlike most traditional therapies, which aim to decrease negative behaviors or teach a “social script”, at Brain Harmony our goal is to unlock the social connection that as mammals we are all intended to possess as we rely upon social structures to survive outside of the womb.
We do not have to teach someone that they should look at someone with eyes when they are talking to someone. We can awaken the desire and ability to communicate through the use of their eyes.
We use our 5-step plan to gently nudge neurological organization into safety which allows access to intimacy and verbal expression.
Step 1 -Vagal Regulation
Vagal regulation is a key component to speech and language development for those with selective mutism, non-verbal, articulation issues, as well as fluency disorders including stuttering. It makes sense why vagal regulation should happen first.
Step 2 - Neurological Organization
In step 2 we can then organize very specific parts of the brain and wire-in neurological organization after the reset to the autonomic nervous system has been made. There is no intervention that is more effective or faster at achieving neurological organization than with listening programs. Sound frequencies and bone conduction in portable devices can override the faulty or inefficient wiring and allow access to regulation, learning and independence.
In our discussions with independent think tanks of specialists like Epidemic Answers and Documenting Hope, we agreed that the sequence of treatment was an important factor for families new to the diagnosis and the seasoned ones who have invested a significant amount of money into interventions that did not produce lasting change. For many families, neurological gains were softer than expected especially after years of work.
We have included a Neurological Pyramid that can be used as a guide to prioritize intervention. We use a bottom-up approach and fill in the holes in the CNS as we move upwards to the higher cognitive centers of the brain.
The skills at the top of the pyramid are dependent upon the solid foundation in the lower level of the CNS. If there are holes, then the skills above them do not develop as intended. Take speech and language skills, which are common goals for those on the spectrum.
Looking at the pyramid, these skills are in the third row of the central nervous system which is why if you have not shored up the sensory system, worked through reflex maturity, postural maturity, and awakened the social portal of human engagement, then your speech development may stay stagnant.
If the sequence is skipped and families try 1:1 sessions with speech and language therapists before shoring up the foundations, they will likely have minimal speech development. If you want to develop a skill in the higher cognitive centers of the brain, like attention and learning, you have to use a bottom-up approach for the most comprehensive organization to even have access to the parts of the brain where these skills are stored.
Brain Harmony uses tools and neurological protocols to fill the needs of the sensory system first and work our way up the pyramid.
Although gains are unique to each individual, recovery looks like this:
Becoming verbal and using language in conversations
Awakening of social expression and joint attention with family
Ability to self soothe
Independence with self-care and adls
Improved expression of aptitude in everyday experiences as well as performance on standardized assessments
Greater self-confidence
Better sleep and regulation
Graduation from clinic visits and compensatory strategies
Step 3 - Break apart restrictive movement patterns
In step 3, we use reflex integration to further the recovery from autism because if these infantile reflex patterns are still “on”, it will limit physical as well as emotional development. While MNRI Core Trained Therapists are the white-glove of reflex integration, we found our families had a hard time implementing at home.
The Brain Harmony program pairs you with a licensed occupational therapists and Certified Occupational Therapist Assistants who include beautifully written and designed neurological lesson plans with reflex integration included so you understand the how and why behind the intervention. This allows for higher compliance and participation in the exercises and therefore, higher rate of integration. By step 3, recovery begins to look like this:
Improvement in physical coordination (walking, running, better sports performance, riding a bike, etc.)
Improvement in functional vision (ability to track a ball in air and keeping eyes on the page while reading)
Improvement in auditory processing (increased decoding of words and comprehension)
Improvement in focus, memory recall, thinking processes, emotional and behavioral regulation, and more.
A sharp increase in speech production with the use of hands and feet reflex patterns.
Age-appropriate postural control
Age-appropriate emotional regulation
Resolve in sleep walking or night terrors
Reflex integration is so important for neurological development that several Developmental Optometrists are known to recommend integrating basic reflexes like the Moro, ATNR and STNR before starting vision therapy. This sequence of therapy will save a parent time, money and energy by doing reflex integration early in your recovery plan and especially before training the vision system.
Step 4 - Therapeutic Activities
In Step 4, we use therapeutic activities that incorporate balance, strength, and bilateral coordination, to further organize the brain with functional activities.
We like to pair functional activities like making dinner, folding laundry, tinkering in the garage with our accelerant modalities and “listening programs”. With frequent participation, the therapeutic activities paired with our accelerants, build the neuron connections in the brain while adding meaning and purpose to the experience.
Step 5 - Self Care
Independence in self-care is what all parents want for their children. Being able to care for ourselves for intimate tasks like bathing, toileting and feeding is essential for true independence and self-esteem. Higher forms of self-care in order to live independently require a solid foundation of the nervous system with the ability to learn.
In Step 5, we achieve self-care goals by organizing the brain and nervous system so that an individual initiates care of self, their environment and others. Frequently, Moms report to us things like this “My child saw me crying after I jammed my toe and for the first time she came up to me and said ‘Are you sad Mommy?’ and then began to pat me on my back. It was the first time she expressed concern for how I was feeling. I knew we were on to something with Brain Harmony”.
Once you organize the brain and nervous system in a certain order, then our friends can access emotions, social skills, higher cognition and of course independence in self care rises to the surface and begins to develop sequentially, as intended. By Step 5, our friends can expect to have new skills to manage daily tasks and dramatically improve their quality of life and reshape their family.
Watch videos of children with autism transform to a higher self
Step 3 - Reflex Integration
In step 3, we use reflex integration to further the recovery from autism because if these infantile reflex patterns are still “on”, it will limit physical as well as emotional development. While MNRI Core Trained Therapists are the white glove of reflex integration, we found our families had a hard time accessing the therapy and implementing at home.
The Brain Harmony program pairs you with a licensed occupational therapist who includes beautifully written and designed neurological lesson plans with reflex integration included so you understand the how and why behind the intervention. This allows for higher compliance and participation in the exercises and therefore, higher rate of integration. Recovery from primitive retained reflexes looks like this:
Improvement in physical coordination (walking, running, better sports performance, riding a bike, etc.)
Improvement in functional vision (ability to track a ball in air and keeping eyes on the page while reading)
Improvement in hearing (increased decoding of words and comprehension)
Improvement in focus, memory recall, thinking processes, emotional and behavioral regulation, and more.
A sharp increase in speech production with the use of hands and feet reflex patterns.
Age appropriate postural control
Age appropriate emotional regulation
Resolve in sleep walking or night terrors
Reflex integration is so important for neurological development that several Developmental Optometrists are known to recommend integrating basic reflexes like the Moro, ATNR and STNR before starting vision therapy. This sequence of therapy will save a parent time, money and energy by doing reflex integration early in your recovery plan and especially before training the vision system.
Step 4 - Therapeutic Activities
In Step 4, we use therapeutic activities that incorporate balance, strength, and range of motion, to further organize the brain with functional activities.
We like to pair functional activities like making dinner, folding laundry, tinkering in the garage with our accelerant tools like the iLs Focus system. With frequency intensity and duration, participation in therapeutic activities customized to your individual motivations, reinforces neuroplasticity in the brain while adding meaning and purpose to the experince.
Independence in self-care is what all parents want for their children. Being able to care for ourselves for intimate tasks like bathing, toileting and feeding is essential for true independence and self esteem. Higher forms of self care in order to live independently require a solid foundation of the nervou system with the ability to learn.
Step 5 - Self Care
In Step 5, we achieve self care goals by organizing the brain and nervous system so that an individual initiates care of self, their environment and others. Once you organize the brain and nervous system in a certain order, then independence in self care rises to the surface and begins to develop sequentially, as intended. By Step 5, our friends can expect to have new skills to manage daily tasks and dramatically improve their quality of life.
These are some of our favorite stories of recovery with Brain Harmony:
Autism Recovery for Micah:
Autism Recovery for Levi:
Speech, Language and Sensory Recovery for Harper:
Non-verbal to Verbal Recovery for Lucas:
Autism, High Anxiety and Struggling to Communicate Recovery for Natalia:
Takeaway
Recovery from autism is possible. Practitioners are creating protocols and interventions that allow for healing, given a good sequence and access to superior brain changing tools. Take the new data on stressors to avoid and support each other as we balance incorporating these changes in our daily lives to optimize development and health for the entire family.
From working with thousands of families across the nation and world, we've found that the best approach in treating autism is an integrated one – including cellular healing and neurological rewiring. When our families incorporate these, recovery is possible.
To learn more about how Brain Harmony can offer neurological support, contact us today for a free consultation.
* Fiji water to detox aluminum has been a subject of interest in the conversation around autism. Renowned scientist Chris Exley, a pioneer in the field of aluminum toxicity, has conducted extensive research indicating that high levels of aluminum in the body may be linked to neurological conditions such as autism. The silica present in Fiji water is believed to help the body naturally detoxify itself from aluminum. According to Exley, silica binds with the aluminum in the body and assists in its removal through the kidneys. This process, known as chelation, can potentially contribute to a decrease in aluminum-related impacts on the nervous system. Consuming Fiji water might serve as a natural way to help reduce the effects of aluminum toxicity on the body.