Chapter 31: “The Big Three”
In this chapter I write about three
particularly exasperating and persistent behaviors that Meaghan engaged in over
the course of her Higashi years. The first, deliberate wetting, was brought on
by a series of transitions that occurred in Meaghan’s life beginning in the
fall of 1994, when the Higashi school moved from Lexington to Randolph. Although
the behavior didn’t last long at school, Meaghan rapidly generalized it to
anytime she was in a new situation with new people, which put a damper on my
being able to get let her out and about with others. The second behavior,
whining, was Meg’s immediate anxiety response to any demand being placed upon
her. And the third behavior, repetitive or incessant questioning, a form of
obsessive compulsive disorder, was not only nerve-racking but, to the extent
that the preoccupation underlying it predominated and interfered with all other
thought processes, it was crippling as well. I discuss how we conquered all
three.
Chapter 32: Flight and Fright
In this chapter I recount three frightening
episodes that occurred when Meaghan heeded a hapless neural impulse to run away.
The very idea that she could be putting herself in harm’s way when she escaped
our vigilance was incomprehensible to my daughter, as it is to most autistic
children. They give no thought to the consequences of their actions, which is
why they pose such a challenge to us as parents. While it’s fine to expect the
best of them, for safety sake if often helps to anticipate the worst.
Chapter 33: Community
Conundrum
To this day I anticipate the worst whenever
Meaghan goes out with us socially. This way I am often pleasantly surprised.
Meaghan’s social behavior has improved with age, but her social confidence
remains shaky. As an adolescent, she is expected to behave in a less
self-involved way than she did as a child, and this is completely contrary to
her autistic nature. I relate several stories of social "incidents"
and how we took a stab at "inclusion" at the local middle school, in a
vain attempt to boost Meaghan’s
social confidence by getting with typical peers.
Chapter 34: A Friend
in Deed
Although Meaghan
is very interested in having “friends,” faithful companions are darn hard to
come by for autistic children, particularly during adolescence when conformity
is all important. I relate how the unconditional acceptance and affection of a
remarkable young
woman helped her to come into her own and to understand what real friendship
is all about. And how by a fluke we not only obtained the funding necessary to
get Meggie the support she’ll need to develop and hone her “real life”
skills of getting along with people and learning how to handle herself in
different situations, but also found an outstanding woman to provide that
support. Talk about the luck of the Irish!
Chapter 35: What Might
Help
In this chapter I detail and review the various
dietary nutritional supplement treatment options that might help to alleviate
various autistic co-syndromes and symptoms, such as anxiety, gastric distress,
lack of focus, hyperactivity, obsessive-compulsive behaviors etc.
Chapter 36: "And
the Good News Is"
This is the wind up chapter in which I
acknowledge how fortunate we have been where Meggie's concerned on many counts,
how far she has come and how far she has yet to go. I also talk about the
current state of autism research and my hopes for where we are headed.
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Bio-Chemical What's Going On Sections
Sensory Processing,
Behavior & Memory
This What's Going On section answers the following
questions:
1. How does sensory information travel to and from the brain?
2. What structures are involved in processing sensory information once it reaches the brain?
3. What factors might impede or interrupt the smooth relaying of sensory impulses to the association areas of the brain?
4. What might happen to sensory impulses in the autistic brain?
5. Why are the association nuclei particularly susceptible to impairment due to a breakdown in synaptic processing?
6. How does this breakdown in processing jive with the findings of neuroanatomical studies of autistic brains?
7. How might these cerebellar and limbic system findings cause or contribute to autism?
8. What do we know, or think we know, about memory?
9. How does the short-circuiting of sensory impulses affect memory and intentional behavior in autism?
Body Senses and Motor Responses
This
What's Going On section answers the following
questions:
1. What role might the brain stem (reticular
and vestibular) nuclei play in causing or contributing to autism?
2. How might the poor modulation of sensory
input impact vestibular function in autism?
3. How might the thalamus contribute to autism?
4. How are sensory impulses transformed into
motor responses?
5. What might go awry in the carrying out of
motor responses?
6. How does stimulating the body help to
develop and organize the brain?
7. Why do autistic children often have so
little motivation or interest in doing new things?
8. How does their restrictive thought pattern
affect the play style of autistic children?
9. What is the critical Catch-22 situation in
which young people with autism find themselves?
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Distal Senses and Lateralization
This
What's Going On section answers the following
questions:
1. How does the brain make sense of what we
see?
2. How much of an impact does the vestibular
system have on our vision and hearing?
3. What might account for the difficulty many
autistic people have in sustaining eye gaze or visual attention?
4. What might account for the difficulty many
autistic people have in integrating distal information, and how might this
contribute to their language impairment?
5. Why do people with autism often favor their
visual sense, and is this over-reliance on one sense healthy?
6. What is specialization or lateralization?
7. How might the left hemisphere contribute to
the language problems characteristic of autism?
8. How might the right hemisphere contribute to
the communication and social deficits of autism?
Brain-Body Biochemical Link
This
What's
Going On section answers the following
questions:
1. What bio
-chemicals are involved in the
digestion and metabolism of the food we eat?
2. Why is the proper metabolism of protein so
important?
3. How do the brain and body communicate?
4. How is glucose formed, and what function
does it serve in the brain?
5. Which neurotransmitters might be implicated
in the breakdown of information processing resulting in autism?
6. How do drugs work to control
neurotransmitter function?
7. How effective are drugs in remediating
autism?
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Gastrointestinal-Secretin Link
This
What's Going On section answers the following
questions:
1. What happens if there is an enzyme or
hormone deficiency?
2. How might a specific hormone, such as
secretin, become deficient or defective?
3. What might be the secretin connection to
glucose supply and energy metabolism?
4. How does energy metabolism affect brain
function, and how might an uneven supply of glucose contribute to autism?
5. How does secretin tie into
neurotransmitters?
6. To sum up, what are some of the ways in
which secretin might affect the central nervous system?
7. How might a secretin deficiency contribute
to gastrointestinal problems?
8. What about infections and allergies (action
of enzymes and hormones on immune system function and histamine production)?
9. What are some alternative biological factors
that might cause or contribute to autism?
Neuropeptides and
Supplements
This
What's Going On section answers the following
questions:
1. What biochemical factors might cause a problem with the synthesis of neurotransmitters and hormones in autism?
2. How might certain neurotransmitters cause or contribute to autism?
3. How do drugs work to control neurotransmitter function?
4. In attempting to curb or control the symptoms of autism, is it better to use drugs or dietary supplements?
5. How do specific supplements work to make the brain and body function better?
6. How might specific supplements help people with autism to feel and function better?
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Piecing the Autism Puzzle
Together
This chapter has 100 different facts and
theories that have all been fit together in a hypothetical explanation of the
mystery of autism.
Appendix -
Current Theories About What
Might Cause Autism
Genetic Advances, Environmental Factors and
Biochemical Theories as well as Supplement Treatment Options are covered.
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