Understanding Global Developmental Delay

The term Developmental Delay or Global Development Delay is utilized when a youngster takes more time to arrive at specific improvement achievements than different kids their age. This may incorporate figuring out how to walk or talk, developmental abilities, learning new things and cooperating with others socially and inwardly.

Infants and kids for the most part master significant abilities, for example, sitting up, turning over, creeping, strolling, jabbering (giving fundamental discourse sounds), talking and becoming latrine prepared as they grow up. A youngster with Developmental Delay may not arrive at at least one of these achievements until some other time than anticipated.

This issue will come to light only after the kid is conceived. While a single cause for GDD is not available in many cases, both genetic and environmental factors seem to play roles in GDD like premature birth. This could be because of an issue that was created before birth, an issue during birth for instance, in the event that the child didn’t get sufficient oxygen, or was conceived too soon, a youth disease or an actual mishap during youth.

As they develop, kids’ advancements will be surveyed routinely and in the event that they aren’t meeting the normal formative achievements and levels of capacities, they might be alluded for additional more expert evaluation.

A few questions that everyone has about GDD is as follows:

• Are you unable to see your child not crawling or walking in the anticipated time or are they missing a milestone?
• What is the truth behind GDD?
• Does Ayurveda have any role in such cases?

At Jeevaniyam, we use ayurvedic techniques to identify this and if we suspect that if a child had GDD, we pose inquiries with respect to the youngster’s advancement till now and assess their current milestone achievement. As a second step we will provide the child with our unique protocols according to each individual. Ayurveda regimen, he can help the patient improve his physical and emotional strength.

Importance of Healthy Gut & Healthy Brain in ASD & ADHD Kids – A Technical Review

Children with ADHD and ASD have shown remarkable improvement and overall symptom reversal by using food-healing protocols that increase healthy gut microbes. This can be a great relief and blessing for families that have been following a strict gluten- and casein-free diet.

ADHD and ASD are just two of the many mental and developmental disorders that can benefit from the application of nutritional therapy to improve gut health. Gut health is important for brain health and directly affects mood and emotions. A growing number of researchers are interested in the relationship between gut microbes and brain function. According to the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), approximately 90 percent of serotonin is made in the gut. Researchers at Caltech are also studying the benefits of gut flora and its direct contribution to reducing autism symptoms in mice and humans.

Ayurvedic research has shown that gut microbes are responsible for creating most of our serotonin and numerous other neurotransmitters that are essential for healthy brain function. Serotonin is necessary for the brain to experience a positive mood and be resilient to stress. Microbes in the gut also have the essential task of supporting digestion by synthesizing vitamins, fermenting things we can’t digest and producing hormones that influence our immune, endocrine and nervous systems.

There is increasing evidence suggesting a link between autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and the gastrointestinal (GI) microbiome. Experimental and clinical studies have shown that patients diagnosed with ASD display alterations of the gut microbiota. These alterations do not only extend to the gut microbiota composition but also to the metabolites they produce, as a result of its connections with diet and the bidirectional interaction with the host.

At Jeevaniyam we follow a protocol with food therapy and neuro counselling which will work hand in hand and the future looks hopeful for children and families dealing with ADHD and ASD. Each child is his or her own unique being and will require an individualized protocol that is specific to that child.

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Ayurveda Feeding Practices for ASD Kids

 A healthy diet becomes one of the biggest hurdles when feeding the kid with ASD (Autistic Spectrum Disorder). It can relieve us of all the additional concerns about alternative diets. Nutrition can change the essence of your autistic kids. The good news is that Ayurveda has solutions for multiple problems.

Ayurveda has long used diet as a principal means of creating health within the body and mind. Hundreds of years before Hippocrates instructed, “Let food be thy medicine,” Ayurveda defined principles for making that advice practical.

Choosing foods according to your constitution, paying attention to food and eating as per your capacity are some of the Ayurvedic practices that could bring about a great deal of change in your overall well-being.

Cultivating healthy eating habits is essential for maintaining healthy body weight and the ancient Indian science of Ayurveda has some principles pertaining to just that. Ayurveda is an ancient system of medicine that goes back 4000 years. It believes in maintaining the balance of the bodily system through diet, natural herbs and some yogic practices.

A lot of these Ayurvedic practices are being studied in labs across the world and many of these practices have been shown to have scientific backing too. An ideal Ayurvedic diet talks about many eating habits that have the potential to cure so many of our modern and urban woes.

key areas Ayurveda concentrate related to food:

• Digestion – Eating involves sight, smell, taste, chewing, swallowing and digestion. Suitable nourishing diet for each individual need to be set and monitored by the Ayurvedic professional.
• Allergies – Individuals need to be monitored for food allergies.
• Toxins – causes of illness could be related to undigested, unsuitable foods that can lead to the accumulation of toxic material.

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Why Gluten-Free/Casein-Free Diets For ASD Affected Children

One of the most important issues faced by parents having children affected with ASD is eating disorders. This will result in lower gut health thereby affecting the general health of the child. In Ayurveda we manage this gap by suggesting & cultivating healthy food habits for the kids.

A gluten-free/casein-free diet is also known as the GFCF diet. It is one of several alternative treatments for children with autism. When following this strict elimination diet, all foods containing gluten (found in wheat, barley and rye) and casein (found in milk and dairy products) are removed from the child's daily food intake. The benefit of a gluten-free/casein-free diet is based on the theory that children with autism may have an allergy or high sensitivity to foods containing gluten or casein.

Children with autism, according to the theory, process peptides and proteins in foods containing gluten and casein differently than other people do. Hypothetically, this difference in processing may exacerbate autistic symptoms. Some believe that the brain treats these proteins like false opiate-like chemicals. The reaction to these chemicals, they say, leads a child to act in a certain way. The idea behind the use of the diet is to reduce symptoms and improve social and cognitive behaviours and speech.

Autistic children can be notoriously fussy eaters, this diet may be very difficult to implement. Also, some supporters of this diet suggest parents stick with the diet for a year ideally, which can be a long time simply to evaluate this type of intervention.

Cutting any food from one’s diet unnecessarily and without guidance from a dietitian or other medical professional may lead to deficiencies in essential nutrients. There have only been a few scientific studies regarding whether a gluten and casein-free diet is effective for those with ASD. It is important to make sure that the child (or other people) receives ample fibre, vitamins, and minerals. Ayurveda feeding practices and dietary interventions will help your child to have a healthy gut and a healthy brain.

At Jeevaniyam once we adopt these kinds of diet changes and make sure there are no deficiencies for our young patients, the majority of their parents reported significant improvements in various aspects of their child’s wellbeing on a gluten and/or milk-free diet with significant improvements in bowel habits, general health, sleeping patterns, concentration and social communication. 

Dietary interventions & Correct Feeding Practices In An ASD Child

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) are commonly affected by eating disorders. Parents and loved ones of individuals with autism know only too well that autism often goes hand-in-hand with picky eating. Children and adults with autism may exhibit strong food preferences and aversions, making it difficult to give them a nutritious diet. 

This is a vicious cycle, because various nutrient deficiencies, suboptimal digestive function, and gastrointestinal problems—which many individuals with autism also exhibit—may exacerbate the behavioural aspects of the condition. Their preference for energy-dense food with low nutrition can alter their metabolism, leading to the accumulation of oxidative radicals, causing them to deteriorate mentally and physically. Although dieting and losing weight are now commonly seen in the general population, it has become hard to bring awareness to children with special needs about diet, nutrition, and obesity. Despite efforts, parents of such children usually cannot help control their eating because tantrums and behavioural problems are common.

Children with neurodevelopmental disorders such as Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) are the commonest population to manifest with an eating disorder when compared to the general population. Recent studies indicate that up to three percent of children or at least 23 in 1000 children in India may have autism and ASD with eating disorders. Many studies also indicate that parents of children with ASD have no formal education, belong to high socioeconomic status, have reduced sleep and affective problems that significantly contribute to their condition. Reports indicate that at least 30 percent of autistic children fall under the obese category. It is now imperative for doctors and parents to work alongside nutritionists and dieticians to help these children eat healthy to be fit and improve their quality of life. A trial and error of diets is a must to see what suits them best.

At Jeevaniyam it is our duty as doctors to educate parents to nourish the culture of eating healthy as children with special needs may not completely understand the concept and the benefits of healthy and nutritious food. We prescribe diet patterns which are rich in macronutrients such as proteins, fats, and micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals, acts as antioxidants and improves these children’s better functioning. This will help in improving the gut health thereby reducing the stress that is suffered by children.

Ayurvedic Perspective of Autism -Dr.Reshmi Pramod

 

Ayurvedic Perspective of Autism

To know and understand the hassles of autism, you need to be up close to a person suffering from it. One of the most difficult factors of coping with autism is that the physical and emotional behaviour of one with autism keeps varying. Hence, it makes ASD a challenging one. This peculiarity of ASD makes it one of the hardest to deal with due to its severity.  Among the researches conducted for managing ASD in Ayurveda and Alternative medicine, The Agastya protocol is one of the most renowned ones. The Agastya protocol portrays great signs of management when it comes to ASD cases among patients.

Ayurveda is the famous traditional system of medicine practised in India thousands of years ago. The word implies the science of life in Sanskrit. In Ayurveda, we have 8 links known as Ashtanga and one of the major links is known as Kaumara Brityam which deals with the health issues of kids below the age of 16 years. This link details you to have a healthy prodigy and the various regimes to be practised to have a healthy individual right from infancy. This also suggests various medicines, treatments and procedures to be done to improve health, management of diseases and mental functions associated with children.

Neuro-developmental disorders are considered as the clinical manifestation of an angry Vaata dosha, one among the mighty tridoshas or basic functional units in most cases. Though it is stated that controlling Vata is a difficult task, many medicines & therapies are there to be done in such cases. 

According to Ayurveda studies, a new era in medical science has dawned with the realization of the critical role of the “forgotten organ”, the gut microbiota, in health and disease. Central to this beneficial interaction between the microbiota and host is the way bacteria and most likely other microorganisms contained within the gut communicate with the host’s immune system and participate in a variety of metabolic processes of mutual benefit to the host and the microbe.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterized by stereotyped behaviour and deficits in communication and social interactions. Gastrointestinal (GI) Dysfunction is ASD-associated comorbidity, implying a potential role of the gut microbiota in ASD GI pathophysiology. Several recent studies found that autistic individuals harbour an altered bacterial gut microbiota. In some cases, remodelling the gut microbiota can alleviate the symptoms of ASD.

The gut consists of millions of microbiotas, and we hypothesize that the microbiota and its metabolites might be involved in the pathophysiology of ASD. In Ayurveda, all Psychosocial abnormalities have been included under the category of Unmada. A defective digestive and metabolic function are postulated as the root cause of Unmada, leading to systemic accumulation of metabolic wastes (Dhatu Gautama). The metabolic wastes act as systemic toxins and impair the functional integrity of the brain.

Ayurveda can give wonderful results in differently-abled children when united with supportive & integrated therapies. Proper diet, lifestyle modifications and organic herbal formulations can help the child’s body systems function in a better way.  

One of the primary treatment protocols in Ayurveda is Ama Chikilsa in which Ama means – “Undigested Food Particles transformed into toxins”. In this protocol, the first step of treatment should always be the management of ama which is the root cause of that disease. This will help in metabolic correction and detoxification of the body, which in return will give the kid a better appetite and stabilize the brain stress that is created by ama.

At Jeevaniyam, with the unique blend of Ayurveda we use the Agastya protocol to manage ASD at three levels: 

• At the bodily level starting with Ama Chikilsa which takes out the toxins and heavy metals from your body clearing channels which in turn results in improvement of the microbiome in the gut, resetting the metabolism to an appropriate manner. 
• At the mental level by correcting the higher mental functions and correcting the brain pathogenesis.
• At the conscious level correcting the energy mechanism or the biological rhythm.

Along with the ayurvedic protocols we also have regular integrated therapies are also performed. We also introduce dietary and lifestyle inventions throughout the treatment period that enhances the kid to face challenges and cross all the obstacles that can make them a better person in society. 

Developmental Delays in Children with ASD

Understanding ASD

ASD or Autism Spectrum Disorder is a disorder of the brain that affects social communication with narrowed patterns of behavior and interests. This condition is described as a "spectrum” because no two people with ASD display similar signs and symptoms. Yet, social interactions,  body language, sensory input etc. are some of the common areas where an autistic child has problems.

Developmental Delays and ASD

A typical child’s development is monitored with developmental milestones like smiling, rolling over, and sitting up in the early months to learning language, physical, cognitive and emotional skills at later stages. Children with ASD struggle to reach all of their developmental milestones in the appropriate time. Parents should watch out for the following problems in their children at an early age:

•     Inability to play with simple toys and puzzles
•     Inability to speak complete sentences
•     Does not make eye contact
•     Do not comprehend simple instructions
•     Does not play with other children and avoid social interactions

Early Intervention Programme at Jeevaniyam

The early intervention programme curated at Jeevaniyam provides support for children with ASD to deal with their developmental delays and other additional needs. It includes therapies like behavior therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, medicines, education and all other support required to help children develop the skills to perform their everyday activities. We offer a multidisciplinary approach to help kids communicate better, develop their social skills, bring down repetition and bad behavior, help them learn and understand better and also to be safe by  taking care of themselves. If you think your child has delayed developmental milestones, book an appointment with us, as the earlier the diagnosis the better it is for the child.

Blog reviewed by:Dr Reshmi Pramod

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