Super Brain Foods for Kids

by lisaguy on Sunday, May 30th, 2010

There is a proven link between what we put into our mouths and how well we think and feel. Your child’s mood, ability to learn and memory are all affected by the type of food they eat. Our brains rely on a steady supply of specific vitamins and minerals, protein, carbohydrates and “good” fats to function properly. Providing your child with a well-balanced diet abundant in these nutrients will help boost their brain power and concentration, and help improve their academic performance.
Top brain boosting foods
Fish: The brain is made up of 70% fat and requires essential fatty acids (namely omega-3 fats, DHA) from foods we eat to maintain healthy brain function and development.
Eggs: Eggs are a rich source of protein needed to make and choline, which are important nutrients needed to for proper brain function.
Blueberries: Blueberries are one of the richest food sources of health promoting antioxidants. Antioxidants are important for stimulating brain function and protecting brain cells against free radical damage.
Whole oats: Whole oats will supply your child with energy giving complex carbohydrates, fibre and B vitamins. Complex carbohydrates provide your brain with a slow and steady supply of glucose.

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Divorce – another autism myth exposed

by Benison O'Reilly on Wednesday, May 26th, 2010

An 80% divorce rate for parents of kids with autism—that is, roughly double the normal rate—is often quoted as folklore.  It’s a good disaster story which garners sympathy and media attention. But is it true?

No, if you believe the researchers at the Center for Autism and Related Disorders at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore.  And I’m inclined to believe them.

In a study unveiled at the recent International Meeting for Autism Research (IMFAR) in Philadelphia, researchers examined data from the (US) 2007 National Survey of Children’s Health, including a nationally representative sample of 77,911 children aged 3 to 17 years. They found 64% of children with ASD were living in a traditional family structure (two-parent biological or adoptive) compared with 65%  of children without an ASD -that’s pretty much on par.

These findings held even when the researchers statistically controlled for other factors that could have affected family structure, such as socioeconomic status or demographics, and the reported severity of a child’s autism.   Only when researchers considered co-existing psychiatric and other problems (such as ADHD or serious behavioural problems) in children with ASD, did they find the likelihood of living in a non-traditional family structure (a two parent household with step-parents, a single mother or father, other relatives, or other family types) increased slightly.

The lead researcher, Brian Freedman, reported that he was motivated to conduct this research after hearing the oft-quoted 80% split-up rate among parents of children with autism. However, when Freedman searched for the study behind the mythical 80% figure he never found one—it appears to have originated from pure speculation and then been resurrected again and again, with no evidence to back it up.

As Seana said when I sent her the link to this study, ‘I always thought that 80% figure was bunkum.’

Certainly my experience has been that the majority of autism marriages remain intact. Sure, I’m aware of a few divorces, but nothing to suggest that autism diagnosis = matrimonial train wreck.  And in some  cases I’m aware of there have been extenuating circumstances, such as psychiatric diagnoses (bipolar disorder or, unsurprisingly, Asperger’s) affecting one of the parents.

This is good news for all ASD parents and, of course, for their children. It is far easier to face the challenges of raising a child with autism if there is another parent alongside you to assist.

The study abstract is available below:

http://imfar.confex.com/imfar/2010/webprogram/Paper6087.html

Or for more commentary at WebMD see:

www.webmd.com/brain/autism/news/20100519/autism-famlies-high-divorce-rate-is-a-myth?src=RSS_PUBLIC

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Complementary medicine in hospital

by Seana Smith on Thursday, May 20th, 2010

Now, I’m about to recommend a podcast from the ABC’s Health Report which has nothing to do with autism spectrum disorder – but bear with me for a minute.

http://www.abc.net.au/rn/healthreport/stories/2010/2893653.htm

This story on cancer care was aired on 10th May 2010, and it looks at a complementary medicine centre which is part of a mainstream hospital.  I’m sure lots of other ASD families are as fascinated and as frustrated by the issues around evidence-based medicine and complementary medicine as I am. This is an interesting program about one hospital that offers both – and why.

It is well worth becoming a regular downloader of the Health Report.  For most of us, lay people with no background in medical matters, the program is both accessible and very informative.  As time has gone by I really have gained a much greater understanding of the issues involved.

But I’m less tolerant of entrenched and dogmatic views- whatever opinion someone has!   Isn’t it the case that a little sympathy and understanding, a little patience and tolerance will go a long way?

PS  There’s a comment below the Health Report podcast with a link to a commentary on it from the Skeptics Society… worth reading, but it’s hard to read, very dense and not written in an engaging style.

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Is autism contagious?

by Benison O'Reilly on Friday, May 14th, 2010

In the introduction to the Australian Autism Handbook I write that having Joe has made me ‘a kinder and wiser person’, one who no longer ’sweats on the small stuff’.  Two years later I can confirm that still rings true.  I remain more tolerant of life’s vicissitudes and my fellow human beings and their failings. Not much upsets me.

However, there is one aspect of life where I remain less tolerant and that concerns my children.  If anyone seriously slights one of my boys I feel it keenly. This particularly applies if anyone slights Joe.

Anyway, without giving too much away, there was once a woman of my acquaintance — a woman with neurotypical children— who made it clear that— despite my gestures of friendship— she wanted as little to do with Joe and me as possible.  Was it me? Or was it Joe? I’m not sure. I can rationalise the former, but the latter…not so easily.

I once said to my husband, ‘Perhaps she thinks autism is contagious’.

Thus, I was surprised to find that a recent study suggests that it is.

Okay, I’m bending the truth a bit.  But hopefully I’ve caught your attention.

What the study, by researchers from Columbia University, did find is that children living near a child who has been previously diagnosed with autism have a much higher chance of being diagnosed themselves in the following year.

However, the researchers do not believe this is because autism is contagious. Nor do they think it’s due to an environmental agent.  They believe it is because parents are learning about autism from other parents who have a child on the spectrum; they are being educated about symptoms, and the process of obtaining a diagnosis and treatment, from people who have already been through the process with their own child.

In the study, entitled Social Influence and the Autism Epidemic, researchers looked at data on over 304,000 children born in California between 1997 and 2003. They found that children who live within 250 metres of a child with autism have a 42% higher chance of being diagnosed with an ASD in the following year compared with children who do not live near a child with autism. Children who live between 250 metres and 500 metres from a child with autism were 22% more likely to be diagnosed. As we would predict, the study showed the proximity effect to be strongest amongst children with high functioning autism, the sort of kids whose symptoms and behaviours might have been explained away as ‘oddness’ in earlier times.

The researchers eliminated competing explanations, such as environmental toxins or viral transmission through a series of statistical tests. They also considered other social factors that could be driving the autism ‘epidemic’, such as maternal age and education standards (some studies have found that older parents are more likely to have a child with an ASD, whilst others suggest that better educated parents are more likely to obtain a diagnosis for their child). Whilst the Columbia University team found that each of these social factors appears to play a role in the rising prevalence of autism, the so-called ‘social influence’ phenomenon exerted the most powerful effect.

The researchers conclude:

One does not “catch” autism from someone else, yet a social diffusion process contributes significantly to the increased prevalence of autism.

Looks like we might have found another piece in intriguing puzzle of why autism diagnoses are on the increase.

The paper, published in the American Journal of Sociology, is available free to download on the link below.

Ka‐Yuet Liu, Marissa King, and Peter S. Bearman. Social influence and the autism epidemic.

American Journal of Sociology 2010 115:5, 1387-1434

http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10.1086/651448

Or read more commentary on the study at Science Daily:

www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100408161017.htm

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Healing herbs from the garden

by lisaguy on Tuesday, May 11th, 2010

Hello readers. This is my first blog so I would like to introduce myself. My name is Lisa Guy and I’m a naturopath/nutritionist and author of the children’s health and nutrition book My Goodness. I’m also a mum – to little, 2-year-old Lily. I’m extremely passionate about anything to do with children’s health so I’ll be sharing with you, in my blogs, lots of interesting and important information about kids health and nutrition.

I was doing some research on antioxidants today and found an interesting new study published in the Nutrition Journal. The study compared the antioxidant content of over 3000 different foods and beverages. Surprisingly blueberries weren’t on the top of the list. Culinary herbs and spices such as cloves, peppermint, cinnamon, oregano, thyme and rosemary were found to have the greatest antioxidant content of all foods. The average antioxidant activity of spices was 300% higher than that of berries, 2300% greater than that of other fruit, and 3600% higher than that of vegetables.

Doubtless there are some issues concerning the practicalities of eating large quantities of herbs and spices in order to consume high magnitudes of antioxidants by comparison to, for example, berries, however, the results of this recent study, at the very least, serve to remind of the important role herbs and spices play in a well-balanced healthy diet.

You can and should introduce your kids to the wonderful world of herbs and spices when they are babies. Around 7 to 8 months start including a little basil, thyme, cinnamon, rosemary, parsley or oregano to their meals.

These herbs and spices not only add delightful flavours to their meals but an array of immune boosting and health promoting nutrients and antioxidants.

Giving your kids a diet rich in a variety of plant based antioxidant-rich foods will help protect them against a number of diseases such as cancer and heart disease. Other foods rich in antioxidants include berries, and other fruits and vegetables, especially red, orange and green varieties.

Antioxidants are important disease-fighting compounds that help fight free radical damage in the body. Free radicals are produced from normal cell function, however larger amounts are produced from ingesting environmental pollutants, having a poor diet rich processed and fatty fast foods, and from physical stress.

Antioxidants help to strengthen the immune system and are particularly important during phases of rapid growth in children.

So start experimenting with different herbs (fresh and dried) in soups, salads, stir-fry’s and casserols, and add some spice to muffins, porridges and smoothies…..for your kids goodness sake.

Bye till next time.

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Mother’s Day Thoughts – On A Recommended Blog

by Seana Smith on Sunday, May 9th, 2010

Ah lovely, Mother’s Day again. I’m all for mothers, I love mums and I love how we all wish each other a Happy Mother’s Day but I do have one bone to pick:  Mother’s Day is not just a day for happy mothers… it’s a day for all mothers, so lets all make sure we also enjoy it as:

Grumpy Mother’s Day

Overwhelmed Mother’s Day

Confused Mother’s Day

Tired Mother’s Day

Ecstatic Mother’s Day

And even, for some of us, once in a while…

Hungover Mother’s Day!!

Anyway, self-care is a great topic for Mother’s Day, I think, for without it, we cannot mother.  Rather than warble on with my own thoughts I shall point you to some which are very clearly expressed in a blog entry on a fairly new blog called MOKAS Living.  MOKAS stands for Mums Of Kids with Asperger Syndrome – which is also a support group on the Northern Beaches of Sydney.

Hope you find something useful for yourself in this entry:

http://mokasliving.blogspot.com/

PS  Just a little aside, especially for families whose children have been recently diagnosed.  The first mum I ever called after Tom’s diagnosis was a lovely woman whose son had been diagnosed about two months before. Sarah has always been a single mum and has worked fulltime all the years we have known each other; my husband works away a great deal.  Neither of us has family in Sydney and we became friends and did lots of things together with the boys.

The boys often rode their trikes around the same biketrack (whilst we wondered whether they’d ever manage to ride bikes), they jumped on trampolines and ran around in Spiderment costumes.  As time went by the boys had sleepovers together and we took them to the movies.

Now both aged 13, the boys go to the movies by themselves these days and we have coffees, or even wave them goodbye with instructions to get the bus home.  Both boys are mad Sea Eagles fans and they went to the match on Saturday night in Brookvale, and this time they had no parents with them at all.  They were delighted!    Sarah and I spent the time together and called occasionally then picked them up.

I’m so gratfeul that Tom has such a good and long standing friend, and someone who talks exactly his language.  The boys and we mums have had ten years of friendship; these are our silver linings.

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