A new understanding of autism?

[WhitewaterWoman]

So many parents are autistic themselves, and their expectations would naturally be different from NT parents who are unfamiliar with ASD.

True.

In my practice, the parents showed no evidence of autism. That said, frequently one parent had abandoned the family and the single parent, usually the mother, struggled on by herself.

 

[TBRS1]

New approaches are always useful tools, as are old approaches.

Seems to me that autistics who are old enough and articulate enough can make their own choices about the treatments/therapies that THEY find reasonable and useful.

The real thing that concerns me is when the person's feelings are NOT taken into account because "They're a child," or (worse) "They're a child with a mental illness" (and, therefore, not capable of having a meaningful point-of-view).

If the individual does not have input, ALL treatments are done TO them, based on somebody else's idea of what is good FOR them.

This is dehumanising, and dehumanization is bad. Always.

 

[Rodafina]

But if we turn it around, I suspect that most parents have a preconceived idea of what they are going to “get” out of having a child. It’s just if the child is NT, it is easier to get that “love” from the child.

And sometimes, I think we can seem like an anomaly when there are neurotypical siblings. I am the third child in my family and I am quite sure neither my brother nor my sister are autistic. So my parents had one experience with them, but then a very different one with me. I didn't receive their loving care quite the same as my brother and sister did, and I know that was difficult for them at times.

Seemingly born a people pleaser, I learned to mask around them as soon as possible and act more like my brother and sister did. It is only now, 43 years later that we are all reconciling with the idea that my needs were different. I have the knowledge that they were just doing their best, and so we can rely on that now to process the past together. There was really no information available to them in the 1980s. I am grateful that my parents are very accepting of the idea of autism, even if they still have a lot to understand about it.

 

[Gerontius]

I have always thought my brain would be better suited for a simpler time and a much more rudimentary life. It takes a great effort (and a good amount of money) to shed the trappings of modern life, but I yearn for a return to primitive living and a focus on the most basic functions of life. Of course, if I had my wish and actually lived thousands of years ago, I wouldn't have lived very long.

This is the reason I like living the way I do. No cellphone at the moment, no electric clock or fax or printer or stereo, no subscription for music or streaming, no polyester clothes and plastic. Laid-back is alright.

It's this way to let me focus on functioning better and avoid the hassle of trying to keep up with the Joneses. Let's be honest it's not like anyone has that much money now anyway.

 

[MNAus]

This was certainly my experience with most of the parents of autistic children; the parents are bemoaning the lack of “love” coming from the child in whatever form they were looking for.

But if we turn it around, I suspect that most parents have a preconceived idea of what they are going to “get” out of having a child. It’s just if the child is NT, it is easier to get that “love” from the child.

So I don’t think that parents of autistic children are more selfish than others. It’s just the self-interest that many parents have is exposed.

Well put.

But, reflecting, I also suspect it's just the newspaper trying to get clicks. There's a good market for this angle. Regardless, the narrative it creates in this story is pretty ugly. Although there's lots of stuff later about not trying to cure autism, etc. the arc remains "I'm sad because my child doesn't show me love in a way I expected, but I'm hopeful this new therapy will change that".

Setting aside my revulsion to that, and reviewing the therapies, the first one makes sense to me. Essentially it's more about helping the parents evolve their approach, which results in a better connection with baby which, unsurprisingly, results in a positive mental response from baby. I would suggest that makes sense for any parent struggling to connect with their child, for whatever reason.

The drug therapies, to me, sound less convincing. I think recognising differences in brain chemicals is interesting, but have to wonder if adjusting these is actually dealing with a symptom, or perhaps even neutering what might be a healthy brain response to a different symptom. It feels a little bit like prodding the brain to see what happens.

It does sound like they are getting closer to understanding what might underlie at least one form of autism though. I found this lecture incredibly interesting. I wasn't watching due to the connection to ASD. but that connection kind of makes sense to me and also speaks to those drug trials, though also increases my fears that there is a complex system which might be weighted differently in ASD people, and that the drug trials are playing with one part of the machine without understanding the downstream impacts elsewhere.

 

[Neri]

I appreciate this multi-faceted approach. My parents were all about life skills and allowing me to just do things. My parents rarely told me "No", but were quick to teach me the correct ways of doing things. So, there was never this idea that I was "too young" to do anything. Looking back at what my parents just let me do on my own, by todays standards, it would be considered bad parenting. Obviously, I disagree with that. My parents never sheltered me in any way. I have had some issues with my parents later on in life, but when I was little, I think they actually did exactly what they should have done, albeit having no idea that I was autistic.

I also was pleased to see the mention of psilocybin therapy for autism. Read up on the Stamets Stack and micro-dosing psilocybin mushrooms with niacin and Lion's mane mushrooms for not only creating a more relaxed state of mind, alleviating anxiety, improving focus, and promoting actual brain growth in positive ways. It stimulates neuronal growth factors. The dose is not enough to create a hallucinogenic trip, in fact, you can go about your daily activities without any sense that you took the medicine. The medical research on this topic, specifically the Stamets Stack, is looking very positive for treating PTSD, autism, anxiety, and now looking at dementia, Alzheimer's, and post traumatic brain injury. So, the potential applications of this are pretty broad.

I have been microdosing intermittently for about 3 months now, with very positive effects. I'm also prescribed Lions Mane by my ADHD specialist naturopath, also producing a noticeable and positive effect. I have been exposed to the work of Paul Stamets for some years now, what a brilliant, informative and hope-inspiring scientist he is! I LOVE his work.I have listened to numerable lectures of his and own two of his books. Mycology is a very fascinating, exciting, broad application field and holds enormous promise for the health of humans and indeed the planet as a whole. Thanks for mentioning his ground breaking work and his exciting formula for brain repair @Neonatal RRT !!!

 

[Neri]

Here’s a recent article about new approaches and interventions in autism:

A new understanding: how research into autism is evolving

Thanks for the article @AuAL. There is some hope to be had there. I used magic mushrooms at age 16 to good effect. Life changing. I wouldn't be the warm woman I am today without that life altering self medication; this was back in 1989 and there was noooo help for Neri, other than me helping myself, and by no help, I mean ABSOLUTELY no help, I was homeless, alone, life- threateningly depressed, deeply traumatized, nearly mute and I have ASD2 and ADHD. Mushrooms gave me my life back and I will testify to this for the rest of my life.

 

[Au Naturel]

Here’s a recent article about new approaches and interventions in autism:

A new understanding: how research into autism is evolving

"just started investigating a psychedelic compound – psilocybin – found in magic mushrooms."

See? I was self-medicating all along. And it was fun!

 

[jsilver256]

And sometimes, I think we can seem like an anomaly when there are neurotypical siblings. I am the third child in my family and I am quite sure neither my brother nor my sister are autistic. So my parents had one experience with them, but then a very different one with me. I didn't receive their loving care quite the same as my brother and sister did, and I know that was difficult for them at times.

It can be the opposite situation with ASD1 parents. I get along with my undiagnosed ASD1 father a lot better than my NT sibling does, and it's not because I'm more empathetic. ASD-NT mixes are messy all the way around.

 

[DogzSpirit]

I also was pleased to see the mention of psilocybin therapy for autism. Read up on the Stamets Stack and micro-dosing psilocybin mushrooms with niacin and Lion's mane mushrooms for not only creating a more relaxed state of mind, alleviating anxiety, improving focus, and promoting actual brain growth in positive ways. It stimulates neuronal growth factors. The dose is not enough to create a hallucinogenic trip, in fact, you can go about your daily activities without any sense that you took the medicine. The medical research on this topic, specifically the Stamets Stack, is looking very positive for treating PTSD, autism, anxiety, and now looking at dementia, Alzheimer's, and post traumatic brain injury. So, the potential applications of this are pretty broad.

Thanks a lot Neonatal RRT. It's great to share and in fact I would be interested in hearing more.

The Stamets Stack is very interesting. I just started dosing with Lion's Mane and have a stress decompress from Stamets as well. The Lion's Mane at 1/2 teaspoon really hit nicely. I tried the capsules but they are a lower strength, and I saw very little effect until I switched to the powder and only one dose of it does well with reduced anxiety over things that would normally screw badly with me, like one of my kids having an emotional emergency. I actually started off very badly one day with that type of emergency and by the end of the next day took the edge off when the powder was delivered, and topped it with one of the stress decompress. Host Defense is my go to, for I know their standards are high.

I sure would love to learn more about the micro-dosing of psilocybin mushrooms, and might venture into that area infrequently if indeed I had access to a good source and someone with knowledge for that is out of my area of being confident enough to explore solo.

A bit about my situation: My anxiety was toppled when I lost a few dogs in Mexico, one by intentional poisoning. Also previously in Mexico one from something environmental that caused Kidney at age two. Then a third who is still with me and after 3 years of bad health I have finally healed him. Then I have a bipolar adult son who is several thous miles away with those emergencies. The Aspie son is successful and may actually be stepping up to help his brother etc etc. whew. Why even say this, well it speaks well for the power of the Lion's Mane powder that it can quiet this, and make me actually have a free laugh erupt spontaneously while this was humming in the background.

Therefore, I am not at all surprised of benefits of mushrooms. Sure would like to know more. I am currently in the tri state Wash/Md/Va area... If anyone has info (local to that) or knows better how to stack normal (non Psych) mushrooms, send that info my way. This has been a great relief in getting a glimmer of the pre-trauma me.

Johns Hopkins has been doing research in Baltimore, but ya know they may not be putting it out for patients as of yet, and when they do.. Whoa... ya think insurance would pay for that. It's really too bad, so yeah it leaves us on our own or with others of this mindset to better take these steps of self help.

 

[DogzSpirit]

Drugs prescribed by psychiatrists had a more negative impact in my life than positive.
Anti depressants felt like someone pulling my soul up, when i wanted to be sad, horrible sensation.
I don't believe depression is a mental illness, is part of being human, you may want to work out what is making you sad and take care of things instead of drug you up.

Yeah, I hear ya. I am so happy that quiet little shy me wasn't diagnosed with anything in the 50's. They may have put me on ADD drugs and whoa what would that have done to my wiring.

My mother and I were very close. Dare I say that relationship insulated me from the world when I needed it most. Some days she would just let me stay home from school when it got to be too much. We would talk about why the other students were so targeting of me. She really was my rock.

In hindsight any counseling may have come with a medication price tag and in the 50's that wouldn't have been a good thing.

So while overlooked and dismissed by school (oh her IQ is so high she must not be trying or is lazy), that mayha ve been a very fortunate thing, for maybe that dreaded prescription?

I tried my addish more likely bi-polar teen on meds for about a month 28 years ago. He came to me and said ok mom, here is what I learned from this and I would like to stop them now. I wasn't about to force him. He gave me the plus and the minus of the effect of that drug. He really thought it through/sharp guy.

I feel safer with mushrooms and in fact would experiment if I knew a good source or had more info.

 

[AuAL]

Another recent article…

 

[Neonatal RRT]

Another recent article…

Interesting perspective, but the question within the article is whether or not there are financial incentives for going on disability, that perhaps, an autism diagnosis is a way "in". My response to that is, by whom? It isn't the patient that is responsible for the official diagnosis. The patient is not in control of whether or not they receive government assistance. They, first, need that piece of paper from the psychologist. So, is the psychologist receiving government incentives, themselves, for making an autism diagnosis? I am thinking not. It would seem a very odd and dystopian perspective to take on this topic.

There is some mention of the fact that now, previously misdiagnosed, or late diagnosed adults are quickly adding to the autism statistics, which seems obvious, but doesn't really explore other reasons, other than perhaps the diagnostic criteria are so broad that "everyone can be autistic", which is an extremely minimizing perspective to take.

There appears to be a door opening for some cognitive bias here, suggesting that individuals are receiving an autism diagnosis for the purposes of going on government assistance programs, placing undue strain on the system, or someone in the system has a financial interest (corruption). Another error in the thinking here is that autistic individuals are always on some sort of government assistance, or seeking government assistance, rather than productive members of society.

 

[jsilver256]

Does the government in Australia pay parents money for having a child with a disabled label?

It seems like the autism rates in the USA and Australia are similar. But in the USA, if you are an adult who has worked, it is very difficult to get any government disability pay. They also talk about ASD2 as being a cutoff of sorts, but do not provide any statistics on ASD1 vs. ASD2 diagnoses.

If there's a driver behind rising autistic diagnoses, it's just social media, rapidly changing cultural expectations, and the general madness of the world. You can't be the absentminded professor in peace anymore.

 

[Au Naturel]

Re. the autism rates in Australia. They are diagnosed at a higher rate than the global average. It could be the system and not an actual difference.

 

[AuAL]

Does the government in Australia pay parents money for having a child with a disabled label?

It seems like the autism rates in the USA and Australia are similar. But in the USA, if you are an adult who has worked, it is very difficult to get any government disability pay. They also talk about ASD2 as being a cutoff of sorts, but do not provide any statistics on ASD1 vs. ASD2 diagnoses.

If there's a driver behind rising autistic diagnoses, it's just social media, rapidly changing cultural expectations, and the general madness of the world. You can't be the absentminded professor in peace anymore.

In the original article there was a chart of diagnosed autism rates. (It didn’t get included in the PDF because it was dynamically loaded content. Sorry, see below.) In 2020, according to the chart, the rate in Australia was just under 400 per 10,000. In the USA it was a little over 250.

There are reasons for increasing rates of diagnosis - it is being observed in all countries. But the automatic inclusion of people formally diagnosed with ASD 2 in NDIS in Australia has brought a political aspect into it.

 

[AuAL]

Next article in the series, part 1:

 

[AuAL]

Next article in the series, part 2:

 

[Neonatal RRT]

Part 1 and part 2, to summarize, basically looks at autism from the perspective of what it means to "identify" as an autistic individual, and the psychological aspects of "belonging". In this regard, it is not really addressing the statistics of the numbers of people diagnosed with an ASD-1, 2, or 3. This is important to consider. If there is a significant increase in ASD-2 and 3 in Australia, above and beyond other countries, then as they say, "There's something in the water." and you've got an entirely different situation than simply a broad diagnostic criteria, but rather a potential health crisis. If, on the other hand, more and more people are finding themselves with autistic traits and receiving a diagnosis of ASD-1, then this is very plausible. This may explain the rise in autism, per se, but the ASD-1 population, for the most part, are not seeking government assistance, but are productive members of society. This fact does not address the concerns from the first article, the strain on the government assistance programs. Simply having a diagnosis of autism does not mean one receives government assistance, hence, the ASD-"1" diagnosis, which is a means of distinguishing those "in need" (ASD-2, 3) versus those who don't or are minimal (ASD-1).

So, what is it? Is it that there is some sort of "leniency" with the DSM in Australia that not only recognizes "fringe" cases of ASD-1, but also "leniency" within the perspectives relating to "fringe" cases of ASD-1 versus ASD-2, that allow for more people to qualify for assistance? Or, worse case scenario, "There's something in the water." perhaps quite literally, from an environmental, food, or some unidentified health crisis that has yet to be addressed that Australia is experiencing.

 

[AuAL]

Final article in series, part 1:
(Sorry it’s late.)