There is so much out there today about alternative therapies for treating autism and much of it is not completely proven as safe and effective. However, many parents of children with autism seek ANYTHING to help alleviate the symptoms or cure their children. It is very important that you research everything and find out the harmful implications of therapies.

One very scary therapy that I have learned about it called Chelation therapy. I find it very interesting because I met a very nice mother of an autistic boy this past summer who swears by this therapy and I was considering it. Chelation therapy is using an acid to strip the body of heavy metals. Heavy metals especially mercury, have been linked by some researchers as a contributing cause to autism.

I have included a link to a website that I have researched talking about the dangers of this and other therapies here.

With all types of treatment you need to research before you make a decision about what is best for you and your child. Testimonials from other parents help but you need to take responsibility for knowing what is safe.

My biggest recommendation, don’t forget to be a MOM that can be the best therapy of all!

Using Pictures to Communicate Feelings with Your Child With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Recently my son and husband were arguing about how my son was acting (our son is ADHD) he was being loud and obnoxious at the table. My husband has a hard time tolerating these behaviors and frequently gets into arguments over it. Our son got upset and frustrated too. Neither person understood how the other felt. I suggested we draw a picture for our son about the situation. I drew a stick person with a big open mouth and arms waving (my son in hyper mode) then I drew a stick picture of a person with mad eyebrows and an open mouth (my husband angry and frustrated). I showed the picture to my son and explained that is him and this is dad. Our son immediately calmed down and studied the picture.

I asked him to draw a picture of how he feels so dad can understand and told my husband to do the same. They were at the table laughing in about two minutes. My husband drew a picture of a kid that was loud and out of control. And my son drew a picture of my husband sleeping or not paying attention. They got it right on the nose! Each understood the other.

If your ASD child is a visual learner this is a very good way to get them to understand how they make others feel and communicate how they feel. Our daughter loves to draw she will draw herself with other people in settings she loves. I pay attention to them and try to entice her to talk about what is in the picture. I plan to have her draw when we have some sort of conflict or frustration going forward.

Try it with your autistic child it opens up a lot!