JOURNAL REVIEW

ON
THE HOMOEOPATHIC
HERITAGE
Vol
35, No.4, , Rs 30, April 2010
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• EDITOR IN CHIEF
• Dr.Farokh.J.Master
• EDITOR
• Dr.Pritha Mehra
• Printed and published by
• Mr.Kuldeep Jain for B.Jain Publishers (P)
Ltd

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 AUTISM
AND
HOMOEOPATHY

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• Autism Spectrum Disorders, have
increased ten-fold.From the first
descriptive report of autism in 1943 by
psychiatrist and physician Leo Kenner.

• It comes under F90-F98, as per ICD-10 ,

1992.It is included under ‘Pervasive
Developmental Disorder’ occurring in
childhood.
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AETIOLOGY
• The reason is not yet known but
• viral infections,
• genetic factors,
• birth trauma,
• environmental toxin
• vaccines have all been suspected.

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 What is autism?
• They are generally referring to one of
several neurological disorders that
significantly impair the way a person
communicates, interacts socially , thinks or
behaves.
• These disorders are normally grouped
under the term of Autism Spectrum
Disorders [ A.S.D.s]

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 Autism Spectrum Disorders
include:
• Autistic Disorder [ Also known as Infantile
or Childhood autism]
• Asperger’s syndrome
• Rett’s syndrome
• Childhood Disintegrative disorder
• Atypical autism

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• Diagnosis of an A.S.D is based on a
syndrome of symptoms relating to
impaired social ability, communication
skills, behaviours and sensory or motor
functions.

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 THESE IMPAIREMENTS MAY
CONSIST OF:
• Flat or high –pitched speech
• Repitition or words and phrases
• Difficulty in recognizing & understanding
another person’s feelings or perspective.
• Lack of eye contact

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• Reluctance to initiate or continue
conversation
• Preference for activities that require little
verbal interaction
• Difficulty in comprehension
• Hyper or hypo sensitivity to pain , light,
sound,crowds and other external stimuli.
• Repititive behaviours and ritualized
activities.
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• Inflexible behavior and difficulty in coping
with change.
• Narrow bands of passionate interests or
obsessions.
• Awkwardness or delayed development of
fine and gross motor skills.
• Because of these impairments , people
with A.S.D s often find the demands of
everyday life overwhelming. They
frequently experience anxiety , confusion
and frustration.
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 EARLY IDENTIFICATION
• Autism in the first two years of life is
slightly difficult to diagnose.

• Parents are usually the first ones to notice

the symptoms, usually it is the non
responsive behavior in the first two years
that may make the parents feel concerned.

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• In cases where the child has been growing
normally, his sudden withdrawal from
social interactions, along with losing that
little amount of speech that he had gained
initially, may lead the parents to get their
toddler screened for this disorder.

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DIAGNOSIS
• By the age of three, A.S.D can be clearly
diagnosed.
• Verbal and non- verbal communication, social
interaction and patterns of repetitive behavior
like being fixated with carrying some object in
hand all the time for example sticks, penciletc.
Rocking, spinning, excessively arranging things
in one line and behavioural issues like
hyperactive behavior and inability to understand
emotions are a part of this disorder for some
kids.
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EARLY INTERVENTION
• There is emerging evidence that
intervention therapy when initiated at an
early age can improve the outcome in
children with autism.
• In addition, there is a need to give
information regarding recurrence risks to
parents who are planning another child.

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MANAGEMENT
• The treatment consists of three modes of
intervention which are used together.

• Since autism is a life long condition, what

we can do is to help the patient to
progress towards his maximum potential.

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BEHAVIOUR THERAPY
• a.Development of a regular routine with as few
changes as possible.
• b.Structured class room training , aiming at
learning new material and maintenance of
acquired learning.
• c.Positive self-inforcements to teach self-care
skills.
• d.Speech therapy/ sign language teaching.
• e.Behavioural techniques to encourage
interpersonal interactions.
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PSYCHOTHERAPY
• For a child with autism, living in a confusing
world where social rules appear so
confusing, we believe that comfort and
acceptance is crucial.

• Parental councelling and supportive

psychotherapy are very useful in allaying
parenteral anxiety and guilt, and ensuring
their active involvement in therapy.
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 Contd…
• Overstimulation of the child should be
avoided during treatment.

• How much each child progresses depends

on that child’s ability and the environment
the child is growing up.

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 CONSTITUTIONAL
HOMOEOPATHIC MEDICINES
• Autism needs a hardcore classical
Hahnemannian approach.
• Success in treatment depends on how well
the case is taken.Case taking especially in
a child who cannot speak is an art.
• Even if able to talk, child is not in a
position or mood to describe its sufferings
and answer our questions.
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• Physician must elicit subjective symptoms
from child’s mother, carefully observe the
objective symptoms.Careful physical
examination is a must.The generals which
needs to be looked in children are:
• Mind- cross,snappish, whining,
kicking,smiling,cooperative,apathetic.
• Desire- for attention,sympathy,aversion to
being touched or even spoken to.
• Motion-Fear of downward motion, desire
to be rocked or carried.
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• Foods- That disagree; marked aversions,
cravings.
• Temperature/ weather reaction to- cold or
warm, wet weather , likes to be covered,kicks off
covering, desires cool air.
• Thirsty/ thirstless- for large/ small quantities, for
cold/ warm drinks.
• Modalities-time, aggravation and amelioration
from eating, drinking, sleep ,waking..
• Thermal response- Partial heat or coldness of
body, cheek hot or pale and cold
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• Sweating- of body / partial sweat on head,
hands, covered/ uncovered parts,
sleep/waking.
• Position in sleep-On abdomen, knee-
chest position.
• Discharges-Color, consistency, odor.
• Growth of bones- Curvature,softness and
muscle- fat, flabby or wasted.
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IN ADDITION
• Family history- which may call for
nosodes.
• Ailments and emotional upsets suffered
during pregnancy and labour by mother
• H/O falls and injuries
• Effects of immunization
• Nutrition history, Mile stones , past illness
and drugs used; also home environment.
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PREVENTIVE ASPECT
• In aphorism 284 footnote, Organon of
medicine, Hahnemann elucidates the intra
uterine treatment during pregnancy for
which he advices the physician to give
antipsoric treatment, especially with
sulphur prepared as per directions in 5th
edition of organon, in aphorism 270, which
is indispensable to destroy psora, within
mother and fetus- resulting in birth of a
healthy and stronger baby.
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CONCLUSION
• It is said that child is the father of man.
• By caring for the health of the child, right
from its conception and removing
hereditary taints and carrying it through a
period of as good health as possible by us
by use of the homoeopathic system of
medicine, we can build up a new
generation of comparatively less sick
people; a healthy mind can also be
developed which may not be affected by
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stresses and strains.
THANK YOU!!!

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