Autism (Autism Spectrum Condition) in Children and Adults

Does your child display signs of Autism? Do they find it difficult to interact with their friends and family and are they showing repetitive behaviours? Are you frightened about what the future may look like for them and confused about how best to help support them? . 

‘Autism’ affects about one in 60 people and tends to run in families. Unfortunately, 70% of parents whose child recently received a diagnosis of autism were told by the NHS that “nothing can be done”. However, as you read further, you will learn that much can be done to improve things. We will discuss the different root causes of social, behavioural, and physical difficulties and what can be done to improve these. 

We approach Autism as a metabolic disorder and start by aiming to restore healthy functioning from the body up, to optimise overall functioning. 

What is Autism Spectrum Disorder?

The term ‘Autism’ literally means ‘Self-ism’, as those affected may appear locked in their own world. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can also be referred to as Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) and it now has a 3-tier diagnosis banding, based on severity of symptoms. 

The mainstream medical community has described autism as “a lifelong developmental disability which affects how people communicate and interact with the world” (National Autistic Society). However, there is growing evidence from research studies that symptoms can be improved and life made easier. 

To only view Autism as a social or communication condition would also be limiting the therapy avenues to be explored to improve functioning. There is an inextricable link between how we behave and how healthy our body is. 

At The Key Clinic, we believe it is more helpful to approach Autism as a complex, metabolic condition and work to improve things from the body up while reducing hypersensitivity to sounds.

Signs and Symptoms of Autism

Autism is diagnosed when children show deficits in social and verbal interactions and display repetitive behaviours such as hand-flapping and spinning.

Children may show autistic traits within their first year of life, such as poor eye contact, while some children appear to develop normally in their first year and then regress between 18 months and 24 months, potentially losing the ability to speak and interact.

Some people aren’t diagnosed until adolescence or adulthood and miss out on receiving care when they are younger. Girls with autism are particularly adept at ‘masking’ or imitating others socially, in an attempt to blend in. This can be exhausting and can mean they do not get diagnosed until much later. 

There are also many physically debilitating factors, typically seen in those on the spectrum, but these do not currently form part of the assessment. They include:  gut pain/poor digestion; poor detoxification; dysregulated immune functioning and hypersensitive hearing. 

There is currently no medical test for autism, so diagnosing it can be difficult for doctors, who have to rely on children’s behaviour and subjective reports from parents. This may change in the future, with a recent promising study in Hong Kong indicating that it may be possible to diagnose autism by analysing how narrow the gut microbiome is.

Importantly, there are also many wonderful autistic traits:  the ability to hyperfocus, integrity, musical and/or mathematical ability, and logical thinking, to name a few. 

Signs of Autism in children

    • Avoiding eye contact

    • Not responding to your facial expressions (ie smiling at them)

    • Repetitive movements, such as spinning, hand flapping and rocking (also known as “stimming”)

    • Difficulty with imaginative/ pretend play

    • Not talking as much as other children (delayed speech/echolalia/no speech)

    • Sensory processing difficulties:

      • They may be hypersensitive to sounds, smells light, clothing textures and fussy eater

      • They may be hyposensitive to their own internal signals eg too warm/cold or needing to go to the toilet, they may also enjoy specific sensory input, such as a weighted blanket)

    • Having a very keen interest in certain subjects or activities

    • Stomach pain and/or difficulties with digestion

    • Get ill frequently or (rarely) never get ill

    • Dislike loud environments/sounds

Signs of Autism in adults

    • Getting anxious about social situations

    • Finding it hard to make friends or preferring to be on your own

    • Seeming blunt, rude, or not interested in others

    • Finding it hard to say how you feel

    • Focussed interests

    • Having the same routine every day and getting anxious if it changes

    • A logical, rational interpretation of things, finding Intuition difficult

    • Difficult/delayed speech or no speech

    • Speaking ‘at’ someone and not being interested in their response.

    • Poor digestion/ stomach aches

    • Get ill frequently or (rarely) never get ill

    • Dislike loud environments/sounds

Alternative Therapies and For Autism

Mainstream medicine has little to offer those diagnosed with autism. Medications do not appear to be very helpful, unless for comorbidities.

You may also have heard of ABA therapy, which ‘trains’ a child to mask underlying traits and is therefore deemed successful. However, parents also report it can increase stress and anxiety levels.

The Key Clinic’s approach is to rebalance the body and brain as one functioning whole because the brain does not function in isolation. We aim to give the body what the brain needs to function well. Interventions aimed at restoring healthy gut functioning and encouraging detoxification were reported as far more effective than conventional medications. (Ref. Autism Research Foundation, study of 25,000 parents of children with Autism, 2009).

Our approach includes a 360 approach:

Improving gut health:

Encouraging a broad, healthy gut microbiome, eliminating any nasties such as parasites and eliminating foods contributing to symptoms. 

Reducing toxic load:

We reduce toxic load and support the body to be better able to detoxify.

Maturing the nervous system: 

We use NeuroMature exercises to help mature the central nervous system, integrating any retained primitive reflexes that may be contributing to sensory processing difficulties, anxiety and difficulty with change. 

Encouraging healthy Immune functioning:

Providing nutrients to help regulate the immune system and prevent a cycle in which it may attack the gut.

Balancing the biochemistry:

We address nutrient imbalances that may be impacting neurotransmitter levels in the brain using ‘Walsh Nutrient Therapy’.

Reducing hypersensitive hearing:

Autistic individuals often have hypersensitive hearing, so we use BrightBeatz Auditory Integration Training to improve the ear's ability to dampen loud sounds.

Do I need to have an official diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Condition to receive support from The Key Clinic?

No. Because The Key Clinic aims to investigate the root causes of specific symptoms and work to remove those obstacles for each particular trait, you do not need a diagnosis of Autism to partake in one of our therapies.

Auditory Integration Training - BrightBeatz

Many individuals with Autism have hypersensitive hearing. BrightBeatz works by stimulating the muscles and reflexes of the middle ear, encouraging the reduction of loud sounds to a more appropriate volume. This, in turn, can help make things feel less overwhelming and may also improve speech.

BrightBeatz is The Key Clinic’s proprietary form of Auditory Integration Training (AIT), helps to reeducate the ears to hear in a more balanced way. It involves listening to customised, modulated music at home, for 30 minutes twice a day over a 10-day period. Parents report improvement in emotional regulation, reduced hypersensitive hearing, and better language skills and processing.

“Sofia has come on leaps and bounds. Her conversation skills and speech have hugely improved, it's amazing!”

– Parent, Dec 2023

BioMedical Nutrient Therapy - BioTransform

BioTransform is a 6-month, bespoke programme designed to optimise overall health, based on your bio-individuality. 

Our approach is based on:

  1. Functional Medicine, to optimise overall health

  2. Walsh Nutrient Therapy, to address any biochemical imbalances that may impact neurotransmitter levels in the brain.

This programme is drug-free, and involves dietary/lifestyle changes and targeted supplements. Rest assured, we are very adept at helping come up with strategies to help even the fussiest eaters and those with sensory issues! 

The Assessment  process identifies areas of poor health/imbalance:

  • An in-depth questionnaire

  • An assessment  consultation

  • Lab tests (paid for separately)

  • Analysis and results

The BioTranform programme will then be created to optimise health, using diet, supplements and lifestyle recommendations. We will support you over the next 6 months, to achieve results. 

The programme may require the elimination of certain foods (eg gluten, dairy and soy can be particularly problematic for those on the spectrum)

We will eliminate any dysbiosis and encourage healthy gut functioning. We will also support better detoxification and rebalancing levels of nutrients for optimum brain functioning.

Neurodevelopmental Movement - NeuroMature

While not at the top of the priority list for those with autism, nonetheless, retained primitive reflexes may also be contributing to symptoms. 

For example, a retained ‘Moro reflex’ (the early infant startle reflex) causes difficulty with change, a need for routine, obsessional behaviours, increased anxiety, hypersensitivity of the senses, dislike of being touched and emotional immaturity. There may also be other retained reflexes present which are interfering with spatial awareness, auditory processing, balance, eye-tracking and coordination. 

The six-month NeuroMature programme helps to mature the nervous system, overcoming neurological blockages which can interfere with healthy functioning. We guide you through an exercise programme, requiring you to do about 20 minutes of movements each day, at home, with your child, until the neurological blockages have been removed. We provide video support and monthly reviews to reset and move you through the programme at your own pace. 

We also offer a more intensive, ‘Fast-track’ NeuroMature programme, where a practitioner works directly with your child to complete the exercises more intensively.

Our NeuroMature programmes can improve eye-tracking, balance, coordination and self-confidence, while reducing anxiety levels and making it easier to cope with changes. 

For children and adults with autism, we recommend completing a course of BrightBeatz Auditory training and a BioTransform before commencing with a neurodevelopmental programme.

"Ollie was over sensitive to sound and now perfect. Since the neurodevelopmental exercises he is calmer, more confident and like a different child. We have also seen a remarkable change with regards to biomedical supplements. Really pleased."

– Parent, Oct 2024

Autism and ADHD

ADHD and autism used to be viewed as completely separate conditions, but more recently, the medical community has acknowledged that symptoms can overlap and that the two conditions may co-exist in one individual. A new term ‘AuDHD’ has recently been coined to describe this. They may have poor focus, poor impulse control poor organisation skills, time management, and social skills.

A child with autism may potentially appear hyperactive or may have an ‘autistic rage’ or meltdown. This can be very hard to distinguish from a similar outburst or hyperactive behaviour witnessed in a child with ADHD.

However, the underlying, biological causes can be very different. For example, the autistic meltdown may be due to poorly digested gluten/dairy molecules or to sensory overload, while the ADHD hyperactivity may be due to a zinc/copper imbalance driving dopamine into norepinephrine. This is why we take the time to assess the root causes of symptoms, rater than rely on the diagnosis alone. 

Source: https://chadd.org/about-adhd/adhd-and-autism-spectrum-disorder/

The Key Clinic can help individuals with Autism to thrive

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It is possible to improve the functioning of those with autism by aiming to optimise overall health and reducing the impact of symptoms.

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Autistic individuals vary enormously, which is why it is important to take the time to assess the root causes of difficulties and create a fully individualised approach to support them.

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There are many wonderful advantages to the autistic brain. We aim to optimise overall health, removing pain and discomfort, and making life as easy as possible, to unlock the power of their gifts.

Please call us on 020 7486 4462 or email welcome@thekeyclinic.co.uk to find out how we can support you or your child.