Are Our Children's Toys Contributing To A Rise In Disorders Along the Autism Spectrum?

As parents and caregivers of children with ADHD, or disorders along the autism spectrum, we know that our children can be much more sensitive to their surroundings than many of their peers. So, we take steps to help our kids cope with the added stress that too much stimuli from their environment can bring. But, I wonder how many of us have ever stopped for a moment to consider the possibility that it might be the actual common, everyday items in our environment that have contributed to rise in the diagnosis of these disorders

A recent article in The Sydney Morning Herald discusses the results of a review of recent research in The Lancet Neurology. The article states that studies show that many common, everyday items, like our clothing, dinnerware and even our children's toys may be filled with hazardous chemicals that can directly and indirectly cause neurodevelopment disorders such as dyslexia, ADHD and autism spectrum disorders.

Currently, the list of chemicals that are known to cause such conditions has doubled in the past few years from six to 12. Some of these chemicals are already either banned or strictly regulated in Australia, such as DDT and lead. Others such as industrial solvents, or the methyl mercury that are found in fish, are not as tightly regulated. Scientists can't even agree on which chemicals are to blame, as some say that the fluoride that is found in treated water could be one of the culprits.

Perhaps the most frightening fact to come out of the article is the fact that most chemicals haven't been tested at all to see if they might affect the development of children or unborn babies. According to the article, over 80,000 chemicals that are used in industrial settings in the United States have never been tested for their effects on the neurodevelopment of children and unborn babies. Australian authorities are just now working on prioritising the risk of over 38,000 chemicals that may contaminate the environment or leech out of manufactured products and contribute to these disorders.

While scientists continue their research and conduct more studies, it is hard to know what one can do to keep their children safe.  As a parent, it's chilling to realise that if this article is correct, science and industry can't really say if these chemicals and the products that are made with them are truly safe for our children.

Going forward, I will continue to look for ways in our daily life to minimise our contact with chemicals.

After reading the article, what steps do you plan to take to minimise your family's contact with these potentially dangerous substances?

SPD – It’s All In The Brain

Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) is an often misunderstood disorder of the brain. With this condition, individuals have trouble receiving and/or processing the information that comes to their brain through their senses. This can lead to a variety of symptoms and delayed development in children, as this neuro-processing disorder affects their ability to focus as well as to experience and learn.

SPD is often untreated and unrecognised, or confused with other disorders such as autism and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). While children with SPD may have autism and/or ADHD as well, many health professionals have suspected that it is a separate disorder, even though it does not have a separate diagnosis code or treatment guidelines in issues of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). Due to the issues caused by the disorder and the lack of a clear diagnosis or treatment plan, many parents as well as health care professionals have been at a loss at how to diagnose or help children with this disorder. Often children with this disorder “fall through the cracks,” and suffer difficulties in school or other social settings due to this lack of understanding or treatment.

This may change after new research conducted by UC San Francisco in the United States, and published in NeuroImage:Clinical, an online journal. The research results have been widely reported in several blogs and publications, including the Sensory Spectrum Blog.

Basically the findings of this research seem to provide evidence that SPD is a separate and distinct condition from autism or ADHD with a biological basis stemming from anatomical irregularities in portions of the brain.

While more research is needed to further isolate the causes that lead to the development of this neurological disorder as well as to develop criteria for diagnosis and consistent standards for treatment, the study shows that in those that are afflicted, there are anatomical differences in the white matter areas of the brain. The white matter of the brain plays a critical role in learning, perception and thought.

Using a specialised form of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) known as Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI), the brains of children afflicted with this disorder had white matter that appeared to be affected on a microstructural and bundled fibre level, with the central involvement of these tissue types occurring in the rear area of the brain. This is the area where the connections for the visual, tactile and auditory systems for sensory processing are located, as well as the connections for the left and right hemispheres of the brain. This is in stark contrast to either autism or ADHD, which typically involve areas of the brain in the frontal area.

Hopefully this research will encourage scientists and other healthcare professionals to conduct more research into this little understood disorder so that both parents and children can receive quicker diagnosis and clear treatment plans for an improved outlook.

Tell us, do you think there needs to be additional research and funding for this condition? 

Is It Really ADHD – Or A Sleeping Disorder?

Most parents who have a child with ADHD are familiar with its common symptoms: easy distractibility and an inability to focus, putting things off until the last minute, being forgetful and even losing things. What many do not realise, even in the health care community, is that these same symptoms often accompany some sort of sleeping disorder in children and even in some adults.

According to a recent article in the New York Times, there is both anecdotal evidence as well as solid research that seem to suggest that part of the reason why more children and adults are being diagnosed with ADHD may be that they are being misdiagnosed and actually have a sleeping disorder.  It is also possible that there may be a connection between the two disorders.

Our lives are simply busier than they were just a few decades ago. All of us try to cram more activities into each day, and more is expected of us at work, school and home. Add to that the steady influx of technological advances that make it hard to “unplug” such as video games, smartphones and more and it’s easy to see why most people don’t get the amount of sleep that they wish or need.

 

All of this constant “busy-ness” can make it hard to turn off our minds and achieve a good night’s sleep. Physical issues such as breathing problems caused by sleep apnea and other conditions can also interfere with achieving the periods of deep, interrupted sleep that all of us need to function in top form. 

While lack of restful sleep often manifests itself with feeling lethargic and sleepy through the day, other individuals, particularly children, may display the same symptoms that are common among those with ADHD.

While more research is needed, information that is currently available suggests that helping children with ADHD to achieve a restful night’s sleep may be a tool that parents can use to help reduce the ADHD symptoms that their child may experience throughout the day. 

Advice From Dr Temple Grandin

Dr Temple Grandin recently published an article in Take Part which gave her views on the education of children on the autism spectrum.  I love what she has to say and I encourage you to read it.  I have included an extract here, but you really need to read the whole article.

Her stance - stay positive.

“Special educators need to look at what a child can do instead of what he/she cannot do.

There needs to be more emphasis on building up and expanding the skills a child is good at.  Too often people get locked into a label such as dyslexia, ADHD, or autism, and they cannot see beyond the label.  Kids that get a label often have uneven skills.  They may be talented in one area and have a real deficiency in another.”

She goes on to say “Kids with autism often get fixated on one thing, and it is important to expand their fixations.  If the child loves race cars, then race cars can be used as subject matter for reading and math. If the child only draws pictures of NASCAR race cars, a teacher could start expanding the fixation by having him draw an Indianapolis-type car or draw sports cars that regular people can buy at car dealerships.  The next step of expansion is to draw pictures of places where race tracks are located.”

Her advice is so very logical that it makes me wonder why the education system doesn’t follow it.

Read the rest of the article.  It is practical, sound and full of clear advice.

Developmental Coordination Disorder – Heard Of It?

A new study has shown that children that may have been diagnosed with ADHD or other familiar disorders may in fact be suffering from developmental coordination disorder (DCD).

ADHD can often be diagnosed when children have trouble with routine tasks such as getting dressed, playing certain types of games, drawing or even using a computer but in fact they could be suffering from DCD. The study undertaken by Professor Sara Rosenblum identified that in quite a few cases the diagnosis does not occur early enough and is incorrect. This can result in frustration and a sense of disability that leads to a decline that requires psychological therapy.

DCD can be expressed through the “inability to control a process of carrying out a particular motor task, consolidate it in memory and repeat automatically”. Examples of this may include tying laces, riding a bicycle, closing buttons, and so on. Where most people do these things automatically, people with DCD will find them difficult to do. As adults, they may have trouble doing things such as estimating distance and speed, making it difficult to learn to drive or ride a bicycle.

It can be quite embarrassing for children if they can’t do simple routine things. It is even worse for adults who often have to find ways to cover up their lack of skill.

A simple and non-invasive test of writing tasks has been developed to identify DCD in children. Children with DCD have no physiological or intellectual deformities, and in many cases, they have above average intelligence. As they are not able to complete tasks that require coordination between motor, sensory and cognitive functions, the use of occupational therapy provides the necessary treatment and guidance to assist them.