I want to clarify that Autism is not a metabolic disorder; it can however, be a result of a metabolic disorder. Metabolism refers to process where the body uses or creates energy for the food we eat. The foods we are made up of proteins, carbohydrates and fats. As we digest food, chemicals in our digestive system break down the food into sugars and acid, which fuels our bodies. This energy can be used immediately or stored in various body tissues. A metabolic disorder occurs when there is an abnormal chemical reaction that disrupts this process. In addition, a metabolic disorder can occur when some organs, such as your liver or pancreas, become diseased or do not function normally. An example is diabetes. Autism, according to a professional journal article “Autism and Metabolic Disease,” published in the Journal of Child Neurology; is defined as a behaviorally defined syndrome that is “characterized by pervasive deficits in social interaction, impairment in verbal and nonverbal social communication, stereotyped patterns of interest and activities. Moreover, the authors refer to autism as an “etiologic heterogeneous entity caused by different diseases occurring in the central nervous system at an early stage in life.” Now, in terms of Autism, although the causes remain unknown the study mentioned above states that in 80% of patients with autism, less than 5 % of individuals with autism is caused by an inborn error in metabolism. However, there are neurometabolic conditions that may clinically present with an autistic phenotype, which adds to the challenges surrounding diagnoses and misdiagnoses of autism. These may include phenylketonuria, histidinemia, creatine deficiency syndromes, adenylosuccinate lyase deficiency, 5’-nucleotidase superactivity and metabolic purine disorders.
This being said, co-occuring disorders are very common. The rates of comorbidity are higher than expected by chance. Therefore, it maybe that another disorder such as anxiety, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression, epilepsy and learning disabilities, as mentioned in the article, are exacerbating the autistic tendencies, as a result a child is diagnosed with autism. As a result, when other symptoms subside or are controlled for through medication or psychotherapy the Autism is less prominent.
To make a statement that Autism does not belong in the DSM because it is “Not a mental disorder,” is rash. My suggestion therefore, is define what is a mental disorder? And then define what mental health is? I think when society refers to mental illness it thought of as schizophrenia, bipolar, anxiety, depression, PTSD. As a result, we forget about developmental disorder, which disrupt mental health because of the difficulty and stress they evoke in a person’s life. Characteristics of mental health may include: balance, self-actualization, resiliency, flexibility, these may be affected by Autism.
DMPof IL11:58AM February 27, 2012
This is utter nonsense. Autism is a metabolic disorder which affects every organ in the body. Psychiatrists know nothing about autism and it ne ver belonged in any DSM because it is NOT a mental disorder. Children with autism suffer from such things as oxidative stress, inflammatory bowel disease, immune dysfunction, encephalopathy. I recovered one of my grandchildren from autism with bio-medical treatments. Believe me, it's ridiculous to say it goes away by itself. This possible change in the DSM-5 is just an excuse to wipe out the autism epidemic because health officials , for 2 decades, have been unable to come up with a cause or a cure and they havve no idea how to deal with the increase in numbers. It's a scam for the betterment of health officials, drug companies, pediatricians to make it go away. This way, also, they can continue with the present vaccine program and don't ever have to do that fully vaccinated vs fully unvaccinated study of children. This plan is really sick and will surely put tens of thousands of children out of reach of proper services, even though some say otherwise.
Maurine Meleckof SC5:22PM January 23, 2012
Autism is the perpetual mystery to experts and health officials. There's no known cause, cure, or prevention for the disorder. When a healthy child suddenly and dramatically regresses into autism, doctors are mystified further. Now we're to believe that these children will also lose their symptoms of autism for some unknown reason.
Many in the autism community associate autism with the ever-expanding vaccine schedule, especially when it involves regression. Officials have long denied this. They claim that all the autism everywhere is because of "better diagnosing." They claim autism has always been around like this, we just called it something else. Where, we ask, are the adults with classic autism whose symptoms are undeniable? No one has ever been able to find autism among 40, 60, and 80 year olds like we see in so many of our children. Now the explanation is that THEY OUT GREW THEIR AUTISM. The official answers are harder and harder to swallow.
Anne Dachel, Media editor: Age of Autism http://www.ageofautism.com/
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DMP of IL 11:58AM February 27, 2012
Maurine Meleck of SC 5:22PM January 23, 2012
Anne McElroy Dachel of WI 11:37AM January 23, 2012