Autism Spectrum Disorder

At Reintegrative Health we are helping children and parents cope with the difficulties surrounding autism spectrum disorder. By using advanced computer technology we are able to help children with autism improve and lead a more productive life. 

Over the last few years there has been a constant flow of new autism facts and research information that is vital in helping families affected by autism. Currently, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the incidence of children with autism is 1 in 68 in the United States. That number has grown dramatically in the last 10 years. This is a 30% increase from 2012.

At first glance, a child with autism may appear to have an intellectual disability, a sensory integration disorder, or complex problems with social interactions or many other autism symptoms. It is important to distinguish autism from other conditions, since an accurate diagnosis and early identification can provide the basis for building an appropriate and effective educational and treatment program.

To assist in evaluating an autism diagnosis we use a method called Quantitative EEG (qEEG) analysis.  The research by Dr. Coben, Using quantitative and analytic EEG methods in the understanding of connectivity in autism spectrum disorders, points to the usefulness of this assessment tool. 

http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnhum.2014.00045/abstract#sthash.I1YtCzA0.dpuf 

Understanding the results of his sophisticated assessment and autism test need to be merged with what we are learning in current research.  An example of this is the findings, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, that there is a dysregulation in the developing layers of the outer part of the brain called the cortex. This disrupts the processing of specific information that leads to the complications seen in the autistic child. The research points to early prenatal development and the brain. (N. Engl. J. Med. 2014;370:1209-19 [doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1307491]).

The study results suggest that early recognition and treatment of autism may allow the "developing brains of autistic children to construct alternative brain pathways around the patchy defects in the cortex". The authors of this research suggest the treatment should be as early as when a child is one-year-old. The result could be improved social functioning and communication.

Sophisticated neurofeedback therapies and autism treatment options in St. Louis MO, used at Reintegrative Health, can focus on processing pathways within the brain which can help improve the developmental complexities pointed out in the New England Journal of Medicine research previously mentioned.  This is a research driven approach, and one that we can use right way.