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21/Jan/2023

Triggers in Autism Childrens

 ASD is a developmental disability caused by differences in the brain. The exact causes of autism in children are not known, but research suggests that a combination of genetic and environmental factors may play a role.

Some studies have identified genetic mutations that may increase the risk of ASD, while others have found links between certain environmental exposures, such as maternal infection during pregnancy, and the development of autism. However, more research is needed to fully understand the underlying causes of autism.

The signs and symptoms of autism in children can vary widely, but some common ones include:

  • Difficulty with social interaction and communication, such as lack of eye contact, delayed speech development, and difficulty understanding social cues or initiating interactions with others.
  • Repetitive behaviours or interests, such as repetitive movements, repetitive speech, or intense interest in a specific topic.
  • Difficulty with flexibility and change, such as difficulty adapting to new situations or routines.
  • Sensory processing issues, such as sensitivity to light, sound, or touch. It’s important to note that autism can present differently in every individual and the severity of symptoms can also vary.

There are certain common triggers for children that elevate and disturb the mind. A few reasons that the parents or caregivers should take care as follows:

  • Sensory overload. Children with autism can be sensitive to sensory stimulation. In a setting or situation—such as a store or a crowded event—all of the noises, colors, lights, and activity around them become too stressful. They might feel overwhelmed and panic.
  • Difficulty communicating. For a nonverbal child or one with limited verbal skills, the frustration of not being able to communicate can set off anger or a meltdown.
  • Information overload. Too much information coming in too fast or from many different directions can be overwhelming. Children with autism often have delayed information processing and need more time to process each piece of information.
  • Changes in routine. The need for predictability is high for children with autism. Sudden changes can create panic, stress, and meltdowns.
  • Changes in sleep routine. Many children with autism face difficulty with sleep. This creates stressful situations to child and their family
  • Changes in diet. Children with ASD exhibit refusal of certain foods. children with autism have significantly more feeding problems and eat a significantly narrower range of foods than children without autistic.

This list is certainly not exhaustive, and the risk of these behaviours can increase when—as with any child—an autistic child is overly tired, hungry, or stressed out from another situation.

The more parents and other caregivers can become aware of a child’s triggers and the information they reveal about the child’s needs, the more they can try to minimize stressors and help the child cope. It can be a long road to reach that point.

By understanding and addressing triggers in children with autism, we can significantly improve their quality of life and well-being. Through a combination of awareness, education, and implementing effective strategies,

Triggers play a significant role in the lives of children with (ASD), impacting their sensory experiences and emotional well-being. In this blog post, we will explore the concept of triggers in autism and delve into common triggers that can lead to overstimulation and distress.

By gaining a deeper understanding of these triggers, we can effectively support children with autism and create an environment that promotes their overall well-being

we can create a supportive environment that minimizes triggers and fosters the optimal development of children with autism. Let us work together to empower and advocate for children on the autism spectrum, helping them navigate their unique sensory experiences with confidence and resilience.

At Jeevaniyam our team of doctors and therapist manage these by mainly focusing on removing imbalanced doshas from the body with the help of ayurvedic therapies like nasya, shirodhara, shodhan procedures, etc.

 

 


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16/Jan/2023

ORAL PLACEMENT THERAPY –  FOR SPEECH AND FEEDING

Oral–motor is a term that is still widely used in our speech systems. The use of oral motor exercises in a feeding program has never been debated in our field. For example, the feeding activities.

Children with different special need categories cannot imitate targeted speech sounds using auditory and visual stimuli (i.e., “Look, listen, and say what I say”). They also cannot follow specific instructions to produce targeted speech sounds (e.g., “Put your lips together and say m”).

Oral Placement Therapy (OPT) is a tactile teaching technique used for children and adults with Oral Placement Disorders, who cannot learn standard speech sound production using auditory and visual teaching methods alone.

It is based on a common sequence

  1. Facilitate speech movement with the assistance of a therapy tool (ex. Talk Tools® Bite Block, horn, tongue depressor) or a tactile-kinesthetic facilitation technique (ex. PROMPT facial cue);
  2. Facilitate speech movement without the therapy tool and/or tactile-kinesthetic technique (cue fading);
  3. Immediately transition movement into speech with and without therapy tools and/or tactile-kinesthetic techniques.

Oral Placement Therapy works only on movements needed for speech clarity.  OPT facilitates the pre-requisite skills in muscle control to develop dissociation and grading in the muscles of the abdomen, velum, jaw, lips and tongue for clients who cannot approximate the standard speech sounds using the instructions.

If the client can produce standard speech using adequate placement and duration using only auditory and visual cueing, OPT would not be included in that client’s program plan.

At Jeevaniyam, the Speech Language Pathologist, focus on OPT along with conventional Speech Therapy. The therapy program for each child is tailor-made based on the child’s speech and language requirements.

For more detailed information:

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+91 996 151 8687, +91 996 129 8312
www.jeevaniyam.in

 


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11/Jan/2023

What is an ADHD Diet?

Having a healthy, balanced diet is important to have a happy and healthy life. A healthy diet can provide an effective complementary approach to alleviating some symptoms of ADHD. Ideally, your eating habits would help the brain work better and lessen symptoms, such as restlessness or lack of focus. The link between diet & autism has long been investigated, with some parents of autistic children firmly believing that the symptoms were alleviated by a certain diet.

But what’s the truth? Are there actually any objective measures to support the claim?

Nutrition is a tough topic when it comes to autism. There are so many different diets, protocols and recommendations that often leave parents or autistic adults feeling overwhelmed. Children with autism may limit their food intake or have food preferences. Many children with autism also have gastrointestinal symptoms like constipation, diarrhea or abdominal pain. As a result, children with autism are sometimes low in certain nutrients. Some of these nutrients have been studied to see if giving children supplements of these nutrients may help with autism symptoms. However, more research is needed. Before giving your child any supplements, speak with your child’s dietitian or health care provider first.

The following food elements can be avoided:

  • Dairy: When casein (one of the proteins in dairy) mixes with stomach acid, it produces something called an exorphin. Exorphins bind to the opioid receptor sites and can result in a myriad of troubles – brain fog, spaciness, inability to concentrate, and a numbness to pain.
  • Gluten: A mixture of proteins found in grains such as wheat, barley, and rye, gluten can increase inflammation when ingested. In fact, your body can create antibodies to gluten which can fire up, or inflame, your brain.
  • Corn: There is simply nothing truly beneficial and many potentially harmful things that can come from eating corn.
  • Sugar: Avoiding sugar and refined carbohydrates and increasing lean protein can dramatically improve concentration and judgment, and decrease impulsiveness.
  • Artificial Ingredients: Avoid all additives, preservatives, dyes and artificial colours, artificial flavourings, and artificial sweeteners.

Food Items to consider

  • Milk Substitutes: Be sure the container states the product is casein-free, not just dairy-free.
  • Gluten-free Bread: These breads are made from rice or tapioca flour. The taste and texture are different from regular bread.
  • Cheese Substitutes: Check the ingredient list before purchasing any alternative cheese, as some brands that are labelled “dairy-free” may still contain the casein protein.
  • Meat: Pre-packaged or frozen meat may contain spices that are not gluten-free, so it’s important to check the list of ingredients.
  • Produce: Fresh fruit and vegetables are usually safe choices for gluten/casein-free foods.

At Jeevaniyam, with the help of the expert team of doctors, therapists and dietitians we find out the symptoms of ADHD at a very young age and help them achieve a social smile by integrating Ayurvedic protocols and dietary intervention in a scientific way.

 


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07/Jan/2023

Anxiety In Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Anxiety disorders and symptoms are common co-occurring conditions in youth with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Research on the prevalence and clinical characteristics of this condition has soared during the past decade. Autistic children feel many of the same worries and fears as other children. Autistic children might also worry or feel stressed about things that are less worrying for typically developing children. Often parents would misinterpret certain behaviours as the child’s tantrums and try to rectify these.

Children with ASD develop anxiety mostly due to the following reasons:

  • Small disruptions to their routines or new sensations they feel in their bodies.
  • Unfamiliar or unpredictable social situations.
  • Situations where it’s hard to know what other people are thinking or feeling.
  • Their own thoughts and feelings, especially unfamiliar or unpleasant physical symptoms that are related to worried thoughts and feelings.

Autism is neuro developmental, whereas anxiety is a mental-emotional. Still, the area of the brain involved in the expression of fear, called the amygdala, may play a role in comorbid anxiety and ASD.

Does your child have the following behavioural pattern?

  • Always feeling on edge
  • Fatigue
  • Trouble with concentration and memory
  • Irritability
  • Muscle tension
  • Uncontrollable worries
  • Reduced amount or quality of sleep

Social and emotional factors may also contribute to anxiety. Autistic people may need support to learn how to read body language and other social cues. Sometimes these situations can make them feel overwhelmed and anxious.

You can help your child learn ways to calm down when they start feeling anxious or stressed.

At Jeevaniyam, we help children who has ASD and suffer anxiety with the help of ayurvedic protocols integrated with:

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy – This helps children develop skills to change their thinking in situations that make them anxious

Therapies And Supports – that use gradual exposure to help children face their fears

Social Stories – these can help prepare children for unfamiliar or stressful situations that generally make them anxious

Relaxation Training – to help your child learn to relax.

 

A few things that parents and care takers can teach the child to control anxiety are:

  • Counting slowly to 10
  • Taking 5 deep breaths
  • Running around the yard 5 times
  • Doing 50 jumps on the trampoline
  • Looking at a collection of favourite or special things
  • Reading a favourite book
  • Closing eyes for a few moments
  • Going to a quiet part of the house.

 


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21/Sep/2022

Ayurvedic Approach Towards Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a condition in which the nervous system loses control of some or all of the muscles and joints of the body. For example, an individual with  (CP) lacks control over voluntary muscle movements and can’t walk, feed themselves or even talk on their own.

This means that if an individual with CP needs to use the toilet, they need to be taken care of by someone else. The person with CP needs care 24 hours a day from someone who can help feed them, bathe them, dress them and more. The word “cerebral” refers to the brain, while “palsy” means paralysis

One of the main causes of cerebral palsy is premature birth, although most babies born prematurely don’t have cerebral palsy. The symptoms of cerebral palsy can range from mild to severe and includes muscle control movement, coordination, and balance issues.

Early signs of CP may include developmental delays such as:

• Rolling Overy
• Sitting up
• Crawling and walking later than usual

According to Ayurveda covering a special care for CP is a critical aspect of holistic medicine. This disease is caused by genetic mutation and it’s not an acute disease (incurable). CP is a disturbance in the nervous system which can lead to a variety of symptoms. It can affect both children and adults. Ayurveda is one of the traditional forms of treatment for cerebral palsy which is completely natural and devoid of any side effects.
At Jeevaniyam, we believe that Ayurvedic system of medicine is directly related to the nervous system and hence have positive effects on CP symptoms.

We follow the Kottakal protocol for CP developed by Dr Dinesh KS, Head of the department of Kaumarabhruthya, Kottakal Ayurveda Medical college. It includes symptomatic management and conservative management. The treatment includes various external and internal herbal therapies, fluid intake, diet etc.

The treatment protocols such the procedure pancha Karma with yoga vasthi in improving physical growth, brain development, and subsiding spasticity in patients. We do specially designed massages with herbs that improves blood circulation, relieves body pain, removes waste products, and improves muscular strength. The most important thing is to get an early diagnosis and get the disease treated on time which will improve the quality of life of the child.


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13/Dec/2021

Cerebral Palsy – Types & Associated Conditions

 

In this modern world children born with developmental delay and cerebral palsy are increasing at an alarming rate. The main reasons of delayed identification of these cases are because of the lack of knowledge among common people thus not diagnosing this at an early stage.

Children show different issues depending on the part of the brain that got damaged. In some cases, all four limbs are affected and the child’s movement is restricted and will result in weak torso. In such case the child will show symptoms like difficulty in standing, holding things. Depending on the severity of the damage some children show the effects on three, two or one limb.

Types Of Cerebral Palsy

The most common type of cerebral palsy is known as spastic cerebral palsy happens due to the damage of the motor cortex damage. This causes the muscles to become stiff and tight.

Dyskinetic cerebral palsy also known as athetoid cerebral palsy occurs due to the basal ganglia damage. This causes the child to have involuntary movement of the body since the brain doesn’t have proper control over muscles.

Axatic cerebral palsy is another type that affects due to the damage of the cerebellum. This causes shaky movements and affects a person’s balance and sense of positioning in space.

Mixed cerebral palsy means that someone’s brain is injured in more than one location and they will experience symptoms from multiple types of CP.

Some of the associated conditions which are associated with cerebral palsy are pain, intellectual disability, behavioral disorder, bladder intolerance, sleep disorder, respiratory disability etc. Children with Cerebral Palsy often have impaired oral motor control, which means they have difficulty controlling the muscles in their mouth and throat. This can lead to problems with feeding (sucking, chewing, etc.) and dysphagia, or difficulty swallowing.

Though it is considered not curable, there is hope in cases with early diagnosis, scientific treatment and regular follow-up. Proper medical evaluation along with imaging studies like X-ray, CT scan, MRI scan or EEG can give the diagnosis along with blood tests and genetic tests if needed.

Studies are showing that most cases of CP children respond well to an integrated approach with Ayurveda medicines and Panchakarma when combined with other therapies. It also helps to reduce or nullify the probable adverse effects of many other medications, too.

At Jeevaniyam we do the early detection and intervention for young infants. Here many treatment modalities are used from time to time according to the clinical manifestation and conditions as discussed above and all the therapies are applied after proper evaluation and examination. This helps the kids to achieve their social smile.


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10/Dec/2021

Cerebral Palsy: What is Cerebral Palsy & How it is affecting kids?

 

what is Cerebral palsy (CP)?

Cerebral Palsy is a term used to describe a problem with movement and posture that makes certain activities difficult. It is otherwise known as Little’s disease, which is a common childhood disability disorder with dominated spasticity. Cerebral Palsy does not have a single cause like chickenpox or measles. There are many reasons why someone might have cerebral palsy. An unborn child might have suffered a brain injury, an infection, or abnormal development of the brain tissue. These are called “prenatal” causes, meaning they happened before birth. These causes are responsible for about 70% of the cases of cerebral palsy. Another 20% of cerebral palsy cases are caused by a brain injury that takes place during the birthing process (i.e., prenatal & Postnatal). There is no complete cure for the disease. Cerebral palsy is a congenital disease but is diagnosed probably later. it’s the most common lifelong physical disability in the world. There’s no single cause of cerebral palsy, though prematurity and stroke are two of the biggest causes.  It is estimated that two out of every 1,000 new-born children will develop cerebral palsy. And approximately 40% of those born with cerebral palsy will have a severe case.

There are many risk factors for cerebral palsy. They can include:  

  • Premature (early) birth 
  • Low birth weight 
  • Blood clotting problems 
  • Inability of the placenta to provide the developing fetus with oxygen and nutrients 
  • RH or A-B-O blood type incompatibility between mother and infant 
  • Infection of the mother with German measles or other viral diseases in early pregnancy 
  • Bacterial infection of the mother, fetus or infant that directly or indirectly attack the infant’s central nervous system 
  • Prolonged loss of oxygen during the birthing process 
  • Severe jaundice shortly after birth

Some of the early signs and symptoms that parents can notice in children are

  • Can’t sit up or independently roll over by 6 months
  • Feeding or swallowing difficulties
  • Preference to use one side of their body
  • Muscle spasms or feeling stiff
  • Poor muscle control, reflexes, and posture
  • Low muscle tone
  • Unable to hold up its own head while lying on their stomach or in a supported sitting position
  • Delayed development 
  • Holding own head up when lying flat in a bed at 3 months 
  • Sitting and rolling over by 6 months
  • Not walking by 12-18 months
  • Not speaking simple sentences by 24 months

In children it affects movement, coordination, muscle tone and control, reflexes, posture, and balance. Although the brain of toddlers/children with cerebral palsy remains injured, the injury does not get worse as they develop. Depending on the level of severity of their cerebral palsy, toddlers and children may experience difficulties with their physical development.

At Jeevaniyam we follow the Kottakal protocol for CP developed by Dr Dinesh KS, Head of the department of Kaumarabhruthya, Kottakal Ayurveda Medical college. It includes symptomatic management and conservative management. Our team of doctors & specialists check if your child is not reaching these milestones, or they display some of the signs of cerebral palsy. We can conduct an assessment as early as a 3 month old child. Early intervention & training helps the child to improve remarkably on their social skills and daily life activities from a very young age.  


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