Holistic Approaches To Treating Autism

Proper eating habits are one of the methods that to has been shown to help people with autism. Dr. Michael Klapper talks to the Rochester Area Vegan Society about how a whole-foods-plant-based vegan diet can help the autistic overcome some of their symptoms. (Video: Michael Israel)

 

Autism is a developmental disorder characterized by poor coordination, communication issues, and a lack of social skills. The medical community does not agree on how to treat people who have autism.

 

Kathryn MacIntyre-Yee, a therapist at Rochester Regional Health, has stated learning mindfulness skills and learning Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) could help people who have autism overcome their anxiety and develop their self-esteem. According to Kathryn MacIntyre-Yee, "most autistic people have a low sense of self-worth because they tend to focus on their differences and the need to fit in. Mindfulness and DBT help people with autism to focus on living in the moment and not ruminating about how difficult it is for them to fit in with others. DBT also helps autistic people to learn how to read and express emotions; these skills offer a way for the autistic to reduce their anxiety."

 

The meditation room in the Rochester Zen Center. (Photo: Michael Israel)

 

The Rochester Zen Center which has been in Rochester, NY for fifty years provides a way for people with autism to learn how to become more mindful. Zen teaches people how to sit and quiet their minds of racing thoughts. Just sitting and being mindful has been shown to help the autistic to lower their anxiety and stress levels.

 

Rochester Regional Heath offers a program called PROS which helps people with disabilities to learn how to apply DBT to their lives. DBT helps people integrate their logical and emotional mind so that they can find the type of balance in their life that Zen encourages people to have.

 

The Rochester Area Vegan Society (RAVS) discusses the health benefits of eating a whole-foods-plant-based vegan diet. A healthy diet low in gluten, casein, and meat proteins has been shown to help the autistic population when combined with probiotics. Dr. Michal Klapper spoke to RAVS about the health benefits of eating a whole-foods-plant-based vegan diet.

 

A gluten-free vegan cookbook. This provides both the benefits of the vegan diet and the gluten-free and casein-free diet that has been shown to help a lot of autistic people. (Photo: Michael Israel)

 

While no treatment method has been shown to be 100% effective for all autistic people the three treatments advised in this blog, pose no risks and many extra health benefits to autistic people who try them. Mindfulness, DBT, and vegan diet provides the added benefits of reducing the risk of heart disease and stress. Even if these treatments don't help with the autism, they will still provide health benefits to the people who try these three approaches to treating autism.