Autism, like most other brain-related health conditions, is pretty mystifying. As of yet, it’s still unknown why ASD develops in children. Also, there’s no cure available for the disease.
Sounds pretty alarming, right?
However, contrary to what you’re thinking right now, a person with ASD can, indeed, live a normal and healthy life. For that, they’ll need to undergo proper treatments, intake the right supplements, and do some exercises regularly.
In this article, we’ll be focusing solely on the supplements someone needs to counter the symptoms of autism efficiently. Keep reading till the end, and if you have any queries, make sure to let us know in the comment section below.
Table of Contents
Why Does A Child With Autism Need Supplements?
Like the behavioral aspects, autism affects the digestive system of an individual too. Therefore, it becomes impossible for the person to digest food naturally and intake the nutritious elements properly.
It, in turn, can sometimes lead to malnutrition and impact the overall growth of the child negatively.
Due to this reason, many doctors tend to prescribe various vitamins and mineral supplements to enhance the overall health condition of the patient. Make sure to talk to a nutritionist or a doctor to learn about the correct dosage of the product before letting your child take it.
Best Supplements For ASD
Children with autism generally have various feeding problems. Some of them experience swallowing difficulty, while others avoid specific food items. Hence, you will need to work with a behavior therapist and a pediatrician to take care of this issue for the long term.
In the meantime, you may have to include a supplement or two in their diet structure to boost their health as a whole.
1. Essential Fatty Acids
Essential fatty acids, such as omega-three, helps in decreasing the habit of hyperactivity in children. This way, they will be able to focus on something, like learning a skill or studying, more proficiently. Their communicational capability will increase massively as well.
Side Effects: None
2. Vitamin D
Like essential fatty acids, vitamin D, too, focuses primarily on reducing hyperactivity in autistic children. Besides, these supplements also help calm the nerves, lowering anxiety and depression as a result. It might lessen the frequent issue of stimming, such as flapping hands, in children too.
Side Effects: None
3. Vitamin C
The immune system tends to be a little weaker in an individual suffering from autism. Thus, if the same is happening with your child, providing them with vitamin C supplements can be beneficial for their health.
Additionally, vitamin C also removes the free radicals from the patient’s body, which can strengthen their digestive system too.
Side Effects: If taken at a higher dose, it might cause mild to moderate diarrhea in children.
4. Ubiquinol
As per various research modules, oxidative stress (which occurs due to the anxiety caused by ASD) leads to neuronal dysfunction in autistic children. If not addressed quickly, this issue can increase the severity of autism symptoms and affect your child’s health.
Ubiquinol, an active form of CoQ10, can improve the efficiency of grey matter to some extent. It, in turn, improves the sleeping cycle and communicational ability of a toddler. Besides, according to a study, it can lower food rejection in children too.
Side Effects: It might increase the level of hyperactivity during the initial stage. However, you can take care of this problem by reducing the dosage or modifying its timing.
5. Probiotics
As mentioned before, people with autism tend to suffer from various gastrointestinal issues, such as abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, etc. If you want to lower the severity of these issues, opting for probiotics should be a good start for you.
These supplements can improve the patient’s digestive system and improve the core symptoms of the disease. Take these medications at least 30 minutes before your meal for the best results.
Side Effects: None
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, using supplementary elements is definitely ideal for improving the quality of your child’s life. Nonetheless, if you want the best results from them, you’ll need to provide the correct dosage to the patient. Otherwise, it might cause adverse effects and put the individual in even more distress.