Meds/supplements for aspergers?
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Meds/supplements for aspergers?
| Wed, 09-06-2006 - 12:53pm |
Hi,
I have both of my boys on Omega 3's, cod liver oil, Calcium/Mag supplements and multivitamins. My older son has gotten better with social skills but my younger son is horrible. Yesterday he was outside riding his bike in our culdesac and screamed out "kiss my pee pee" to some kids playing football on their lawn. We've reiterated over and over how this is potty mouth and not appropriate. He probably has picked up most of this from his older brother who has been dx Aspergers through the school. Last year in preschool, my five yr old was struggling so I had him evaluated through the school district but the test came back inconclusive because he wouldn't sit still enough for the testing. He did qualify for speech services though and is getting them at school. He also has major meltdowns at times and will just scream at the tops of his lungs. I know there's no magic cure for any of this, but what has helped you with your childrens behavior - whether it be supplements, or behavioral techniques? And what do I do in the meantime, bring him to a private outside practice to have him evaluated, or wait till he's old enough and have the school district retest him?
Thanks in advance!
Amy
I have both of my boys on Omega 3's, cod liver oil, Calcium/Mag supplements and multivitamins. My older son has gotten better with social skills but my younger son is horrible. Yesterday he was outside riding his bike in our culdesac and screamed out "kiss my pee pee" to some kids playing football on their lawn. We've reiterated over and over how this is potty mouth and not appropriate. He probably has picked up most of this from his older brother who has been dx Aspergers through the school. Last year in preschool, my five yr old was struggling so I had him evaluated through the school district but the test came back inconclusive because he wouldn't sit still enough for the testing. He did qualify for speech services though and is getting them at school. He also has major meltdowns at times and will just scream at the tops of his lungs. I know there's no magic cure for any of this, but what has helped you with your childrens behavior - whether it be supplements, or behavioral techniques? And what do I do in the meantime, bring him to a private outside practice to have him evaluated, or wait till he's old enough and have the school district retest him?
Thanks in advance!
Amy


I think fish oil is great. You have to be careful of what kind you use and when. I wouldn't use cod liver oil in the summer. The body can get enough vit D sun those couple months out of the year. I am not fond of cod liver oil in particular or fish oils that have added vitamin D or are vitamin D rich. It takes some experimentation.
You can get a real feel for supplements if you try them on yourself as well.
The reason why I don't like cod liver oil is because of the vit D. It made me terribly hyper. It makes my oldest daughter more aggressive. I think there might be a tendency in our family for higher levels of vitamin D in the blood due to less than optimal kidney function. Vitamin D also seems to cause calcium issues (too much) for people like myself and my oldest daughter. This may not be the case for everyone, but for a subset of those like myself or my oldest dd, this is true. I seem to do okay on regular fish oil...not oils with added A or D vits or fish oil derived from the liver. We eat Pacific cod fish and are fine also. Just something to be aware of it you notice aggression or a certain level of "unreasonable-ness" when they are on those A&D rich supplements.
My youngest dd had tremendous gains on a very inexpensive supplement called TMG. I gave her about 125mg twice a day and within a week and a half, she made amazing progress. Once again though, everyone is not the same and it worked brilliantly for her and didn't do much for the type my oldest dd and myself seem to be.
A "miracle" vitamin for me has been through food. I've been eating vitamin K rich foods everyday and that seems to be repairing my vascular system. My legs look amazing, even better than they did when I was younger! Beyond vanity, however, it speaks of what it's doing for my vascular system beyond my legs, but perhaps my brain too. I think this is something that will be good for all three of us. I don't plan to take vit K supplements, but feel comfortable with eating the food. I think poor kidneys lead to a greater need for vit K because vitamin K is needed to produce a protein in the kidneys to deal with oxalates. Also vit K is the glue that binds calcium to the bone. Not everyone fits that profile, but I sure hope it saves someone who sounds like me from some time.
The magnesium is good since it helps control calcium and supports enzymes, but I personally believe there's no need for added calcium since I think most people have more than the body (kidneys) can manage. Anyway, I'm not a dr., but there's some research avenues for you to consider.
Behavior training is huge. There's no easy way around it. Sometimes you have to do the same thing over 100 times before it sinks in with them. I have a terrier and I consider my family to be the terrier type breed of humans: Vacillating between hyperfocused and unable to focus, high energy, a little OCD, strong need for routine and difficulty relating behavior to consequences. I realized I picked a dog just like me! LOL It really does take 100 times for her to be led by the nose to do something before it's ingrained in her hardrive.