A fascinating case study (read below) has shown that personalized lifestyle and environmental changes helped reverse severe autism symptoms in 4-year-old twin girls. Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), the twins saw dramatic improvements through a non-drug, holistic approach involving dietary changes, supplements, therapies, and reducing toxins in their environment. This groundbreaking success suggests that autism symptoms can be significantly improved, sparking hope and highlighting the power of tailored, multifaceted interventions.

Emma Suttie from the Epoch Times reported that a recent case study found that individualized lifestyle and environmental adjustments effectively restored autistic symptoms in fraternal twin girls diagnosed with autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The study was published in the Journal of Personalized Medicine.

The study also analyzed current literature on the effects of lifestyle and environmental changes on ASD, backing up its results with data from similar instances and studies.

The Study Details

The case study followed four-year-old dizygotic twins who were diagnosed with “level 3 severity” autism spectrum disorder, which the research characterizes as “requiring very substantial support.” The twins were diagnosed at about 20 months old.

Dizygotic twins, often known as fraternal twins, are formed when two different eggs (ova) are fertilized by two different sperm. These twins are genetically close to conventional siblings, although they can differ as much as siblings born at different dates. They do not share the same genetic material and hence can have diverse appearances and characteristics.

The case study demonstrates how a non-drug, tailored approach by a team of multidisciplinary physicians successfully reduced the frequency and severity of ASD symptoms in a variety of ways.

Conception

The twins were conceived via in vitro fertilization with an egg donor and carried by a surrogate. Their father was 51 years old at the time of the conception. They were born two months early and spent several weeks in a neonatal intensive care facility. The twins were vaccinated routinely at three and six months, but not again until fourteen months. The girls were given acetaminophen before and after the vaccine.

Initial Symptoms

The girls’ parents saw some initial symptoms. One twin was sensitive to changes, and experienced dermatitis, and digestive problems, while the other struggled with eye contact, babble communication, breastfeeding, and low muscular tone (hypotonia).

Both twins received breast milk (from both the surrogate and their original mother) for a year and had no problems eating or sleeping.

After twelve months, the kids stopped consuming breast milk, and the introduction of cow’s milk produced digestive, behavioral, and language issues in both girls.

The girls received the delayed sequence of vaccines caused by the COVID-19 epidemic in March 2021. Following this round of immunizations, their parents noticed a worsening of some symptoms, including “significant language loss” in one of the girls, who began communicating only in single words.

ASD Diagnosis

Due to the twins’ deteriorating symptoms, they were assessed for autism spectrum disorder, and both met the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition) autism spectrum disorder criteria.

Lifestyle and Environmental Interventions

Following the twins’ diagnosis, their parents launched a comprehensive, tailored strategy to treat their daughters’ health. Their approach was holistic and non-pharmacological, taking into account a wide range of environmental and biological elements that may influence ASD.

Interventions and support for both the twins and their parents began shortly after the twins were diagnosed, at twenty months old, and continued for the next two years. Here’s a summary of their interventions and support:

• The parents collaborated with a coach to better grasp the twins’ diagnoses and acquire confidence.
• The parents learned about the “total allostatic load” concept, which connects chronic stressors to disease, and utilized Epidemic Answers resources such as webinars and forums.
• Parents filled out the Child Health Inventory for Resilience and Prevention survey, which is “a comprehensive assessment of total allostatic load (cumulative effects of chronic stress on mental and physical health) among children.”
• Dietary changes—They followed the Reduced Excitatory Inflammatory Diet, removing glutamate, gluten, casein, sugar, artificial colors, and processed foods in favor of organic, fresh, home-cooked meals from local sources.
• Dietary supplements were used by the girls, and they comprised omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins, and homeopathy.
• Differentiated the twins’ needs—Genetic polymorphisms revealed that each twin had unique requirements; for example, one twin required more vitamin D, while the other required support for neuroinflammation and detoxification.
• The twins received a variety of therapies, including Applied Behavior Analysis, speech therapy, and occupational therapy, all of which focused on neurosensory motor reflex integration.
• The family addressed contaminants in their house by hiring an environmental specialist to assess air quality, moisture levels, and water damage.
• One twin received osteopathic therapy at the recommendation of a developmental optometrist, which resulted in significant gains in communication and overall temperament.

Throughout the study, the children’s parents recounted their experiences, saying, “Conventional statistics have stacked the odds against the ability to recover a child from an ASD diagnosis.” Our approach was therefore focused on following a nonconventional, holistic understanding of each daughter’s bio-individual needs, exploring root cause and designing customized support,” they said.

“We chose practitioners who were aligned in our belief in our daughters’ intrinsic ability to heal given the right support.”

Results

The twins’ diagnoses of level 3 autism spectrum condition were reversed after two years of implementing lifestyle and environmental adjustments. Their social relationships, communication abilities, and behavioral patterns have all improved significantly.

There were also significant increases in scores using the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist, a 77-question assessment form used to assess the efficacy of ASD treatment, with lower scores indicating improved symptoms.

Both twins “improved dramatically,” with one going from 76 to 36 in seven months and the other from 43 to 4 during the same period.

According to the report, the changes were so significant that the pediatrician described one of the girls as having undergone “a kind of miracle.”

The twins’ “dramatic improvement and reversal of ASD diagnoses” was achieved through a combination of therapies and parental devotion.

Beth Lambert is the founder and executive director of Epidemic Answers, a website composed of parents, clinicians, academics, authors, and wellness specialists dedicated to assisting children in recovering from health problems. She is also one of the study’s authors.

Mrs. Lambert told The Epoch Times that there is hope for children with ASD and other problems, as well as services for parents to help them navigate the process.

“We’re doing research to try to gather evidence that many of these conditions are reversible. But also we’re trying to create a platform where we can give solutions to parents—we’re trying to educate them, and we have an online community [Healing Together] where we’re teaching them how to do this work themselves,” she said.

Autism Prevalence

According to the study, the prevalence of autism is increasing rapidly. In the early 1990s, there were no children diagnosed with autism in the United States, but by 2000, there were one. Throughout the 1990s, autism diagnostic criteria were expanded to encompass a broader spectrum of symptoms and behaviors. This growth is reflected in subsequent versions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

For example, the DSM-IV, which was published in 1994, increased the diagnostic criteria and divided them into subcategories such as Asperger’s disorder, autistic disorder, and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified.

The DSM-5, which was released in 2013, expanded the criteria even further, combining the preceding categories into a single diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder, or ASD.

These modifications contributed to a considerable increase in autism diagnoses in later years; however, some doctors believe that these causes alone are insufficient to explain the dramatic spike in ASD diagnoses.

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, 1 in 150 children were diagnosed with ASD in 2000, but their most recent data show that 1 in 36 children were diagnosed with ASD in 2020, representing a more than 300 percent rise over the last two decades.

According to the report, “Published projections estimate that even if the future prevalence of ASD remained unchanged over the next decade, there would be approximately 1 million new cases, resulting in an additional $4 trillion in lifetime social costs in the United States.” Furthermore, if the current rate of increase in prevalence continues, costs could reach nearly $15 trillion of lifelong costs by 2029.”

Mrs. Lambert remarks, “Modern living is making our children sick, but it’s also making all of us sick—and our children are the canaries in the coal mine.”

Final Thoughts

The study’s findings imply that environmental and lifestyle factors play an important role in the presentation of ASD symptoms and that targeted interventions in these areas can result in considerable and long-term benefits, including symptom reversal.

The study’s authors emphasize the importance of parental or caregiver involvement in the process.

“The commitment and leadership of well-informed parents or guardians is an essential component of the effective personalization that appears necessary for the feasibility of such improvements.”

The study demonstrates that treating ASD necessitates a personalized, comprehensive strategy rather than a one-size-fits-all solution, as ASD diagnoses are as distinct and complex as the people they affect.

According to a component of the study that includes their point of view, the twins’ parents agree.

“Having fraternal twin daughters diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder at 20 months has given us a profound appreciation of the highly individual presentation of Autism.”

Mrs. Lambert assures families struggling with an ASD diagnosis, “You are not alone.”

“I want people to know that there is support for them. We have a conference [Documenting Hope] so that we can invite parents in so that they can become part of our community. We can do this together, which is working to heal our kids together.”

Recently, GreatGameIndia reported that according to a new study published in Neurology, which examined 184,024 adults from six European nations, coffee is associated with a reduced risk of Parkinson’s.

You can read the study below:

jpm-14-00641-with-cover