How to make a diagnosis of Autism ?

It is a difficult job to diagnose ASD or Autism spectrum disorders.This ASD manifests in early child hood.So basically is a pediatric age group disorder that is related to brain.

No particular tests diagnoses ASD for sure, so the diagnosis is made on the feedback of people who have watched the child continuously for a period of time. Developmental assessment is also necessary to make a diagnosis.

According to CDC ASD's toll is around 1 in 150. As ASD is a band a group or rather a process in evolution many have less symptoms as they are not affected much. So features of classical autism may well be absent, in other words many might be in a sub-clinical phase.
Reserchers in Washington university have associated autism with hearing problems and gastrointestinal problems, this further complicates the matter in 2 ways.
1.Diagnosis becomes difficult as both of these are quite common place in pediatric age group.
2.Autism spans more than brain, is disturbing in itself.
Age of diagnosis is quite variable, as it is based on observations, so not only it depends on the manifestations of the child, which is ironically altered by the diseases process itself, but also by the clinical acumen of the care givers.But most of the cases can be diagnosed around 5 years.
Language and communication problems lead to social impairment. this can include avoidance of eye contact. Avoiding human contact like cuddling, or not acceptance of daily routine modifications can be early warning signs for the parents.When in you are going in for well-baby visits try to remember the mile stones of development like social smile, single word, phrase, sitting, waliking etc.
9 months, 18 months and 24 months and 30 months milestones are to be properly taken during each well-chil visits. This screening helps the pediatrician to catch developmental delays and can point to autism.
Asperger's syndrome is a mild variety of autism, with today's standardized screening tools it is possible to suggest but not fully diagnose autism. these screening tools comprise of questionnaires and different types of checklists.
The second phase which can definitively diagnose the disease are the following
1.The Childhood Autism Rating Scale
2.The Autism Diagnosis Interview
3.The Gilliam Autism rating Scale
Earlier screening is required if a sibling has been affected.
Normally when one hears the diagnosis it upsets. But earlier the diagnosis, better the prognosis as definitive interventions can be taken early.

See the video by cnn How to know autism

Diet Tips

1.While eating start with Salads first.
Salads are a good way to nourish and fill the stomach that can bypass eating too much. Take at least half plate of salads. Well if you do not like raw vegetables, then consider taking soup, of course it has to be as bland as possible.

2.Adequate Energy demand should be fulfilled
Take food that are going to give you energy for a long time. It helps in reducing Blood sugar . Fasting Blood sugar should be maintained at best 100-126 it means 126 is the upper limit.
Noodles, vegetables and fruits are best.

3.Take your breakfast
Taking the breakfast regularly adequately helps in the long run both by decreasing desire to eat more as the day progresses as well as by relieving a lot of stress in the start of the day.

4.Carrot is better than chips.

5.Always keep one bowl of cut vegetables.
It is beneficial in the sense that in need you can make your own homemade healthy snacks instead of eating junk foods.

6.Drink water
Well it is the simplest, cheapest and best advice as water is calorie free.
So instead of any canned beverage whenever thirsty drink plenty of water.

Stay away from Heart Attack

Till today there is no proof that Heart Attack can be hereditary or familial.
And of course no body can tell for sure that it is not.
As of now the only feasible way to stay clear of the heart diseases is by the good old way of prevention.
The biggest way to get this dangerous disease called Heart disease is laziness and anxiety.
So the best way to live a healthy life is to burn those extra fat and remain as happy as possible.

Fast foods are dangerous

A lot of fast foods are deleterious to human body. Liver has to pay for the sins of tongue.
Scientists in Sweden have found that liver suffers the most by heavy fast food intake.
It is always emphasized that the more a person takes fresh green leafy vegetables the better it is for his health.
Alanine aminotransferase is the enzyme which gets raised in blood of heavy fast food eaters.This enzyme is a marker that suggests liver injury.
If one takes food containing more cholesterol then fat gets deposited in liver called fatty liver.
So try to stay away from junk fast foods.

Vitamin C for quicker relief ofCommon Cold

Do not get upset if you catch common cold. Researchers in US have found out
a simple solution for this common problem. Ascorbic Acid i.e. Vitamin C is
quite helpful in this regard.
This discovery spanned over 20 years. The study was conducted over 11,000
common cold patients.
They were divided into 2 groups. One group was taking normal diet where as the other
group was provided with Vitamin C supplement of 200gm a day.
The group taking normal diet were given anti antihistamines and prophylactic
antibiotics.
Daily health check up of both the groups was done. Within 4 days the results were evident.
It was seen that the group who took Vitamin C improved faster.
Hence now it comes to a consensus that despite all the previous thinking
Vitamin C administration helps in faster relief in common cold.

5 Points About Liquid Calories

1. Liquid calories may not be a prudent investment of your calories.

Liquid calories don't seem to work in the stomach like normal food calories . They don't satisfy hunger. The next time you drink a high-calorie beverage, try to feel how your stomach feels after an hour. You will find that you are not satisfied

Research shows :

"fructose (the chief component in high-fructose corn syrup) is quite different from glucose. It neither stimulate insulin secretion nor enhance leptin production. And higher levels of insulin and leptin in the blood stream do help regulate body weight by serving as signals that food has been eaten"

2. Getting high with high-fructose corn syrup.

Many experts say that one of the major cause of rise in obesity in the United States and worldwide is due to the rising intake of high-fructose corn syrup, which is a component in many soft drinks, sports drinks and fruit juices.

One study found that :

"Rats fed a high-fructose diet were more likely to develop features of metabolic syndrome"

Researcher: Richard J. Johnson, MD, of the University of Florida College of Medicine.

3. Soda intake may add to obesity.
Excess calories lead to obesity. Full-calorie soda is really a culprit to add a lot of calories to many of our diets.
A recent study shows:

"after follw up of 2,300 young girls for 10 years showed that soda intake predicted the greatest increase in the girls' body mass index (BMI)"

Several other studies have shown that:

"as intake of sweetened soda increased, so also the resultant on weight gain"

4. Better to eat carbohydrates than to drink them.
A study by Purdue University showed:

"significant weight gain can occur when people consume carbohydrates as liquids which is not the case with solid food. In the study, 15 men and women consumed extra carbohydrates each day for 4 weeks, either as a liquid (soda) or a solid (jelly beans). The rest of the day's intake was according to their will. The study participants maintained their normal calorie intake . By that they compensated for the extra soda calories. No doubt the compensation was naturally for the extra calories that were consumed in the form of jellybeans"

5. The bottom line to alternative sweeteners.
Research on alternative sweeteners
"one diet drink a day or NutraSweet in your morning coffee is not anything to worry about. If you regularly consume much more than that or in the case you eat several low-calorie foods that are sweetened with aspartame, then consider the suggestions of Environmental Nutrition which advocates switching to products which use a less controversial sweetener say sucralose (i.e Splenda) or a sucralose blend."
Source : April 2006 issue of the Environmental Nutrition newsletter

Liquid Calories can cause serious Weight Gain

If you think Caffe Mocha is testy then reconsider. If you are serious about reducing your waistline liquid calories is the term to look out for. No doubt how much we try at times we can not resist the charm of the liquid calories.
But it is not the food but the quantity and quality of intake that matters most. Caffe Mocha contains 300 Cal(no whipped cream), 400 cal(with whipped cream), 510 Cal(White Chocolate) .
510 calories a day just from a beverage is definitely dangerous.
So look out for how much you eat.