• Difficulty with communication which could be inability to speak or delayed speech
• Inappropriate use of gestures, eye contact, facial expressions, tone of voice
• Difficulty recognizing, expressing and responding to emotions
• Feeling uncomfortable in social situations
• Extreme interest or non-interest in specific topics
• Repetitive body movements (rocking, flapping hands or spinning)
• Resistance to change
• Specific food preferences or aversions
• Sensory Processing differences
• Immune system abnormalities
• Gastrointestinal symptoms (constipation, loose stools, frequent stomach aches)
• Lining up objects
• Labile mood, increased tantrums or emotional outbursts

1. Gut dysbiosis: Children who have gastrointestinal issues have been seen to have a less diverse gut microbiome. The imbalance between the good and bad bacteria in the gut creates toxins that directly affect the brain.
2. Toxins: Autistic children are more likely to accumulate harmful environmental toxins like lead, mercury, aluminium etc in their bodies, which can in turn cause their mitochondria to be less efficient in producing energy.
3. Nutritional Deficiencies: Tendency of kids to have a narrow range of food leads them to nutrient deficient states. Deficiencies in nutrients needed for brain health like B vitamins, Omega 3 fats, zinc, magnesium and selenium are common.
4. Food Sensitivities: Food sensitivities are often caused by the digestive lining becoming too leaky, allowing toxins, bacteria and incompletely digested particles of food into the bloodstream. A leaky gut also encourages autoimmune issues. It’s believed an attack by the immune system on brain cells, causing inflammation, could be a factor in some cases of autism.
5. Oxidative Stress: Mitochondria is the powerhouse of energy. Brain requires a lot of energy for proper function. Mitochondrial dysfunction is commonly seen in autistic children.

1. Diet: Parents should implement an autism diet, autism-specific nutrition, and specialized supplementation. Most parents begin with the GF/CF diet as children on the spectrum are usually highly allergic (or sensitive) to gluten and casein, the protein found in wheat, flour, and milk.
2. Grounding: The simplest way of grounding involves walking or running barefoot outside on grass, sand or soil. Moist ground or grass is the perfect electrical conductor. Sitting Down Barefoot with your feet on grass or soil and avoid shoes with plastic and other soles are other ways of staying connected with earth.
3. Monitoring screen time: Research shows that excess screen time results in over stimulation of the frontal lobe and an antagonist under development of the language centre in the brain. Limiting screen time also decreases exposure to toxic blue light which has an impact on gut microbiome.

There are historical differences between the term “Asperger’s” and what’s considered “autism.” Asperger’s was first introduced into the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) in 1994, and was considered as a “mild” or “high-functioning” form of autism.

This happened because English psychiatrist Lorna Wing translated the works of Austrian physician Hans Asperger and realized his research found distinct characteristics in autistic children from those with “milder” symptoms. However, as of 2013, Asperger’s is now considered part of the autism spectrum and is no longer diagnosed as a separate condition. The only real “difference” between the two diagnoses is that people with Asperger’s may be considered as having an easier time “passing” as neurotypical with only “mild” signs and symptoms that may resemble those of autism.

Conventional diagnosis involves finding out whether the child’s behaviour meets a set of criteria for autism or ADHD, based on a set of questionnaires.

Functional Medicine approach is to individualize each and every autistic child and find the root cause of the imbalance. Tests commonly advised are to assess gut microbiome. Functional testing can also look at toxic load, nutritional status, food sensitivities, mitochondrial function and genetic susceptibility to poor detoxification.