This guest blog post, about how compounding pharmacies can be a tremendous resource for families raising children with ASD, comes from Ashley Dick, who is a practicing compounding pharmacist and co-owner of PharmaCare Compounding Solutions in Tennessee.
Helping the Medicine Go Down: Addressing the special needs of ASD patients
By Ashley Dick, PharmD
For the parents of a child with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the many difficulties that come with caring for their child can cause significant stress and frustration, to the point of being overwhelming. Often amplifying these feelings is the fact that the very characteristics of the condition make it exceedingly difficult to treat the symptoms or simply help the child to feel better. Because of the extreme sensory and dietary issues experienced by many ASD patients, traditional forms of medication or nutritional supplements are either difficult or impossible to administer, but there is a solution through pharmacy compounding.

A few weeks ago I did part 1 of this blog to bring awareness to parents with special needs children and the importance of getting guidance. So, lets dive in and answer these questions so you can get started tomorrow.
Does the type of testing matter?
Each doctor has a toolbox of testing they do and all are not equal, neither is the interpretation of the results. I will touch on this more next month but in the mean time find someone that treats and sees children with special needs and make sure they have the knowledge in functional medicine (treating the core issues) to treat your child.

The fog surrounding Frisco, Texas this morning directly mirrors the soupy sea of emotion I’ve been swimming through since I heard the news yesterday that Susan Loper, local mother of an 8-year-old boy with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, was found dead. This story is “hitting home” on so many levels. Not only was Susan raising a son with ASD the same age as my son Ethan, but her body was found within miles of our home. With that said, the “hitting home” goes so much deeper for me…
In case you missed the story in the news: Susan was abducted from Gleneagles Country Club where she worked as a fitness and Pilates instructor in neighboring Plano, Texas, early Tuesday morning. When police were notified and began to investigate, they immediately suspected foul play.

It is Autism Awareness month and it makes me think most about those parents and families that are without guidance on their journey. In a blink of an eye your life changes and your child is diagnosed, this overwhelms every family and most all have little guidance. The maze of the internet becomes the constant as you search online for hope. Some parents get the care they need and others spend 10 years following dead ends. It is my mission to see parents get ALL their options for treatment. I cannot count the number of parents that have cried in frustration and in joy.

Well it is official – 2011 has arrived! Happy New Year to all of our AutismSpot readers!
As talk of resolutions abound, my husband has decided to “be more patient with Ethan.” Ethan has shared that he wants to “listen better.”
As, I’ve been considering what kind of resolutions I will focus on for myself and my role in our family, I come to the conclusion that I am resolved to find a healthy balance.
Like many caregivers for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, I take it upon myself not only to cook, clean, and care for our home and everyone inside, but also to offer Ethan a healthy, specialized diet with 15-20 daily supplements; research and implement new therapies; research toxins and our environment as it relates to Ethan and our family’s health; contact law makers regarding important legislation in regard to Autism, toxins and the environment, and education; participate in local support groups for sharing, learning and [um...] support; read books and articles about new therapies, theories, and ideas; and the list goes on…and on…and on!
The problem with that is that all of the things I mention above – while they’re very necessary and benefit my son on a daily basis – these things take, take, take but don’t often “give back” to my needs.

Each of us has a laundry list of things we say we will never do. Amazing how time, experience and circumstance can change your opinion on interventions and therapies you once believed to be of no value. When my son Jacob was first diagnosed with autism almost twelve years ago, I searched high and low for answers, options and opportunities that would improve his ability to communicate and function.