Talk for Autism Awareness Day 04.02.2010

1. Brain Balance Centers™ www.brainbalancecenters.com

2. April is Autism Awareness Month Epidemic Proportions Autism Occurance One in every 91 children in the US Approximately one million individuals in the U.S. has autism. (Note: This number and the following statistics below do NOT include: PDD, Asperger’s and other spectrum disorders) U.S. FACTS: A new case of autism is diagnosed nearly every 20 minutes There are 24,000 new cases diagnosed in the U.S. each year The economic impact of autism is more than $90 billion and is expected to more than double in the next decade. Autism receives less than 5% of the research funding of many less prevalent childhood diseases. There is no medical detection or cure for autism. Autism Compared to Other Disabilities Autism is the fastest growing developmental disability in the U.S. today.

3. April is Autism Awareness Month Autism – California Statistics EIGHT new cases each day – 7 days a week in California alone! From 1987-1998, there was a 633% increase in autism (DSM-IV) in the State of California From 1998-2002 there was an additional 96% increase in Autism (DSM IV) in the State of California. Autism cases represent over 18% of California’s Regional Center caseload. Annual budget for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) care is more than $171,000,000. Autism cases account for nearly 60% of intake. In state-operated institutions of care, there are 3,436 people with autism

4. April is Autism Awareness Month

5. Economic Impact of Autism Ganz broke down the total costs of autism into two components: direct and indirect costs Direct costs include direct medical costs such as physician and outpatient services, prescription medication, and behavioral therapies - more than $29,000 per person per year Ganz estimates that annual indirect costs for autistic individuals and their parents range from more than $39,000 to nearly $130,000 per child per year (including lost productivity to parents) Lifetime per capita incremental societal cost of autism is $3.2 million per person Michael Ganz, MS, PhD, Harvard School of Public Health – Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, 2007; 161(4):343-349

6. What are Symptoms of Autism? Motoric Visual-spatial-organizational Social Sensory Immune Cognitive Academic

7. Genetics? “Genes alone do not tell the whole story. Recent increases in chronic diseases like diabetes, childhood asthma, obesity or autism cannot be due to major shifts in the human gene pool, as those changes take much more time to occur. They must be due to changes in the environment, including diet and physical activity, which may produce disease in genetically predisposed persons.” Francis Collins, MD, PhD – Director of National Institutes of Health, Prior Director – National Center for Human Genome Research

8. Epigenetics External environmental factors that turn genes on and off Hormones Testosterone Estrogen Thyroxin Cortisol Stress

9. Epigenetics External environmental factors that turn genes on and off Abnormal sensory/motor development Birth or post-natal injuries Persistent neonatal (“primitive”) reflexes = cross laterality Environmental toxins (“Xenobiotics”) Toxic metals – Hg, Pb, Ar, Al, F Toxic chemicals – “endocrine disruptors” PCBs, perchlorate, Bisphenyl A, pesticides Early exposure to infection (bacterial, viral, parasitic) Nutrition Methylation – Folic Acid, Vitamin B12, Methionine, MSM Cellular memory, DNA transcription (-CH3) Vitamin D Essential (polyunsaturated) fatty acids - DHA Hypoxia and sleep deprivation EMF Isolation

10. “Disconnection Syndrome”

11. Normal FunctionsLeft Hemisphere Verbal communication, reading, mathematical calculation, musical ability Approach behavior, which is really about desire. It is the motivation to do things. Social motivation Inductive reasoning (inferences) Details and facts (Local Coherence) Pattern Recognition skills Sameness Immune activation Fine motor skills Near vision High frequency sound and light

12. Left Hemisphere Under Activation Can result in the following Poor Reading Delayed speech Poor auditory processing Poor object identification Poor verbal communication skills Depression Poor math operations Graphomotor problems Cross laterality Autonomic nerve system dysregulation Decreased Immune response Miss small details Poor motivation Learning disabilities, processing disorders, dyslexia, dyscalcula, dysgraphia

13. Normal Functions Right Hemisphere Nonverbal communication, math reasoning, reading comprehension, spatial, attention, control impulsive behavior, feeling your own body, proprioception Deductive reasoning Seeing the big picture (Global Coherence) Distance vision Facial recognition Social skills Withdrawal behavior, stopping any activity, may also control fear and anxiety Novel (new) things are right brain Immune suppression Low frequency sound and light Gross motor, eyes, posture , big muscles, rhythm

14. Right Hemisphere Under Activation Can result in the following Poor spatial orientation Inappropriate social behavior Miss big picture Cannot reflect on own mental processes Poor nonverbal communication skills Poor attention Impulsivity Repetitive behavior and movements Poor reading comprehension and pragmatic skills Overactive immune response (allergies, hypersensitivities, auto-immune) Poor gross motor skills and development Poor math reasoning Anxiety ADHD, Asperger’s, PDD, OCD, Tics, Autism

15. “Disconnection Syndrome” Reviews in the Neurosciences 2009 Autistic Spectrum Disorders as Functional Disconnection Syndrome Robert Melillo and Gerry Leisman Abstract We outline in this paper the basis of how functional disconnection with reduced activity and coherence in the right hemisphere would explain all of the symptoms of autistic spectrum disorder as well as the observed increases in sympathetic activation. If the problem of autistic spectrum disorder is primarily one of desynchronization and ineffective interhemispheric communication, then the best way to address the symptoms is to improve coordination between areas of the brain. Robert Melillo is also author of parent manual “Disconnected Kids”

16. Hope for Autism

17. Hope for Autism Key is begin early Identifiable at six months Brain inflammation must be extinguished Nutrition Allergy Elimination Reduce/eliminate toxic load on detoxification systems Give appropriate nutrition (eg, Defeat Autism Now Protocol) Use a multi-modal approach to stimulate neurogenesis and neuroplasticity

18. Neuroplasticity Tapping into Plasticity for Positive Change Research has shown that engaging the brain’s plasticity to drive beneficial changes requires exact stimuli delivered in the appropriate sequence with precise timing. The training must be intensive, repetitive, and progressively challenging. Individuals must be strongly engaged in the training, paying close attention. It’s all about the mind’s vitality–nurturing it, reclaiming it and giving it strength. Michael Merzenich, Ph.D. Professor of Neuroscience, U.C.S.F. http://merzenich.positscience.com/about-brain-plasticity/

19. Neuroplasticity The ability of the brain to physically and chemically change based on stimulation and training. Cells get larger and form more connections with other cells Spaces between cells get smaller Increases processing speed of brain The Catch Up Principle, children’s brains have been shown to grow 300% faster than normal till they catch up

20. There is Hope forChildren with Autism! Brain Balance Achievement Center of Westlake Village 805-371-8085 westlake@brainbalancecenters.com gerkfritz@brainbalancecenters.com www.brainbalancecenters.com