Autism Supplements To Reduce Stimming

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Does your child have autism?  

If yes, you might be looking for different types of therapies and treatment options to help your child improve their behaviors, communication, and reaction to social events. 

Although Autism Spectrum Disorder or ASD cannot be cured completely, you can still work on improving their lifestyle and a number of symptoms. That is why clinical researchers are working day and night to come up with some new and effective therapies or treatment options. 

Often it has been seen that children who suffer from autism often lack some particular nutrients, which are essential for the human body. Here, a number of supplements of those specific nutrients come to the rescue. 



Autism And Stimming

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Autistic children often show a number of symptoms that are tough to manage. Stimming is one of them. Stimming is more formally considered in scientific circles as stereotypic, repetitive behavior, or self-stimulation. 

This can be really frustrating for parents who see their children flapping, rocking, spinning, or repeating the same words over and over again and are not able to help them. A lot of parents also worry about the fact that the stimming of their children will set them away from their peers. 

Also, our society finds these really weird. No parents want to hear that someone is calling their child weird. 

When it comes to the treatment of stimming, pharmacological drugs along with behavioral modification therapies are being used together to help a child who has autism. Apart from that, it has also been seen that some particular supplements also work great. 

A number of research have also been conducted to check the effects of some specific supplements on the stimming behavior in an autistic child. Here in this article, we will talk about that only. 

Autism Supplements to Reduce Stimming 

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Until now, clinical studies on autism supplements, particularly for stimming, are limited. However, there are a few highlights of some of the most promising and hopeful options. Here, we will discuss that only. 

In the year 2017, a meta-analysis was published in Neuropsychiatric Disease Treatment, which combines the received data from 6 randomized clinical trials in order to implicate omega-3 fatty acid supplementation as a potentially viable therapy, particularly for stimming. 

Most probably due to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, it is considered one of the most effective supplements for ASD in children. 

Data from the 4 studies in the meta-analysis involved a total of 109 patients who have autism spectrum disorder ASD. The subsequent evaluation of all the combined data states that statistical improvements in stereotypic behaviors among those patients had been witnessed. 

Although all those studies were small, the combined data have shown results in randomized, large-scale clinical trials on omega-3 fatty acids as one of the supplements specifically for stimming and improving autism symptoms are warranted in the future. 

In the year 2014, another intriguing study was published by a research group that was associated with Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital. The study highlights the probability of using sulforaphane as a supplement again for stimming. 

In case you’re wondering what sulforaphane is, let us tell you, it is a phytochemical extract that is derived from fresh broccoli sprouts. It is basically known to upregulate genes that fight inflammation, DNA damage, and oxidative stress. 

All of these are believed to be associated with ASD or autism symptoms. They are also responsible for stimming. The best part is that this supplement does not have any side effects. 

In that particular double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study, the researchers or authors treated 29 young men, who were aged around 13 to 27 years. All of them were suffering from moderate to severe autism spectrum disorder, and they used to be given 50-150 uL of oral sulforaphane on a daily basis for a total of 18 weeks.

After that, the authors used 3 previously established behavioral measurement tests for determining the effects. 

Ultimately the result showed that the sulforaphane supplement had improved scores on the Aberrant Behavior Checklist and that too by an amazing percentage of 34%. At the same time, the responsive social scale has shown an improvement of 34%. 

On the Clinical Global Impression Improvement Scale, for abnormal behaviors, statistically major improvements were seen. Along with improving stimming symptoms, that also has improved verbal communication and social interaction. 

Get Help!

We believe after reading this article; you will get an understanding of supplements that can be effective for managing stimming. In case you have any further queries or questions, you can reach us. We will be happier to help you with the best solution. 

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