A male child age 2 1/2 yrs was brought to our consultation room for treatment of mild Autistic features. On the C.A.R.S score he obtained 33 point which indicates mild to moderate Autistic features. The child had three episodes of seizures at the age of 5 months. The parents reported that he is overactive and most of the time he doesn't sit still. He usually plays with himself and does not play much with pears.
The parents also reported that if he interacts with children he would usually hit them, pull their hair etc. Also he does not respond when he is taught some thing, when asked to follow instructions. He some times expresses his joy when he sees some relatives, guests or known people but does not interact much with them. When he is angry he bangs his head in anger, shouts and throws temper tantrums. He is very obstinate by nature and if the demands are not met he throws temper tantrums. The child was very hyperactive when he came to our consultation room. He did not sit in one place but moved around the room. The child has eye contact for a short span. He does not respond to any verbal command. Occasionally he communicated by non verbal means like touch.
The child also makes continuous babbling and specific noise. The child loves to listen to fast song and rhythmic music and he will dance to the tune. Besides this the child makes specific movements of the hands like waving of the hands and he will bang things, look at them and starts laughing.
We asked the mother if she had any emotional trauma or stress during the pregnancy. She replied that she had a good pregnancy and she had no major tensions during her pregnancy.
Mile stones of the child:On careful analysis and evaluation of the case history, the patient was prescribed Tarentula Hispanica. He was given 3 doses and was asked to report after 14 days. After 14 days the mother reported that the flapping motion of the hands has increased.He is lost in his own world but a positive sign was that the child had started to play with children, he sleeps for a longer period. His constipation has reduced. Now he responds after being called for 2-3 times, earlier which was absent. Patient was given Sacrum Lactis for 14 days.
The patient reported restlessness, head banging, disturbed sleep, and chest congestion, better when he sleeps in knee chest position. Thirst for large quantities of water, feels very hot and desires to uncover. The patient was prescribed Medorrhinum, 3 doses and was asked to report after 14 days. The child showed marked improvement in all his complaints. His attention span has increased, his restlessness has decreased. Chest congestion is better. He plays with children and the most important part was he stared to speak single words. The patient was under our treatment for 1 1/2 yrs and he showed continuous improvement in his Autistic symptoms and now he has stared to go to school for special needs where he under goes therapies.
Conclusion:Homeopathy plays an important role in the treatment of Autism as the Homeopathic remedies acts at the level of Psycho-neuro-endocranial axis. Homeopathic remedies helps in bringing back the imbalance to a balanced state. The right Homeopathic remedy has the potential to treat complex disorders with good success, if it is practiced in the right way.
To see the desired result in the Autistic children along with Homeopathy Occupatinal therapy, speech therapy etc is must. Counseling of the parents, relatives and care givers is necessary to make them understand the complexity of the disorder and to handle and help the child in the right way. The right Homeopathic medicines and other therapies can bring out the best qualities in these special children who are gifted with special talent.
It was observed that with the right homeopathic medicine remarkable improvement was achieved, but Dr. Joshi also understood that to make these children self reliant therapy is an integral part of the treatment. Dr. Joshi observed that children who along with the Homeopathic medicine went to therapy and dietary intervention showed much better results than the ones who took either Homeopathy or either therapy. Dr. Joshi also makes use of technology to reach out to parents who cannot physically come to his consultation. Dr. Joshi along with his wife Dr. Varsha Patel-Joshi who is a Classical Homeopath and Nutritionist from the University of Sheffield provide online consultation via their website. Use of video conferencing, audio conferencing and other technological utilities are used to cater to patients from all over the globe.