Many children with autism have been found to have higher than usual levels of heavy metals.  This could be because they have less ability to excrete them or it could be due to overexposure. These heavy metals, such as mercury, aluminium and cadmium can be linked to some of the behavioural problems associated with autism.

In this video, a father recounts his trials and tribulations with his son Ethan. He discusses how Ethan began his life as a happy and healthy child with great joint attention. Slowly, Ethan began showing signs of autism, slipping away into his own world, completely unaware of the world around him, including his parent's own voices. However, with the help of antiviral - antifungal therapy, Ethan has now recovered from autism.

What is one of the first things a parent can do to help by boosting the immune system of a child with autism?

According to Dr. Kurt Woeller, the answer lies in the digestive tract. He says taking a holistic approach to medicine is the smartest choice, which he would choose to do if he were treating his very own son.

Addressing the International Symposium on Dietary Therapy for Epilepsy and Other Neurological Disorders, mother and doctor Deborah Snyder reveals her first-hand experience of the ketogenic diet and its success in curing her son’s epilepsy.  She implores health professionals to recognise the efficacy of the diet in stopping seizures and aims to dispel the myth that the diet is too difficult or not worth the effort.

One of the biggest problems for children with disabilities is a lack of compassion, support and understanding at school, not just from fellow classmates but from teachers too.  If a teacher doesn’t understand common conditions such as epilepsy or dyslexia symptoms can often be mistaken for bad behavior.

First Aid for seizures typically involves making the person comfortable, keeping them out of harm’s way and timing a seizure to ensure that it doesn’t last more than 5 minutes.  However, when a person has a series of seizures in a row without gaining consciousness or a seizure lasts more than 5 minutes, they could be experiencing what is known as status epilepticus.

Speaking at the 2008 International Symposium on Dietary Therapy for Epilepsy and Other Neurological Disorders, British Mum Emma Williams tells of her fight to get son Matthew on the ketogenic diet.  In an address that brought tears to the eyes of not only this brave Mum but many in the audience, she speaks of her rage at doctors refusal to take the ketogenic diet seriously and the subsequent brain damage her little boy suffered due to constant seizures. 

Hollywood star Meryl Streep was so moved by the Abrahams’ story that she decided to become involved in the fight to inform parents about the ketogenic diet.  She narrates and introduces the information video made by the Charlie Foundation which is available to parents across the world. 

Streep was close friends with movie director Jim Abrahams, who asked for her help to increase awareness of the ketogenic diet as a treatment for childhood epilepsy.  His son Charlie was successfully prescribed the diet and after a few days his seizures ceased completely.

This groundbreaking treatment centre in Pennsylvania is providing much needed hope for children with conditions such as autism, epilepsy, learning difficulties and ADD.  What makes this centre unique is the focus is on recovery, rather than attempts to simply manage and control symptoms. 

Anyone with epilepsy or who has epilepsy in the family will often tell you that the greatest support and comfort comes from talking to other people who share their own epilepsy experience.  There is a growing community of people called Epilepsy Advocates who share their own stories, experience with different treatment options and offer invaluable support to other epilepsy sufferers and their families.