Autism

Please click on the ‘Play’ button on the video below to hear a short message from Dr. Zahra Figueredo about how her goal for the children she treats with Autism.

CAN STEM CELL THERAPY TREAT PATIENTS ON THE AUTISM SPECTRUM?

Autism is a lifelong developmental disability that affects how a person communicates with, and relates to, other people. It also affects how they make sense of the world around them. Autism is a spectrum condition, which means that, while all people with autism share certain difficulties, their condition will affect them in different ways.  Some people with autism are able to live relatively independent lives but others may have accompanying learning disabilities and need a lifetime of specialist support. People with autism may also experience over or under sensitivity to sounds, touch, tastes, smells, light or colors.

Two common consistent findings are associated in children with this disorder are diminished oxygenation in specific areas of the brain and a chronic immunologically mediated inflammatory condition in the gut.

Studies have shown that autistic patients who have been treated through stem cell therapy when they were younger have shown the most significant improvements. Their focus improved, as well as emotional contact, with a considerable decrease in the frequency of erratic mood swings.  Mesenchymal stem cells can regulate the immune system. Stem cells are thought to be able to reverse inflammatory conditions and is currently in the final stages of clinical trials in the US for Crohn’s disease, a condition resembling the gut inflammation in autistic children.

WHAT TYPE OF STEM CELLS ARE USED TO TREAT AUTISM?

Adult mesenchymal stem cells are used to treat children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Because the treatment is usually administered to children, they will undergo anesthesia by an experienced anesthesiologist that specializes in children. Depending upon the age and physical size of the patient there may be a combination of the administration methods used.

Typically, the stem cells will be given through an IV, lumbar puncture and/or intranasal implantation. Both intrathecal (lumbar puncture) and intranasal administrations allow the stem cells to bypass the blood-brain barrier and migrate throughout the central nervous system.


PATIENT FOLLOW UP

Our goal and main concern at SCHI is finding the best treatment possible for autism. With this in mind, we take follow-up care very seriously and will be contacting you to ensure that your child is progressing as expected. Regular follow up enables us to evaluate and improve our autism treatment protocols based on the observed outcomes of all of our patients. Our medical staff will contact you every other month to monitor the progress of the treatment received by your child.

  • RESEARCH REFERENCES
  1. Mesenchymal stem cells in treating autism: Novel insights.

World J Stem Cells. 2014 Apr 26;6(2):173-8. doi: 10.4252/wjsc.v6.i2.173

Siniscalco D1, Bradstreet JJ1, Sych N1, Antonucci N1.

  1. Therapeutic properties of mesenchymal stem cells for autism spectrum disorders.

Med Hypotheses. 

2015 Mar;84(3):169-77. doi: 10.1016/j.mehy.2014.12.016. Epub 2014 Dec 30. Gesundheit B1, Ashwood P2, Keating A3, Naor D4, Melamed M5, Rosenzweig JP6.

  1. Progress of mesenchymal stem cell therapy for neural and retinal diseases.

World J Stem Cells. 2014 Apr 26;6(2):111-9. doi: 10.4252/wjsc.v6.i2.111. Ng TK1, Fortino VR1, Pelaez D1, Cheung HS1.

"My son with ASD had his stem cell therapy done just over three months ago. We went into the experience knowing that there were no guarantees but of course hoping for the best. My son’s condition consists of language and speech delays, echolalia and behaviour difficulties. We started seeing small changes in him about two weeks or so after treatment. Although small, his language started improving. He was starting to put more words together in sentences, which was a great improvement. We also saw some small improvements in his behaviour, where something used to easily bother him before it would no longer bother him. The last few are the ones that I really want to speak about.”“These weeks have been amazing!”“Three months later I’m seeing my son speak so much better than he used to. Answering my questions with more than a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer. Putting together long sentences like he was never able to do before. Speaking in a more normal tone rather than using echolalia in his speech. It’s been really quite remarkable. His behaviour has also improved. I am able to explain things to him and he won’t get upset when he is told that he can’t do things or have something. He is easier to reason with as well. He still gets anxious and upset sometimes, but we are working on that. I am so happy with this journey that we took with Dr Zahra. She has been so helpful and trusting in this whole experience. I am so grateful for having met her." ---R.H., MOTHER OF 6 YEAR OLD PATIENT R.H., CANADA
R.H., MOTHER OF 6 YEAR OLD PATIENT R.HCANADA
"C is making eye contact, eating foods he's never eaten before, and aid 'I love you' for the first time." ---S.F., MOTHER OF 6 YEAR OLD PATIENT C.F., CANADA
S.F., MOTHER OF 6 YEAR OLD PATIENT C.FCANADA
"I always had trouble with controlling J after he failed at an activity or task. He simply wouldn't try again and now, instead of getting angry or having a tantrum, he tries again until he gets it right...he remains calm now, even when I'm not...he has become much more affectionate towards family than ever before, lets us touch him and hug him more now than ever before, which prior to the treatment, he wouldn't like being touched... making more lasting friendships that don't end up in a physical fight." ---F.K. MOTHER OF 6 YEAR OLD PATIENT J.K.T., CANADA
F.K. MOTHER OF 6 YEAR OLD PATIENT J.K.TCANADA
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