I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Tara Hunkin on the upcoming Autism, ADHD and Sensory Processing Disorder Summit and share my expertise on anxiety since we so often see anxiety in this population. My topic is: Anxiety’s Role in ASD, ADHD and SPD and how nutrient therapy can help.
I start out sharing some of the research on the incidence and connections.
This 2009 paper Sensory Overresponsivity and Anxiety in Children With ADHD in the American Journal of Occupational Therapy, reports that:
Approximately 25% of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have a comorbid anxiety disorder.
The purpose of this particular study was to determine whether sensory overresponsivity (SOR) or sensory processing disorders are related to increased anxiety in children with ADHD. There were twenty-four children between the age of 6 to 10 with ADHD and 24 children without ADHD.
The study concluded that:
Children in the ADHD + SOR [sensory over responsivity] group were significantly more anxious than both the ADHD-only and non-ADHD (control) groups.
Occupational therapists treating children with ADHD and SOR should be aware that these children may also have anxiety and discuss options with families for prevention or treatment.
I would add that anyone working with these children should be aware of the connections: doctors, nutritionists, psychologists and anyone else on the health team.
We also discuss this 2012 paper, also from the American Journal of Occupational Therapy – Sensory Overresponsivity and Anxiety in Typically Developing Children and Children With Autism and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Cause or Coexistence?
Reviews of the coexistence of ASD [autism spectrum disorder] and anxiety disorders have concluded that among children and youth with ASD, anxiety disorders are highly prevalent, clinically significant, and varied as to specific type of anxiety disorder
Approximately 25% of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) also have anxiety disorder, a rate that is elevated when ADHD is seen in conjunction with conduct or oppositional defiant disorders
The paper mentions these 3 factors as models worthy of further study in order to understand the relationship between anxiety, sensory overresponsivity, autism and ADHD:
(1) anxiety caused by, or a symptom of, SOR (primary anxiety model);
(2) SOR caused by, or a symptom of, anxiety (primary SOR model); and
(3) the presence of both anxiety and SOR, linked by way of another factor
Based on what I know about anxiety I feel it could be a combination of all of the above.
My interview also covers the following around how to address the anxiety in these children and their moms (who also often have anxiety):
- Low serotonin anxiety, symptoms, using tryptophan and 5-HTP and precautions with using them with an SSRI
- A young girl with RAD (reactive attachment disorder) with rage/anger, anxiety, insomnia, and sugar cravings and the successful use of chewable tryptophan, addressing low iron and a gluten-free diet
- A young boy with OCD and the successful use of both tryptophan and inositol
- Low GABA anxiety, the use of GABA and not phenibut, and cautions about using too much
- A young girl with ADHD and irritability and the successful use of GABA
- Pyroluria incidence and symptoms and how it ties back to neurotransmitter imbalances
Sensory processing disorders, ADHD and autism are not my expertise and I don’t work much with children so I’m really pleased to be bringing you this information via the other amazing speakers AND listening and learning myself!
Here are some speakers and topics I’m particularly interested in
- Brandon Brock, RN, DC: Understanding PANS and PANDAS role in ASD, ADHD and SPD.
- Elizabeth Mumper, MD: Mitochondrial Dysfunction: What it is and how to address the underlying causes.
- Richard Frye, MD, Ph.D.: Cerebral Folate Deficiency: and how it impairs neurological health.
- Nancy O’Hara, MD: What you need to know about cell danger response in ASD & other neurodevelopmental disorders.
- John Tjenos, NTP: The importance of the vagus nerve and how to build vagal tone with essential oils.
We have so much to learn from practitioners and researchers working in this area. And children affected by these conditions do recover!
The Autism, ADHD and Sensory Processing Disorder Summit, hosted by Tara Hunkin, NTP, runs from June 19-28, 2017.
It will be 10 days of eye opening information into the root causes of your child’s neurological dysfunction. Imagine learning about what may have caused their symptoms and how to address them with nutrition and biomedical approaches and leverage the power of positive neuroplasticity to improve function, health and their lives.
Do also keep in mind that these topics may have relevance for you even if you don’t have a child with a sensory processing disorder, ADHD and/or autism. These children are the canaries in the coal mine and many of my clients with anxiety can benefit from the biomedical support that many of these speakers are addressing. Simply replace sensory processing disorder, ADHD and/or autism with anxiety and listen and learn.
You can register for The Autism, ADHD and Sensory Processing Disorder Summit here
Feel free to ask questions or provide feedback and your experiences in the comment section below.
Hi Trudy, for the first time I have came across your blogs and you tube video about Amino Acids and anxiety. I’ve suffered from severe anxiety since 2011, and have tried the SSRI’s and hate them. I refused to take them, as they caused me to gain so much weight and the withdrawls. I’ve also read how bad they are for you. In order to work, I am relying heavily on .5mg of Clonazepam up to 3-4 times a day. It makes me so drowsy in the mornings, especially when it seems like I’m. It gettting enough rest. I try and for the most part make sure to get 7-8 hours of sleep because I can tell how when not having enough rest can trigger my anxiety. But I’m in desperate need of a solution. Not sure if the clonazepam is something I can continue to take long term, as I also know it’s bad for you. I suffer from social anxiety (on a level 1-10, I would be 20!) and also some what of agoraphic symptoms. Not able to go to stores alone, and afraid of everything. I suffer at work the most, because I’m constantly busy and stressed and dealing with customers all day. Please help
Claudia
Welcome to the community! If you search the blog you’ll find plenty of information about the benzodiazepines – they should be prescribed max of 2 weeks and even then they can be problematic. Here is one blog post to get you started http://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/world-benzodiazepine-awareness-day-say-no-benzodiazepines-anxiety/
I use the amino acids with clients and do a trial to find out if they are needed and how much to use – more on that here http://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/anxiety-amino-acids-overview/
For social anxiety we start with pyroluria http://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/pyroluria-questionnaire-from-the-antianxiety-food-solution/
Keep in mind it’s a comprehensive nutritional approach that I use with clients so we are also looking at diet, blood sugar control, the gut, adrenals etc. My book “The Antianxiety Food Solution” (on Amazon here http://amzn.to/2kptFWm) covers everything in detail, including the amino acids and pyroluria. There is also a wealth of information on the blog
And summits like this one are a great way to start learning about my work and other nutritional and functional medicine approaches. I hope you’ve signed up to listen and learn.
Also, I would like to know if I can try taking the Trytophan and GABA calm while on a benzo
Claudia
I can’t give you specific advice but can share that I’ve had clients use both while on benzodiazepines and like to build up my clients nutritionally before they consider doing a taper. I can say there are some people on benzos who do have a hard time using certain supplements and the benzo support groups recommend no supplements. I love the support groups but disagree on this point because I find being nutritionally sound makes the taper process much easier for most folks.
For a person who has been treating severe depression/anxiety with amino acids in combination forms, with no noticeable improvement–might it be helpful to stop all those, do your questionnaire, and do a trial with one supplement at a time? Thank you!
Ruth
I’m sorry to hear the amino acids have not helped. I would suggest finding a functional medicine practitioner /nutritionist to help guide you in case there is some tweaking to be done. I often see results with different products, using the amino acids sublingually, addressing thyroid/adrenal/liver/digestive health, adding in lithium orotate, trying to mitigate the effects of benzodizepines/SSRIs etc.
If all possibilities with the amino acids have been explored please feel free to just ignore the “do your questionnaire, and do a trial with one supplement at a time” message in my blogs (http://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/anxiety-amino-acids-overview/). I have people at various different stages in their healing journey reading the blogs and need to be able to cater for those new to the amino acids.
Also keep in mind that the amino acids and addressing neurotransmitter deficiencies is just one of many nutritional/biochemical root causes that need to be considered – more on the 60+ causes here http://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/60-nutritional-biochemical-causes-of-anxiety/
I’d also love to hear your thoughts on having both basic and advanced topics? Please do share what topics you’re interested in learning more about.
I do hope you’ll be able to tune in to this summit – some pretty advanced topics are being addressed. One of them is cell danger response (CDR). I wonder if this is preventing some individuals with anxiety not seeing the results we’d expect when using nutritional approaches.
I am beyond convinced that RF radiation is the culprit in ADHD, autism, anxiety, depression etc., etc.
The research is there but our elected officials, the medical profession and the public in general are ill informed. Look up the symptoms of radiation illness. Check out Ronald Powell, a Harvard trained scientist and what he has to say as well as Ollie Johansson featured in the video below on EHS.
This is not going away. It is a spreading phenomenon and since we are addicted to our devices, ( that is the main source of RF radiation as well as WiFi, cell towers, smart meters, and computers) we have to learn how to limit our exposure. We have to spread the awareness for everybody’s health sake. I am so tired of my mental health being questioned when I am actually suffering from an illness with documented symptoms of anxiety, depression, ADHD and other cognitive impairment, pain, insomnia, weight gain and agitation and it is caused in my case to a wireless smart meter. These are the worst inventions of our time putting everybody’s health at risk because of the short wave, pulsed, RF radiation that has a disastrous affect on your bio electrical system throughout your body.
Why so much obesity, diabetes and other chronic illness just look at the U. S. Navy’s research findings from back in the 70’s. You can find it online as it is no longer classified information. I think I searched U.S. Navy microwave radiation.
The best thing to do is become informed and speak out against the horrors being done by the wireless industry who only care about profit.
The wireless industry is out of control and need to be held accountable on this one. Utilities need to scrap the wireless smart meters until they conduct safety studies of their own. The FCC guidelines are outdated and non protective and do not even include safe studies on RF pulsed radiation regarding humans. Say WHAT? This is a major problem.
Check out Dafna Tachover of We Are The Evidence and Nosmartmeter.org .
Learn all that you can and make up your own mind. Then ACT.
Call your elected officials who are charged with protecting public health.
They need to hear and learn from their constituents and it does matter for sure.
See the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWyT2qRlGZc
If we all come together on this issue, I think we will see safer and more responsible technology and it is time for that to happen.
Lisa
Thanks for sharing these resources. I agree RF radiation is a big factor in our growing health issues and does need to be taken seriously. I consider it one of many factors that can play a role in autism, ADHD, sensory processing disorders, anxiety, depression, obesity and many chronic conditions.
I’m not sure if Tara is addressing this topic during the Autism, ADHD and Sensory Processing Disorder summit but it is something I’d like to address on my next Anxiety Summit