Focus on Autism - Free Article

The following excerpts are in regard to the use of vitamin B6, magnesium, and/or dimethylglycine (DMG) and are edited from letters shared by our advisory board member, Dr. Bernard Rimland, director of the Autism Research Institute (ARI).

My son Brian, who is autistic, showed real improvement after just one month of taking B6 and magnesium. His main problem has been ritualistic behavior, which can lead to self-abusive biting and hitting. For the last several years his tantrums have been severe, and his ritualistic behavior had gotten totally out of hand.

The supplements have really accelerated his progress. There have been no tantrums at all since we started the B6, and the ritualistic behavior continues to improve. About one month after we began the vitamin and magnesium, we added DMG. We noticed right away that he used more language, was more social, less ritualistic, and for the first time in 23 years he actually watched TV.

Recently, during a very hectic period, I forgot the noon and evening doses of DMG for three days in a row. We noticed that Brian was more withdrawn, more ritualistic, and wasn't using language very much. When his regular dose was resumed, all that changed. At the time, he was on a dose of 325 mg; now he is taking 750 mg, and we're noticing even more improvement.

Kim is 23 years old and had always been nonverbal. It is my pleasure to write that a miracle has taken place in her metabolism/behavior after taking B6. She has stopped "racing." She is now calm; her concentration is focused; she listens and responds to instruction. Kim smiles broadly and laughs. She watches for eye contact with those she chooses, has stopped the self-stimulating hitting of her neck and knees, and walks instead of runs. My daughter has always enjoyed orchestral music, but now she also enjoys listening to lyrics of songs. Her verbal responses are logical and appropriate. I am ever so thankful and try not to think, "Why wasn't B6 suggested sooner."

[After starting my son on DMG ] I noticed that in less than 48 hours he was much easier to handle. His ½-hour "whiny" period in the morning ceased and he was able to get over disappointments in a couple of minutes. Previously, any upset in his plans would set off at least 15 minutes of repeating, "That's okay, that's okay"; it drove us crazy. These are subtle changes, but they have tremendously increased the harmony in our home.

We have tried every conceivable remedy and method for our 23-year-old autistic son, Bruce. I am extremely excited about the progress since he began taking DMG nine days ago.

Bruce has stopped yelling, screaming, and biting his arm. He is quiet (not listless) and seems happy and content. He no longer performs his maddening acts of perseveration — the compulsive rituals that consumed hours of every day. On Sunday he sat and watched the Super Bowl on TV. He has never watched TV before in his life.

Because of his many rituals, it used to take him almost two hours to get dressed in the morning. Now he is getting dressed in five minutes. His eye contact has improved, and he walks around with a happy smile on his face. There is something else, though — something intangible. Bruce is different. There is something in his eyes: they focus better, they have a glint in them, there is more awareness. It is something that cannot be put into words. My son has changed most remarkably.

Dr. Rimland: Several weeks after this letter was received, the author, a psychiatrist, contacted the ARI again to comment on the additional progress her son had made after she added vitamin B6 and magnesium to his supplementation program. "Bruce is a different person," she remarked. "He is extremely alert; he is very enthusiastic about life in general; he is interested in many things now, including his own speech." Bruce is reportedly speaking with about 30% more fluency.

Let me start by telling you that I am skeptical by nature. I am a practicing attorney in Los Angeles. I do not believe in single-solution answers or magic bullets to complex problems.

I am also the father of a 3½-year-old autistic son. During my son's short life I have never had a single, meaningful, one-word conversation with him, other than his definitive "No." I could never understand what, if anything, was going on inside his beautiful head. It has been the most discouraging and frustrating event of my life.

My wife and I started Matthew on a regime of DMG a few days ago. As instructed by the literature, we told no one we did this. We sent him off to preschool as always. Yesterday, I received an "urgent" call from Matthew's preschool director. I braced myself for some type of terrible news. Instead, I learned that the director had approached Matthew on the playground, where he was walking alone. She had asked (knowing full well he would not answer), "Where are you going, Matthew?" I heard her pause for a deep breath; then she told me, "Your son stopped, looked me straight in the eye, and said, 'I'm getting a towel for swimming.'"

Of course, I could think of nothing else the rest of the day. When I got home, I went directly to Matthew, to see if he could answer a simple question. I asked, "Did you eat dinner?" He gave me that blank look I've come to know so well. I asked again, "What did you have to eat?" This time, he looked at me and said, "Chicken." I asked, "Anything else?" He said, "And grapes."

Today, my wife called from her car to say that she and Matthew were on the freeway when they saw my office building. All of a sudden, and out of nowhere, Matthew came to life and started saying, "Look, Daddy's office. I want to go see Daddy." My wife said that she was near tears and had to pull onto the shoulder of the highway to regain her control.

Again, I'm not a believer in a magic bullet; I'm not sure what to make of this sudden change. We are doing nothing differently except adding the daily dose of DMG.

My brother has fragile X syndrome, mental retardation, and autism. He has been plagued with seizures for many years, often having several minor motor seizures a day. After a particularly bad run of nonstop, back-to-back seizures, he was taken to the emergency room.

After leaving the hospital, he continued to have seizures. He was still receiving Phenobarbital, Mysoline, and Dilantin. I called the ARI and found out about DMG. I immediately bought some and sent it to his facility. They gave it to him, and he has not had a single seizure since. It has been over three weeks.

Ever since my brother started taking the DMG (125 mg two times a day), he has been talking a blue streak on a variety of subjects and is using more phrases and sentences. He even told a nurse, "I told you no. N-O!" He has never spelled anything before. He is also counting. Thanks to the ARI, my brother is happy as a lark, and we now see some light at the end of the tunnel!

Dr. Rimland: Others have also reported that DMG helped stop drug-resistant seizures. See New England Journal of Medicine, 10/21/82, pp. 1081-2.

Studies have supported the use of B6 in the treatment of autism; it is estimated to help about 50% of individuals. Its effectiveness is found to increase when taken with magnesium supplements. Dr. Rimland recommends Super-Nu Thera, which is independently marketed by Kirkman Laboratories, Inc. and contains a blend of nutrients: phone: 800.245.8282; fax: 503.682.0838.

Dimethylglycine (DMG) is legally classified as a food and is available in tablet form at most natural food articless. Many double-blind studies have been done on DMG for non-autism-related conditions, with no reports of adverse side-effects.

A packet of information on these supplements, including recommended dosages, is available from the Autism Research Institute, 4182 Adams Avenue, San Diego, CA 92116.

Latitudes is a quarterly online publication of the Association for Comprehensive NeuroTherapy (ACN). Every issue has information on non-toxic approaches to autism, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder and anxiety, Tourette syndrome, learning disabilities and attention deficit disorder/hyperactivity. Subscription: $40. To order online click here. Or, fax address and credit card information to (561) 798-9820; checks can be made payable to ACN and sent to Latitudes Subscriptions, P.O. Box 2198, Broken Arrow, OK 74013.