Unique Treatment for Autism Based on Hidden Dyslexia/ADHD Cerebellar Mechanisms, reported by Dr. Harold Levinson
New York, NY (PRWEB) January 21, 2014 -- Considering that Autism has evaded all determined scientific causal and medical therapeutic efforts to date, a unique medical treatment offered to minimize symptoms in this often debilitating disorder deserves significant attention. Because an inner-ear and related cerebellar fine-tuning impairment was verified to characterize Autism by many researchers, Dr. Levinson chose to treat this signal-scrambling defect utilizing diverse combinations of inner-ear-improving medications and nutrients. He believed the autistic language and communication disorder was akin to an aphasic-like primary cerebral processing defect. And by enhancing signal clarity, Levinson believed residual brain processing capacity would secondarily improve as would the interrelated and collateral symptoms resulting directly from the cerebellar impairment.
"In freeing autistics from as many treatable secondary emotional and neurophysiological functional blockers as possible,” said Levinson, "I believed autistics would have the best possible chance of maximizing their innate compensatory endowments while stimulating new ones via enhanced neuroplastic changes. There was absolutely nothing to lose by trying, and so much to gain."
By choosing to experimentally treat the relatively "minor" cerebellar and related symptomatic fallout now rather than waiting for a primary autistic therapeutic breakthrough nowhere in scientific sight, Levinson also discovered new help and relief for a group of other "major" brain processing disorders previously left in "suspended therapeutic animation," such as the intellectually impaired, brain injured, Down's syndrome patients, etc. As Levinson put it, "Since the front door to treating Autism was hidden, I decided to use the back door. It was far more productive than just waiting around. Although not a cure by any means, any rapid medically-triggered improvement was deemed infinitely better than none. And better functioning autistics would more significantly respond to all other helpful therapeutic modalities."
Dr. Levinson had previously demonstrated that dyslexia and related ADHD and phobic/anxiety disorders, as well as developmental coordination, speech, and central auditory processing impairments, all resulted when initially normal brain structures and mechanisms failed to process the scrambled signals received and transmitted. These "dizzy" signals were found by Levinson due to a fine-tuning defect of primary cerebellar origin which responded very favorably and rapidly to inner-ear improving medications. Levinson's theory also explained the overlapping or comorbidity of all the above disorders with each other. Additionally, it explained the coexistence of the above "minor" disorders in "major" brain processing impairments having cerebellar involvement, like Autism, in which speech, language, social and communication, as well as sensory-motor and repetitive or OCD-like issues, existed.
According to Levinson, "It seemed natural to treat the cerebellar impairment wherever I found it, irrespective of the diversely named disorders it occurred in. This simple insight made all the difference for many with Autism and over a score of other variously named impairments." By medically improving the signal-scrambling within the brain, those with major cerebral and other brain processing disorders like Autism had only one serious problem to deal with instead of two or more overwhelming impairments. Following successful treatment, their residual brain processing capacity often increased when dealing with normal rather than confusing "dizzy" signals. In addition, all the primary cerebellar determined symptoms and mechanisms characterizing the above and many other relatively "minor" disorders (LD, ADHD, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia, phobias, etc.) often significantly and rapidly improved as well. And by enhancing concentration, sensory-motor functioning, speech, memory, mood, frustration tolerance, etc. while decreasing distractibility, hyperactivity, anxiety and impulsivity, it became possible to maximize overall functional capabilities in autistic individuals.
No doubt, the following improvements in a recently treated child previously diagnosed with Autism and ADHD, as well as overlapping cerebellar impairments, will be highly instructive.
Jordan Johnson is 9 years old. Following 6 months of treatment with Dr. Levinson for a coexisting cerebellar-vestibular (CV) dysfunction, Jordan's language and communication skills improved sufficiently so that he only manifested mild autistic traits, not autism. Thus his latest diagnosis was: ADHD-ATs (Autistic Traits)/Dyslexia.
According to his mother, Lois Johnson: “Jordan was diagnosed with autism at age two and a half. Before seeing Dr Levinson when 9-years-old, Jordan was in his own world. He was very hard to motivate. He did things in his own time and was unaware and unaffected by social pressures. It was very hard to follow his train of thought. His statements seemed random, as if he were telling you something from the middle of the story rather than the beginning. It seemed as though he was just a little bit off… as if a switch needed to be flipped.
“But once we started treatment, changes began. The switch was definitely turned on. I started noticing Jordan saying things… as if he was more in the moment. For the first time ever, he actually reminded me that he needed to have his homework done. This meant that he developed new organizational and planning skills as well as greater memory and interest.
“His teacher told me that he seemed more assertive, volunteered to write on the chalkboard, and followed along more during class. He also could relay a story to me of what happened at school, something that he could never do in the past. He bargains more, argues more, and even tried to pull the wool over my eyes. All of those things are typical for his age but something I never saw before.
“As we reached our 6th month on Dr. Levinson's program, Jordan's speech and communication improvements continued to surprise me more and more. He asked me what the word 'pregnant' meant that he had heard on TV. He also started listening to my conversations and then asking me pertinent questions about what was said.
“I now understand a lot more about what he is saying and I can follow his train of thought. As a result of all his improvements, I am very pleased and very hopeful.”
An Explanatory Summary Comment: By medically improving both the inner-ear/cerebellar determined auditory processing as well as the motor, sequencing, concentration and memory mechanisms responsible for both receptive and expressive speech functioning while decreasing anxiety, hyperactivity and distractibility, etc., the primarily impaired language and communication difficulties are often minimized in autism and especially so in its milder subtype called ATs (autistic traits), as exemplified by Jordan. As initially reported by Levinson, new Harvard research has shown that ADHD is related to the cerebellum and that 20% of children with ADHD have mild autistic traits. Neuroimaging brain studies have also verified cerebellar involvement in dyslexia, anxiety and depressive disorders as well as autism, intellectual impairments, etc.
About Harold Levinson, M.D.
Formerly Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry at New York University Medical Center, Dr. Harold Levinson is currently Director of the Levinson Medical Center for Learning Disabilities in Long Island, New York. He is a well-known neuropsychiatrist, clinical researcher and author. His "highly original" initially controversial research into the cerebellar-vestibular (inner-ear) origins and treatment of dyslexia and related learning, attention-deficit/hyperactivity and anxiety or phobic disorders has evolved over the past four decades. Initially supported by Nobel Laureate Sir John Eccles and other outstanding cerebellar neurophysiologists and inner-ear scientists, Levinson's research has more recently been independently validated worldwide by highly sophisticated neuroimaging brain studies. For more information, call 1(800) 334-7323 or visit http://www.dyslexiaonline.com.
Dr.Harold Levinson, Levinson Medical Center for Learning Disabilities, http://www.dyslexiaonline.com, +1 516-482-2888, [email protected]
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