Low Complexity ASD Case Example
Warren is a five-year-old American boy with a diagnosis of PDD-NOS who responds well to a series of
well chosen constitutional remedies, without the need for many simultaneous nosodes, isopathic, or
miasmatic prescriptions or vaccine clears, etc. His mother reports that, “He has some autistic behaviors,
we’ve been seeing DAN, doing GFCF. He had a rhythm of yeast overgrowth, bacterial issues or
viruses.” I treat Warren with homeopathy over a period of two years.
CASE HISTORY:
His mother describes her PREGNANCY as follows:
•
People were not nice at work, negative and critical of me. I was exhausted but working 12
hour shifts. Felt like I didn’t have a lot of support.
•
I’ve always battled weight and lots of self esteem issues about how I look.
•
I got into into a fight with my three best friends while pregnant – I was hysterical. I said
something so hurtful. It came off aggressive and angry – I cried for a week – they thought I hurt
them and they attacked me when I felt vulnerable.
•
I had mastitis twice.
Warren’s mother’s personality played an important role in determining the remedy for this case.
She describes some unique traits regarding how she relates to people:
•
There is this lady who is a know it all - if I submit too much she thinks I am inferior – I like you
but at an arms length.
•
If people give me a hug and give me a kiss, a little bit should be enough. It’s like I’ve got other
stuff to do – I don’t want to be rude and blurt that out – I try with body language to step back
from them – but obviously I keep moving – there are ways in society to show people that we
don’t want to linger.
•
My mom instilled a fear in us that we would be stolen away. So I watch Warren and do not get
distracted one minute – I am so overprotective. I didn’t want to share him, I didn’t want other
people to hold him. I was protecting him, would hold him a lot, we’d snuggle.
BEHAVIORAL SYMPTOMS:
Some of the phrases his mother used to describe Warren’s behavior included:
•
He is a year to 18 mos behind, at 5 years old he seems typical around 3.5 year olds. He likes
being called baby from mom. He does like to tell people – I am 3 – he wants to be younger.
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•
He’s one of the top kids in his special ed class – and befriended the most severely disabled
child - He likes to take care of this child. He also loves babies.
•
He bosses his little friend around and he is happiest when this friend follows him around.
Likes the feeling of being the leader.
•
When there are kids that can do more than him it makes him nervous – he is not as
coordinated as kids his age. When he can’t keep up he gets upset.
•
Doesn’t like to be ‘prodded’ to do something he doesn’t want to do - He didn’t want to go to
graduation – got stressed about wearing a special hat – if it doesn’t go the way he expects he
gets stressed
•
Has personal space issues - When people would go to hug him he would back up and show
his back. We had to teach him.
•
He has ‘flight’ - People ask him complicated questions, or kids approach him, he smiles and
walks away. His flight stuff is related to his trust – if he trusts someone – he won’t flight.
•
He likes lateral things, that are up and down, lines – sometimes he just walks around the table.
PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS:
Warren’s physical symptoms were limited. His mother did report that:
“After the vaccines he lost a lot of weight and looked serious – after his croup he had
changed. He was a happy fat baby, expressive smiles, he wasn’t moving a lot”
When I did the SENSATION process, I asked the mom to close her eyes and imagine what life is like
to be Warren - what would it feel like to be in his body - and to tell me what she imagines. As she
imagines she is him, she closes her eyes and tells me,
“He is tired. Wants to lay down. Something is holding you back. No strength to rally.
Something dragging you down, something on his waist pulling him down like an anchor – a
rope, an anchor, like he is in water, stuck in one spot, can move a little bit, he is just treading
water, stuck. It is like you are carrying something heavy and have to work twice as hard as
everyone else. Its so hard, you have to always be on guard, watching, and find your
opportunity, and you don’t want to fail and jump in and get hurt, so its easier to be stuck back
with the anchor. The other kids don’t have to put forth the effort you have to put forth, the
other kids are free. And you want to be free too, you want to break free from what is holding
you back, that freedom to just be yourself, freedom that you will be understood and liked and
you can contribute, and be a kid and have fun, friendships and people you trust and they get
you and like you. Breaking off your rope, your chain, just getting up and running, feeling good,
doing all the activates and being good and good at it, you can breathe, not being weighted
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down, you are happy and energetic, no weight on you. You feel free and happy and
everything is going to be ok”
FIRST PRESCRIPTION:
This case exhibited the themes of mammal or Lac remedies. These include the strong maternal
instincts in both mother and child, the personal space issues, some of the wording used and the visual
picture that arose during the sensation process. I was deciding between Lac Caninum (dog milk) and
Lac Equinum (horse milk) and after trying each Warren had a stronger response to Lac Equinum. He
ended up being very sensitive to this remedy so we eventually gave him LM potencies of Lac
Equinum, which served him well over a period of 12-15 months.
I also put the mother onto the same constitutional remedy, Lac Equinum – and after taking the remedy
she surprisingly gets pregnant at 40 years old. Which is a welcome surprise for her. Lac Equinum and
Sepia support her throughout the pregnancy and she has a very healthy boy 9 months later!
FIRST FOLLOW UP:
After 6 weeks, Warren’s response according to mother:
“Every since we started homeopathy – his confidence increased. Confidence is better with
others too, he initiated play with another boy and played very naturally.
He was at the play area at the mall, and he was able to climb on top of the airplane which is
new. More confident in his body, but also a smart alik bratty phase. He sleeps on the top bunk
now, after I dose him.”
Some issues that still need to be worked on include:
“The new thing – I can’t get him out of the house to do something – he wants to stay home,
watch tv show, doesn’t want to go anywhere, His face doesn’t seem to have the range of
expression it could. He gets easily constipated. There are things, he’s not totally recovered
yet. So many pieces yet – its hard to put them all together. ”
SECOND PRESCRIPTION:
To help him improve, we continue the Lac Equinum 1M once a week and add in Calcarea
Carbonica 200c twice a week.
SECOND FOLLOW UP:
A few months later his mother reports:
“I think calc carb helps him a lot. Says silly things – but he is not as oblivious to other kids. He’s
gotten more outgoing. He gets his point across. Teasing hasn’t started. He loves recess. He is
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getting to be a good mimic. Will mimic a person’s voice – and facial expressions – his voice is
regulating better. He is more interested in it. Now he wants feedback from peers – he is much
more into talking with the other kids –he is less into following the rules. I think it’s a
breakthrough and he is doing great.”
Some new shifts in her personality occur:
“He wants to make people laugh now – and make his friends laugh – and he talks a lot about
poopy butt which is very appropriate.”
“He is exerting his own will and they like it now. Before he was almost unemotional. Now he is
def more emotional. The kids at school now love him – he is picking the popular wild kids out
now. He really wants to be a part of the group. Instead of being with me and afraid. He is no
longer saying the same things over and over. He also can eat gluten now – which saves us
money. Even my husband says – do the homeopathy – it works.”
I prescribe Sulphur 200c twice a week.
In the next follow up, Warren’s mother reports some positive and negative effects from the remedy:
“If I give him just a drop of sulphur – he is so motivated –– but when he is on Sulphur can get
these tantrums. It seems like he has low processing speed, like and he doesn’t have energy
through the day. ”
I change the remedy to one similar to Sulphur, and give him Oxygenium 200c twice a week. I also
put them on a supplement for mitochondrial issues called Mitoplex.
His mother reports:
“He is doing so well on oxygenium, it is fantastic. He is there, makes connections, thinking more
abstractly, processing has increased. Sometimes looks quiet, but the wheels areturning. He is
actually trying to manipulate situations. He is persistent. More rough and tumble with boys. He
is not afraid. He went to the pool and was hanging out with kids who were older, playing on
equipment that was very advanced. The Mitoplex helped a lot with energy. “
I still check in with Warren’s mother occasionally, most recently this summer she tells me, “He used to
have so many sensory issues, not there anymore. He’s a cool kid now – he will sing and dance and gets
really into it.”
COMMENTARY:
Overall this is a case of a child who was overall physically healthy who did well with a series of
constitutional remedies, with some remedies overlapping in usage, but overall he got one remedy at a
time – you could consider this a great ‘classical’ homeopathy case. Unlike the more complex cases,
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there were no extra layers, blockages to the action of the constitutional remedies, or other major
bumps in the road requiring nosodes and other remedies to address.
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www.angelicalemke.com