An article appearing in theJournal for Autism and Developmental Disorders. discusses how journing can help mothers of children with autism manage stress.  Associate Professor Rondalyn Whitney and author of the article states  that mothers can get burned out because if there is no one there to help them. They can't get out of the house to participate in any interventions for themselves. She compared the situation to the oxygen mask advisory on airplanes: mothers need to help themselves first before they can help others

Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), University of California, San Diego School of Medicine researchers say it may be possible to predict future language development outcomes in toddlers with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), even before they’ve been formally diagnosed with the condition. The findings are published in  the journal Neuron.

A study published in JAMA disucsses the link between gestational diabetes and increased risk of autism.  Researchers found that intrauterine exposure to gestational diabetes diagnosed by 26 weeks' gestation was associated with ASD in the child. 

Exposure of fetuses to maternal hyperglycemia may have long-lasting effects on organ development and function. Previous studies have revealed long-term risks of obesity and related metabolic disorders in offspring of women who had diabetes prior to pregnancy as well as women with hyperglycemia first detected during pregnancy (gestational diabetes mellitus [GDM]).

I became a certified GAPS practitioner because I believe true healing begins in the gut. Having said that I started GAPS (Gut And Psychology /Physiology Syndrome) for Sadaf over a year ago and every day I see little improvements that were not there before.