Autism is a brain disorder that first appears in infancy and childhood. Find out how umbilical cord blood stem cells are used to treat autism in young children.
What is autism?
Autism is a general term for a group of complex disorders of brain development. These disorders vary in degrees, from difficulties in social interaction and communication to repetitive behaviors.
Autism appears during early brain development in infants. But the signs and symptoms of autism tend to emerge between 2 and 3 years of age.
What causes autism?
Rare gene changes or mutations cause autism. In some cases, non-genetic factors combined with genetic factors play an important role in early brain development.
There are clear research evidences that the following factors contribute towards autism.
- Advanced parental age at time of conception (both mom and dad)
- Maternal illness during pregnancy and
- Difficulties during birth
It is important to keep in mind that these factors, by themselves, do not cause autism but in combination with genetic risk factors.
Can autism be prevented?
Research suggests that a woman can reduce the risk of having a child with autism by taking prenatal vitamins containing folic acid and/or eating a diet rich in folic acid (at least 600 mcg a day) months before and after conception.
Is cord blood stem cell therapy a potential treatment for autism?
Cord blood stem cell therapy is an effective form of treatment for autism. It produces good clinical improvements in children with autism such as changes in communication, social interaction, hyperactivity, eye contact and attention span, abnormal and self-stimulatory behavior.
All other conventional forms of therapy treat the symptomatic manifestations of autism while stem cell therapy addresses the issue at its core and initiates a repair process in the affected parts of the brain. Cord blood stem cells can regulate the immune system and can help reverse inflammatory conditions in autistic children.
Umbilical cord-derived stem cells are ideal for autism because they do not require any stem cell collection from the subject, which for autistic children and their parents can be a difficult process. Because they are collected right after birth, umbilical cord-derived cells are much more potent than the stem cells derived from bone marrow or any other source. These stem cells pose no rejection risk because the body does not recognize them as foreign.
What are the improvements that can be seen in an autistic child who has received cord blood stem cell transplant?
Every autistic child is different from the other and the result may vary depending on the condition.
Some of the visible results after a stem cell transplant may include:
- Less anxious of strangers
- Improvement in eye contact
- Improved social interactions
- Responding well to greetings
- Mingling well with children of his/her age
- Improved body posture
- Improved concentration and attention
- Understanding concepts faster
- Following commands
- Visualizing the numbers and calculating orally
- Improved speech such as increased volume, speaking in full sentences, etc.
- Responding well to communication and initiating communication on his/her own
- Reduced hand flapping, rocking and fidgetiness
- Improvement in initiating activity
- Improved awareness of his/her environment and surroundings
Cord blood stem cell transplant done in combination with occupational therapy, speech therapy, psychological counseling, etc. has proven to be most effective in improving the quality of life for children affected with autism & their families.
References:
http://www.autismspeaks.org/blog/2013/01/04/cord-blood-banking
https://www.cellmedicine.com/stem-cell-therapy-for-autism