Author Archives: Mark Raisbeck

Kids, Eat Your Veggies!

It is easier than ever to find gluten free substitutes for many products at most grocery stores.  Unfortunately for parents of children on a gluten free diet, gluten free is not automatically healthy – refined sugar, empty calories and processed … Continue reading

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Dietary Intervention for Autism Spectrum Disorders

The following article was submitted for publication in the newsletter of a local gluten-free support group. Dietary intervention as a treatment for autistic spectrum disorders (ASDs) has historically been viewed with some skepticism, but a rising number of experts are … Continue reading

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You Got a Diagnosis … Now What?

Recently a friend of mine was advised to have his nine-month old daughter evaluated, with the possibility that she might be on the autistic spectrum.  Having gone through it myself, I know the panic and despair that can follow, and … Continue reading

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Integrating Biomedical and Behavioral Therapies

I read an article, published last November but discovered by me today, about how biomedical intervention and behavioral therapy should be integrated, making them both more powerful.  I can attest to this strategy as a parent who was lucky enough … Continue reading

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“Of Course, Your Son Will Never Play Sports…..”

… That’s what a social worker told us very early on after Alex was diagnosed on the autistic spectrum. I don’t mean to disparage all social workers.  We had another social worker, the caseworker assigned to us to oversee Alex’s … Continue reading

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Using a Gluten Free Diet as an Intervention for Autism Spectrum Disorders

The following is an article I authored that was published in the newsletter of the Gluten Intolerance Group of Shoreline East, a local group offering tips and advice about going gluten free for people living on the Connecticut Shoreline.  Please … Continue reading

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Autism Rate on the Rise …. Again

Last week the CDC issued a report indicating that in 2008, the latest year for which study was available, 1 in 88 6-year-old American children have some sort of autism spectrum disorder. That number is up from 1 in 150 … Continue reading

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A Summary of the March 29, 2012 CDC report on the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs)

from the CDC website (http://www.cdc.gov/) Data and Statistics Prevalence About 1 in 88 children has been identified with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) according to estimates from CDC’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network. [Read article] ASDs are reported … Continue reading

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Report Card

Alex got his second report card from first grade last week, and it was a mirror image of his first:  With a grading system of plus, check and minus he got a plus in all 13 graded subject areas, and … Continue reading

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The Wonderful World of Mashed Potato Flakes

When I was in cooking school, one of the chefs once told me that 90% of restaurant cooking was “making it crispy on the outside, tender on the inside.”  In classic french technique this is done with proteins by utilizing … Continue reading

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