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silena
When I was privileged to hear Dr. Andrew Wakefield speak, he suggested that mitochondrial disease is currently the popular "whipping boy" in the search for the causes of autism and Aspergers symptoms. There is no doubt that mitochondrial disease is a player in autism. In reality, it is probably a player in many, if not most, human illnesses. You can see this to be the case simply by visiting the website of the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation. Their site also explains, in scientific language, the mitochondria and their role in life.
The point I want to make here is this; parents are sometimes, in their quest for answers, over-anxious, and are tempted to believe that the latest report, albeit limited, applies to their child's autism or Aspergers. They then have the impulse to spend time and money on the subject, which results in disappointment.
There are two ways to do an assessment of your child in regard to mitochondrial disease. The simplest is to do the online Autism Symptoms Assessment which is on my web site. The assessment is taken from my book,Autism: From Symptoms to Solutions, A Parent's Track to Run On. It offers a convenient method to see for yourself, what effects mitochondrial dysfunction, as well as fourteen other conditions, such as gluten and casein sensitivity, intestinal yeast overgrowth, or food allergies, are having on your child's Aspergers symptoms or signs of aurism.
The second thing you can do is this; if you are convinced your child may be experiencing mitochondrial dysfunction, you can do laboratory tests. There are a couple issues you need to know about. First, the gold-standard tests are invasive, require what is equivalent to a muscle biopsy, and are not readily available. Other tests, such as organic acids tests are good, if your doctor knows how to interpret them. I hope you will read my book which is written to assist parents in assessing and intervening for their children. As always, if you have questions, you are invited to contact me.