There have been numerous case studies that have shown the effectiveness and health benefits of coral minerals. And now there is good evidence that coral minerals can offer significant benefits for children with autism—and also help their parents.

For example, the psychological group Best Practices and the University of Montevallo conducted a study to determine if using coral minerals is better than behavior modification without a supplement. Coral Complex, an eco-safe, above-sea coral formula from the company Coral LLC was used in this study. (The University of Montevallo received no payment for its participation to ensure the validity of the findings.)

The participants in this study were 60 children diagnosed with autism (ages 5 to 10). The results showed that the children who took Coral Complex in conjunction with behavioral modification therapy improved better than those who received behavioral modification therapy alone. Additionally, the parents who took Coral Complex also reported an improvement in mood, compassion, patience and overall health.

One area that remains unexplored in psychology is the effect of nutritional supplements and nutrition on autistic children in a behavioral modification setting. Research has shown that nutritional assistance can greatly help autistic children to increase on-task behavior and decrease dysfunctional tendencies for children ages five and older, notes the late Bernard Rimland of the Autism Research Institute.

According to the American Medical Association, most Americans are malnourished especially when it comes to minerals. In a study presented at the 2002 Defeat Autism Now! Conference in San Diego, it was found that autistic children have a difficult time digesting certain foods, including gluten and casein.

Furthermore, autistic children greatly benefit from nutritional advice and proper supplements.

HOW THE STUDY WAS CONDUCTED

All 60 of the children were pretested in on-task behaviors before instruction began. Children were then randomly assigned to either a behavior medication group or a nutrition group. Both groups received behavior modification instruction by certified instructors. The instruction took place in the homes. Parents also received instruction from the therapists on how to teach their autistic child. Every parent had only one autistic child; the number of mainstream children varied according to the family. For the purposes of the study, two areas were empirically reviewed with the children and a questionnaire was given to the parents. Parents and children in the behavior modification group received behavior modification training only. Parents and children in the nutrition group received behavior modification plus a nutritional supplement called Coral Complex from the company Coral LLC.

Thirty children received instruction from behavioral therapists in their homes from Best Practices in the Southern California area over a two-month period. The additional 30 children received similar treatment plus a daily recommended dose of Coral Complex. Parents from both groups received parental training on how to best teach their children on a daily basis using behavior modification. Parents in the nutrition group also agreed to take a daily dose of Coral Complex and listen to nutritional advice.

HOW THE STUDY WAS CONDUCTED

Sign language was the main behavior taught and measured for the autistic children. The reason for this is that all children had no knowledge of this skill before training began. Starting from ground zero, this allowed the behaviorists to measure how much the children would improve in both groups. Furthermore, sign language has been shown to be quite beneficial for all children, especially those with special needs.

Back in 1982, Dr. Linda Acredolo and Dr. Susan Goodwyn conducted a longitudinal study with the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development that received educators’ attention throughout the world. The results showed that signing children understood more words, had larger vocabularies and engaged in more sophisticated play than non-signing children. Autistic children struggle with self-stimulation and a lack of ability to communicate outwardly. Adding another communication skill benefits this population greatly.

In the Montevallo study, children were randomly assigned to a behavioral group or nutrition group. The average age for the kids in the behavioral group was 7.9 years, and the average age for the nutritional group was 7.8 years. Children in both groups were pretested on sign-language knowledge before instruction began by a certified instructor to show the children had no knowledge of signs at the beginning of the experiment. Both groups received 16 hours of behavioral instruction, and parents received parent training over a two-month period.

The children were then rated on the following scale:

• 0 if child did not attempt a sign
• 1 if child attempted a sign but was not partially correct
• 2 if child got the sign partially correct
• 3 if child got the sign fully correct

Instructors and parents were asked to rate the children’s scores (reliability measures were taken). Also, parents filled out a questionnaire about their experiences between the two groups.

THE RESULTS: NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS HELP

The results indicate that there was a significant difference in favor of the nutrition group.

Behavior Group	Nutritional Group
Highly satisfied parents - 76%	Highly satisfied parents - 87%
Saw improvement in child - 78%	Saw improvement in child - 89%
Child got better sleep - 24%	Child got better sleep - 52%
Child was more focused - 67%	Child was more focused - 82%
Child had fewer self-stims - 48%	Child had fewer self-stims - 64%

This study strongly indicates that Coral Complex can benefit both autistic children and their parents. The nutrition group had significantly higher correct responses than the group with no supplements. Also, parents reported better rest and satisfaction in the nutritional group. It is important to note that the parents also took Coral Complex. More research is needed on how these ingredients directly affect the brain. This product contains 73 trace minerals from the sea as well as vitamins. For instance, Coral Complex contains calcium, which has been shown to aid in sleep. Also, this supplement contains lithium, which has greatly helped bipolar individuals. People who suffer from bipolar disorder have strong mood swings similar to autistic children’s tantrums. Perhaps this mineral helps balance the brain of this population as well. Other studies have shown that calcium plus vitamin D can help the general population in a variety of ways and even prevent cancer, notes Jean Tang in the June 27, 2011, issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

While autism remains a poorly understood and complex condition for which there is no cure, parents are left to pick up the pieces and do what is possible to improve their children’s health. Coral Complex with 73 trace minerals addresses one of the key issues among such children, which is mineral depletion. It can obviously make a difference.

Our best advice for parents of such children is to use this information to benefit your child while continuing to explore the issue to find more ways of helping.

We’re happy that this study was made available, and we hope that it helps many children and their parents.

Editor’s Note: The incidence of autism may be much higher than previously thought in the United States and elsewhere in the world, according to a rigorous, comprehensive study of the condition conducted in South Korea, researchers reported in the May 9, 2011 American Journal of Psychiatry.

Resources

Coral Complex, the supplement used in this study, is available at health food stores nationwide and also online at www.coralllc.com or www.coralcalcium.com.

References

Kim YS et al.Prevelence of autism spectrum disorders in a total population sample. American Journal of Psychiatry. 2011 Sep;168(9):904- 12. Epub 2011 May 9. PubMed PMID: 21558103.

Tang, J et al. Calcium Plus Vitamin D Supplementation and the Risk of Nonmelanoma and Melanoma Skin Cancer: Post Hoc Analyses of the Women's Health Initiative Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of Clinical Oncology. 2011 June 27.

A Gluten-Free, Casein-Free, Soy-Free Story: A Mother’s Firsthand Experience of Recovering Her Son From The Grips of Autism

Copyright 2012. All rights reserved.