Summary
Diagnosis
Sex
Age
Nationality
Autism
Male
17 years
British
Injections
Cell type
Admission date
Discharge date
6
2019-06-02
2019-06-16
Condition On Admission
The patient was able to follow verbal commands for easy tasks and needed physical guidance for complex ones. Verbal language was non-existent and the patient was using body language or oral sounds to communicate. He was very sensitive to loud noises and lacked self-awareness. He could not accept that our therapists touch or hold him and would not do any activity with them. In terms of sensory integration, he had tactile oversensitivity in the lower body. For instance he could not put his feet or his knees on different textures. In terms of perception, he could match colors, pick an animal, a color, or a fruit from 2 choices. The concept of numbers was still hard to comprehend for him. Prior to our treatment program, he had been having ABA, OT, speech, PT and play therapy back home.
Treatment Schedule
The patient received 3 umbilical cord blood-derived stem cell (UCBSC) packets and 3 umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cell (UCMSC) packets by intravenous (IV) and intrathecal injections, as per the schedule below. In addition to stem cell injections, the patient received a daily rehabilitation therapy program that included occupational therapy, aquatic therapy, transcranial magnetic stimulation and fecal microbiota transplant.
Number
Date
Cell Type
Delivery Method
Side Effects
1
2019-06-03
none reported
2
2019-06-06
Intrathecal Injection &
Intravenous Injection
none reported
3
2019-06-11
Intrathecal Injection &
Intravenous Injection
none reported
4
2019-06-14
none reported
Condition at discharge
After completing our therapeutic program, the patient’s trust and social abilities improved and he was participating more with the therapists. His sensory integration has improved as well and he has started placing his feet and his knees on a puzzle during activities. Regarding his eating pattern, the patient’s mother reported that he has just started eating new foods, such as rice, crackers, banana, pasta, carrots, and a variety of green vegetables. This shows that his oral tactile sense has gradually improved. Cognition and communication-wise, he could now follow 2 step-commands better (restricted to one easy step command prior to starting the treatment). Finally, the patient started to understand the concept of numbers; He could for instance conclude and answer a question such as “How many?” (limited to numbers from 1 to 5). Sometimes, he imitated the therapist’s voice with very light sounds of numbers and easy words, such as, “one”, “fo”, “fa”, “yeh”.
Condition 3 months after treatment
At the 3 month follow up point the patient’s mother evaluated the improvements made as “moderate”. She thought that the patient’s quality of life had moderately improved and she mentioned: “The improvements have reached their peak and are stable” . Please see an excerpt from the patient’s mother’s 3 month assessment below:
Symptom
Parents’ Assessment of Improvement
Anxiety or fearfulness
Small improvement
Appropriate facial expressions
Moderate improvement
Asking questions
Small improvement
Aware of danger
No improvement
Aware of environment
Small improvement
Comfortable with physical contact
Moderate improvement
Concentration
Moderate improvement
Cooperation with others
Moderate improvement
Dressing himself/herself
Significant improvement
Expressing own needs
Small improvement
Fixation on objects or subjects
Small improvement
General conversation
Small improvement
General mood
Small improvement
Hyperactivity
Small improvement
Interaction with others
Moderate improvement
Interest in others
Small improvement
Limited diet
Significant improvement
Over/under eating
Significant improvement
Plays appropriately
Moderate improvement
Repetitive movements
Small improvement
Responding to commands
Moderate improvement
Rigidity in routine
Moderate improvement
Sensitivity to pain
No improvement
Showing imagination
Moderate improvement
Sleep disturbance
Small improvement
Understanding stories
No improvement
Uses eye contact
Moderate improvement
Uses greetings
Moderate improvement
Using more than one word at a time
No improvement
Using sentences
No improvement
