Christella dentata

The mother of a 12-year-old boy with a spectrum of autism came to my practice. After being given
antibiotics at the age of 2.5-3, he began spinning in circles, became hyperactive, and had difficulty
concentrating. In addition, he developed tics in the form of squinting his eyes, muttering and biting
his hands when nervous.
The boy has no speech problems but exhibits oppositional behaviour and is very stubborn in his
schematic view of the world. He does not use any vulgar language and is not aggressive. He likes
travelling, discovering new places and cooking. He is interested in cinematography and says that he
wants to become a film critic and live in the USA in the future. He likes watching short animated films
from Pixar.
Pregnancy: planned and eagerly awaited by both parents, delivery by caesarean section, initially
there were slight breathing problems which were quickly remedied. As an infant, he was a quiet,
well-behaved child, but he slept little at night, was not breastfed, and was only given colostrum in
hospital.
His mother recalls that his speech was very disturbed and he did not respond to his name. He was
diagnosed with hearing loss in both ears and breathlessness caused by enlarged tonsils, and he often
suffered from tonsillitis, inflammation of the nose and throat. He was on a gluten,, milk, sugar free
diet for a year, and today his mother still makes sure he eats healthily, but the boy would prefer to
eat burgers, chips, nuggets and pizza.
He likes the colour blue. He has no dreams. He dislikes the smell of sausage, fish, pâté and meat.
He lacks self-confidence, often says that he is stupid, hides his emotions from his loved ones, which
he masks at school by playing the role of a joker. He often puts himself in the position of a victim,
unable to defend himself during arguments with colleagues or siblings. He often talks to himself. He
is well-liked in class, he is the type of ‘smart aleck’ child who follows the rules and sticks to the rules.
If he wants to do or say something ‘forbidden’, he asks for permission and will do whatever he is
asked to do at home. He is caring towards animals. He likes to have a bath in warm water. He does
not like having his hair and nails cut. He is very afraid of stomach ache and vomiting. When you look
at him, you can see a stiffness in him, as if you were talking to a robot. The boy had previously
received the Belladonna remedy from another homeopath and responded very well to it, but after a
while it became apparent that this remedy did not cover all aspects and it was time for a new
remedy.AnalysisThe boy's history led me to the plant kingdom, specifically to the fern group, where we
observe many aspects of children on the autism spectrum, rigidity in thinking and behaviour.
The boy functioned at a high level, had no speech problems, and had no problems with toilet
training, but he exhibited behaviours in which he was obliged to follow social rules, which he
adhered to rigidly for fear of his family's reaction (and perhaps losing them).
This led me to Aspleniales 443. As for the phase, there was no choice because all ferns are in phase 1.
As for the sub-phase, I had a problem here because, on the one hand, I saw aspects of phase/sub-
phase 3 in this case (lack of self-confidence, obedience), but on the other hand, aspects of
phase/sub-phase 5 (his mother constantly emphasised his stubbornness, lack of flexibility, but also
his ambition in pursuing his goals). I got the impression that the boy was on the right side, so I onlyhad options for stage 13, 15 and 16. I chose stage 15 because, despite his rigidity, the boy is very
popular in class, just like Phosphorus, who is also in this stage.
Prescription: 3-443.15.15 Christella dentata 1MK.Follow upReaction to the remedy: He is doing very well, has become more open to his family, makes plans for
the future and talks about them, is very engaged in school lessons, has stopped blinking his eyes, has
become calmer, more thoughtful and responsible, understands safety issues, does not lie. He has
learned to defend his boundaries/his opinion in his interactions with his siblings. He no longer bites
his hands and has no problem with having his hair and nails cut. He has become more confident and
friendly and has stopped saying that he is stupid. His mother says that it is possible to sit down and
talk with him. He displays less oppositional behaviour. He wants to earn money and still dreams of
working for Pixar.
Previous prescriptions: Cerium Phosphoricum