When my son was diagnosed with autism just before 3 years of age, I immediately went into warrior mode. With my background in Nutritional Medicine, I knew that nutrition and functional medicine had to be our priority - but the average parent does not! Most parents of a child with autism will be told that the only thing that will help their child is standard therapies like speech therapy, occupational therapy or ABA - but this is far from the truth! While these approaches work well, it’s not until you start addressing the underlying root causes of your child’s physical and behavioural symptoms, that you start seeing real long-lasting change in your child.

The sad truth is, that many kids aren’t getting what they need to thrive and have proper brain function and development. Most kids on the autism spectrum and with ADHD suffer from micronutrient deficiencies, restricted diets and picky eating behaviours, chronic gut dysfunction, imbalance in neurotransmitters, poor drainage and dysfunctional detoxification pathways and toxic overload - just to name a few! Simply put, our kids are sick and in most cases, these comorbidities increase autism severity and shouldn’t be something looked upon as “normal” - not even with an autism diagnosis.

The most important thing to remember is - every child with autism can get better! In nutritional and functional medicine we’re utilising dietary interventions, micronutrients, functional testing and lifestyle modifications to bring back balance to the body. Identifying these biochemical and physiological imbalances and treating the root cause is key to providing a better outcome for your child’s learning, behaviour and brain development. Many kids are thriving by using these methods - and I truly believe that so can yours! After 3 years of hard work, my son is thriving and we’re still working on his brain development and speech. I can honestly say I don’t know where we would have been if we didn’t take action.