Doc, Can You Give My Special Needs Child Nutritional Help?

Judy Converse Author of Special-Needs Kids Eat Right: Strategies to Help Kids on the Autism Spectrum Focus, Learn, and Thrive

By Judy Converse, MPH, RD, LD

Many children with autism, Asperger's, ADHD, sensory processing disorders, learning disabilities, or mood/behavior issues have nutrition problems stemming from malabsorption, bowel problems, and/or inadequate diet. These impede learning, growth, behavior, and functioning in all children—not just special needs children. Not surprisingly, when you address the nutrition problems of these kids, the symptoms of their disorder lessen and, in some cases, disappear.

The medical establishment is just now beginning to acknowledge the link between nutrition problems and learning and behavior disorders. Most physicians still regard autism or other learning and developmental diagnoses as brain problems, not whole body problems. They may resist the idea that nutrition supports apply to these conditions, seeing them as static, inflexible afflictions.

My clinical experience with hundreds of special needs children has proven differently.

How to Engage a Reluctant Provider

If your doctor is not onboard with your interest in nutrition supports for your child, you might succeed with a few tactful efforts at bridging the gap. Here are some suggestions.

Filed under ADHD, Autism, Learning Disabilities, Nutrition by More4kids

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An In-Depth Look at PANDAS (Autism Spectrum Disorder) in Children

autistic girl at doctors If you are a parent looking for an in-depth look at PANDAS in children, you have come to the right place. If you are reading this material, it is quite likely that you either suspect that your child has this, or you have recently been informed by your child’s pediatrician that they have this condition. It is likely that you are confused, fearful, and emotionally distraught over this. It is normal to feel this way. This is especially true when it comes to PANDAS. There is a relatively new condition that has emerged, and there is not a lot of information surrounding the condition. However, in this helpful and informative guide, I will provide you with that in-depth look at PANDAS that you have so desperately been searching for.

What is PANDAS?

Filed under Autism, Health by More4kids

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What are Some of the Signs of Autism?

Autism is not usually diagnosed until a child is about three to four years old, but some mothers and fathers start to suspect something is not right long before that. Most parents start worrying about their child's development by the time they're a year and a half old, and they may consult with their family doctor or pediatrician by the age of two.

Since children develop at different levels and speeds, most doctors hesitate to make a diagnosis of autism when the child is still quite young, because they fear it could only delay normal development further. The parents may inadvertently hinder normal developmental progress in a child, because they have lower expectations of what the child is able to do and when, or they try to shelter the child more than normal instead.

Filed under Autism by More4kids

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What Is Autism?

by Tina Matsunaga

Autism is still a horrible medical mystery. While doctors are learning more about the manifestations of the disability, the specific causes remain illusive. Speculation lends to chemical imbalances in the brain, an illness affecting proper brain function, or heredity. Who knows? While scientists search for a cause, specialists are concentrating on the disability and proper treatment options.

Doc, Can You Give My Special Needs Child Nutritional Help?

An In-Depth Look at PANDAS (Autism Spectrum Disorder) in Children

What is PANDAS?

What are Some of the Signs of Autism?

What Is Autism?

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