18
It’s Your Life
Joyce: What was the protocol
suggested for healing?
Kathleen: All of the options available
to us involved therapy – speech therapy,
occupational therapy, physical therapy
and sensory therapy, which we believe
are critical to the whole body approach
necessary to support a child with autism.
However, these therapies rarely address
the underlying root issues.
We started therapy at age 2 and
progress was slow and inconsistent,
but by 2011 (Stephen was 8), I started
to experiment with nutrition. Stephen
continued to make progress so we stayed
the course. The more I learned about
nutrition, the more specific we addressed
his dietary needs and realized that this
was the missing piece of the puzzle for
him. In fact, it was a total game-changer
for him.
We initially started with the removal
of food dyes, preservatives and artificial
sweeteners that we knew were not
promoting health and had the potential to
be agitating to his brain. Then we moved
on to a gluten-free/casein-free diet, which
is currently the most popular dietary
intervention for children on the spectrum.
We saw notable improvements with this
change (but you have to remove 100% of the gluten and dairy.) In fact, I always recommend that the entire family
make the same dietary changes to support a child. I don’t think children should have to exercise self-discipline with
food at any age. I call this approach, creating a “safe haven” at home where the child can eat whatever is in the
house.
We also did specific supplementation. Some of the key nutrients we used to address Stephen’s deficiencies
were Essential fatty Acids, B-vitamins (especially B6 and B12), magnesium, zinc, and vitamins A,C, D, E and
K. It’s interesting to note that each of these nutrients can play a key role in resolving many symptoms of autism.
For example, zinc is involved in numerous aspects of cellular metabolism. It plays a key role in immune function,
protein synthesis, and wound healing (including the mucosa of the gut). It is also required for the proper sense of
taste and smell and it’s not uncommon for kids on the spectrum to have an aversion to certain foods, which I think
I related to zinc deficiency.
It’s Your Life Magazine • Issue 1