Naturally Recovering Autism with Karen Thomas

As we move further into fall and begin heading toward the holiday season, many parents start noticing changes in their children’s health and behavior.

Maybe your child seems more tired than usual. Sleep patterns have changed. Digestive issues are becoming more noticeable. Or perhaps you’re seeing more irritability, difficulty focusing, or challenges with emotional regulation.

And now, with cooler weather approaching, children spending more time indoors, and the holidays just around the corner, there are even more changes to navigate.

If you’re parenting a child with autism, you may already know how challenging it can be when your child isn’t feeling their best, especially if they have difficulty communicating exactly what’s bothering them.

One area I encourage parents to pay attention to during this time of year is immune health.

Our immune systems are constantly working to protect us. And while there isn’t one supplement, food, or natural remedy that can prevent every illness, there are several simple ways to support your child’s overall health and normal immune function.

Today, I want to share seven important areas to focus on, along with how these fit into the bigger picture of supporting your child’s health.

And if you’re looking for a clear, step-by-step roadmap that helps you understand how these pieces fit together, I also want to invite you to learn about my Autism Recovery Reset, where I explain the four stages of my holistic approach.

You can find the details, along with information about my membership program and holiday nutrition resources right here in today’s show notes.

Now, let’s look at seven ways you can support your child’s health as we head into the fall and holiday season.

1. Start With Gut Health
If you’ve followed my work for any length of time, you know how much I emphasize the importance of gut health.

And there’s a good reason for that.

A large portion of the body’s immune activity takes place in and around the gastrointestinal tract. The gut contains an extensive network of immune cells that interact with the intestinal lining, the foods we eat, and the trillions of microorganisms that make up our gut microbiome.

This relationship between the gut and immune system is important for everyone, including children with autism.

Some autistic children experience gastrointestinal concerns such as constipation, abdominal discomfort, diarrhea, or food-related difficulties.

When a child is uncomfortable, it can affect their sleep, attention, mood, and behavior.

That’s why I encourage parents to pay attention to digestion.

Is your child having regular bowel movements? Are they experiencing bloating or discomfort? Are they eating a variety of foods that provide the nutrients their body needs?

Supporting gut health doesn’t have to mean making drastic changes overnight.

Start with the basics: adequate hydration, fiber-rich foods your child tolerates, and a balanced diet that meets their nutritional needs.

Remember, the gut and immune system are closely connected.

And this is why gut health and nutrition are the first stage of the four-stage roadmap I teach in my membership program.

I want parents to understand how digestion and nutrition can influence their child’s overall well-being, so they can make informed choices rather than constantly guessing what to try next.

2. Focus on Nutrient-Dense Foods
One of the most helpful things we can do for our children’s health is provide foods that supply the vitamins, minerals, protein, and healthy fats their bodies need.

Certain nutrients are especially important for normal immune function.

These include:

Vitamin C: Found in strawberries, kiwi, bell peppers, broccoli, and citrus fruits.

Vitamin D: Important for immune regulation and bone health. Sources include certain fish, and appropriate sunlight exposure.

Zinc: Found in meat, poultry, beans, seeds, and other foods.

Vitamin A: Found in carrots, sweet potatoes, leafy greens, eggs, and other foods.

Protein: Supplies amino acids needed for growth, tissue maintenance, and the production of immune-system components.

Of course, I understand that many children with autism have food preferences or sensory sensitivities that can make introducing new foods challenging.

You don’t need to overwhelm your child with a completely new diet.

Start with foods they already enjoy, and gradually explore additional options.

If your child eats a very limited range of foods, then you can start with my free food guide that also gives you options for help with picky eaters to get some nutrition in now.

Supplements may be appropriate when a deficiency or specific need is identified, but more isn’t always better. Excessive amounts of certain vitamins and minerals can actually be harmful.

The important thing is to understand your child’s individual needs...

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Halloween is such an exciting time for kids. Costumes, parties, decorations, trick-or-treating—and, of course, lots and lots of candy.

But if you have a child with autism, Halloween can sometimes come with challenges you weren’t expecting.

Maybe your child becomes more hyperactive or irritable. Sleep gets disrupted. Digestion changes. You notice more difficulty focusing or regulating emotions. Or perhaps you’ve worked hard to make dietary changes at home, and suddenly your child comes home with a bag filled with foods and ingredients you normally try to avoid.

The good news is that Halloween doesn’t have to mean taking all the fun away.

With a little planning, you can help your child enjoy Halloween while still supporting the healthy habits you’ve worked so hard to create.

Why Halloween Candy Can Be Challenging
One of the things I always encourage parents to do is look beyond a symptom and ask:

What changed?

We talked about this recently with going back to school. A child may suddenly be exposed to different foods, environmental factors, disrupted routines, less sleep, or other changes.

Halloween can create another sudden change.

A child who normally eats a relatively clean diet may suddenly consume significantly more sugar, artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, and other ingredients than usual.

For some children, parents may notice changes in behavior, digestion, sleep, focus, or overall well-being around the same time.

That doesn’t mean every child will react the same way. Our children are individuals, and their bodies can respond very differently.

The important thing is to pay attention to your own child.

Look Beyond the Sugar
When parents think about Halloween candy, sugar is usually the first thing that comes to mind.

And yes, Halloween can bring a tremendous amount of sugar into a child’s diet in a very short period of time.

But sugar isn’t the only thing I look at.

Many brightly colored candies and processed treats contain long ingredient lists that may include artificial colors, artificial flavors, preservatives, corn syrup, and other highly processed ingredients.

This is why I encourage parents to become label readers.

Turn that package over and look at what is actually in it.

Sometimes we become so focused on the front of a package—especially words like “natural,” “gluten-free,” or “organic”—that we forget to look at the ingredient list.

Remember: gluten-free doesn’t automatically mean healthy.

A gluten-free candy or cookie can still contain a lot of sugar, artificial ingredients, or other things that may not be a good fit for your child.

Food Dyes Are Worth Paying Attention To
Artificial food colors are another ingredient parents may want to watch.

Brightly colored candies can contain several different synthetic dyes, and some children appear to be more sensitive to these ingredients than others.

If you’ve noticed that your child tends to become more restless, irritable, unfocused, or has difficulty sleeping after eating certain brightly colored foods, start paying attention to the labels and looking for patterns.

You don’t have to guess.

Keep things simple.

Write down what your child ate and what you noticed afterward. Over time, patterns can become much easier to recognize...

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School has started again, and this is a time of year when I often hear from parents who say something like:

“My child was doing so well over the summer, and suddenly things have changed.”

Maybe you’re noticing more tics. Sleep has become disrupted. Your child seems more irritable, anxious, hyperactive, unfocused, or dysregulated. Perhaps digestive issues have returned, or behaviors you thought had improved are suddenly showing up again.

When this happens, I encourage parents to ask a very important question:

What changed?

Going back to school can change a lot more in your child’s environment than we sometimes realize.

It doesn’t necessarily mean that one particular thing at school is responsible. But looking at what has changed can give you important clues.

1. A New Environment Means New Exposures

When children return to school, they suddenly spend many hours each day in a different building surrounded by many more people.

That can mean increased exposure to circulating viruses and bacteria. It can also mean exposure to different cleaning products, fragrances, dust, indoor air pollutants, and other environmental factors.

For a child who is particularly sensitive, the cumulative load may be worth considering when you notice a significant change after returning to school.

And there is another environmental factor I especially want parents to be aware of:

Water damage and mold.

2. Could There Be Water Damage or Mold in the Classroom?

Mold isn’t always obvious.

You don’t necessarily walk into a classroom and see black mold growing on a wall. There may have been a roof leak, plumbing problem, flooding, or previous water damage inside a wall, ceiling, carpet, or other building material.

If your child seems to experience a noticeable change after returning to school—particularly if symptoms improve when your child is away from that environment—it’s reasonable to investigate the building environment as one possible piece of the puzzle.

Ask the school:

Has this classroom or this area of the school ever had water damage or a leak?...

 

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When someone is looking for answers in autism—especially when they have been struggling for a long time—it is very understandable to ask:

“What is the one thing that will help?”

Is it a supplement?
A dietary change?
A therapy?
A health technology?
Something else?

After decades of working with families and individuals, one thing I have learned is that I don’t look for one magic solution.

I look at the whole picture.

That doesn’t mean throwing everything at someone at once. In fact, I believe the opposite approach is often more helpful.

It means understanding that different tools can have different purposes—and knowing how to put the right pieces together in a thoughtful way.

Start With the Bigger Picture
The first thing I want to understand is not simply, “What symptom are we trying to change?”

I want to understand the person.

What is going on with their nutrition? How are they sleeping? How is digestion? What does their environment look like? What has already been tried? What seems to help? What seems to make things worse?

Symptoms are important, but they are also information.

They can give us clues about where additional support may be needed.

Build the Foundation First
Before adding more and more interventions, I want to make sure the foundational pieces are being addressed.

That may include things like nutrition, hydration, sleep, digestion, reducing unnecessary environmental stressors, and providing the body with the basic resources it needs.

The foundation matters because you don’t want to keep adding more tools while overlooking something fundamental.

Then Ask: What Needs Support Right Now?
Once I have a better understanding of the bigger picture, I can begin looking at which areas may need additional support.

And this is where I believe individualized thinking becomes so important.

There isn’t necessarily one supplement that everyone needs.

There isn’t one diet that works exactly the same way for everyone.

And there isn’t one technology or therapy that should automatically be added simply because it worked for someone else.

Instead, I ask:

What is the goal?

What are we trying to support?

What is the most appropriate tool for this particular situation?

Different Tools Can Have Different Jobs
This is also why I don’t see supplements, nutrition, therapies, and health technologies as necessarily competing with one another.

They can serve very different purposes.

One approach may be focused on providing nutritional support. Another may be focused on supporting a particular body system. Another may be something I use as an additional wellness tool.

The question isn’t, “Which one is best?”

The question is:

“What role does this particular tool have in the bigger picture?”

That is one of the most important questions I ask before I introduce anything...

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Learn why, after decades of researching nutrition and holistic health, I began exploring phototherapy technology, what caught my attention, and why I ultimately chose to share this particular technology.

After decades of researching nutrition, supplements, and holistic health, I’ve learned to keep an open mind.

I’m always curious about new ideas, new research, and new approaches that may help support the body’s own natural processes.

But being open-minded doesn’t mean accepting everything I come across.

I’m also discerning.

Before I consider incorporating something into my own life, sharing it with my family, or introducing it into my work, I want to understand it.

I want to know how it works.

I want to understand the science behind it.

I want to look at the research.

I want to learn about the company and the people behind it.

And whenever appropriate, I want to experience it for myself.

That’s exactly the approach I took when I first became interested in phototherapy technology.

It Started With a Question
After years of working with nutrition, supplements, and holistic approaches, I began thinking more deeply about the different ways we can support the body’s natural processes.

Nutrition is foundational.

I believe in providing the body with high-quality nutrients and supporting the digestive system and overall health as part of a comprehensive approach.

But I also know that not everyone is able to digest, absorb, and utilize nutrients in the same way. Assisting the body’s natural processes in multiple ways is important.

Digestive function and gut integrity can play an important role in how well the body is able to access and utilize nutrients from food and supplements.

This is something I have seen frequently in the individuals and families I work with.

So I began asking myself:

Are there other ways to support the body’s natural processes that don’t rely on digestion and absorption?

That question opened my mind to exploring different types of health technologies.

What Caught My Attention
What caught my attention about phototherapy technology was that it wasn’t another capsule, powder, or liquid.

It was a non-invasive technology based on a completely different delivery approach.

That immediately made me curious.

I wanted to understand how something like this was designed to work.

What was the science behind it?

How did the technology interact with the body?

What research was available?

And could something that didn’t rely on the digestive system offer another option for people who may have difficulty absorbing and utilizing nutrients?

These were the questions that made me want to learn more...

 

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https://naturallyrecoveringautism.com/253