My friend Priscilla Garduño played detective and discovered her son has AUTISM.  Find out how she amazingly helps Javi to excel!  She is a wonderful mom and a really talented cook too.  –Debbie

There have been many life-altering moments during my lifetime as well as blessings.  I would say giving birth to my first son was the biggest.  I never knew how much my life would change becoming his Mom and what a blessing and how easy to love he would be.  The moment I saw my little prince after a long 26-hour labor I was in love! He cried a lot and nursing was a challenge for him, but after a lactation consultant helped us he got it down.  And boy did he eat!

To this day he is a non-stop eater. As he was growing I did notice some differences between him and other toddlers.  Because he was my first son, I didn’t have any other children to compare him to.  He was definitely more active and had a lot more temper tantrums.  He also stopped talking close to his 2nd birthday and didn’t speak much until his 3rd birthday.  Seeing the differences between him and his brother who is 22 months younger made me realize he is probably on the Autism Spectrum. When his voice came back, it did with a vengeance and he is a non-stop talker.

At about the time we moved to North Carolina he was 3 ½ and I came to the realization I need to do something drastic to work with him on his behaviors and health issues.  He was constantly sick with ear infections, colds, flus, etc.  It was to the point of where I was in fear that he would get sick from other children.  I starting incessantly researching Autism and how we could alleviate his health issues and help him grow to his fullest potential.  I found a great doctor that specializes in treating kids on the spectrum through functional medicine.  I was also reading how many of these children have malabsorption, vitamin deficiencies, poor nutrition and how a gluten free/dairy free diet and the right supplements would help heal them. This made perfect sense!

At this time I was also trying to lose weight and get in better shape so this diet would benefit our entire family!  We had his doctor run labs along with a food sensitivity and genetic test to determine the best treatment for him.  It has been about 4 years since he’s been gluten and dairy free as well as avoiding a few other foods that trigger his hyperactivity. We avoid nuts and apples because of the high salicylates as well as soy and limit corn because they are hard on his digestive system. Eating a clean whole foods organic diet high in healthy fats like avocado, fish, and coconut, and incorporating the right supplements have made a difference.  I give my boys probiotics, cod liver oil, magnesium, vitamin c (ascorbic acid form), a pure multivitamin- we like animal parade gold, calcium, vitamin d, as well as a few others for Javi’s medical issues.  He has high ammonia in his blood and this can be toxic for him if his levels are too high.  I give him a special supplement that breaks down the ammonia and I have to limit the protein in his diet.  This can be hard because he loves his meat!  Of course I do not give the boys candy or sweets unless I make them and we don’t eat fast food.  This can be socially challenging, but starting them early on a healthy diet has made all the difference in them understanding that food is for nourishment and we need to make healthy choices.  Being proactive and using preventative measures like diet and supplements has made all the difference in my boy’s overall health.  For a brief period I did try ADHD meds for Javi due to pressure from the school and my husband, but he just didn’t tolerate it well.  It just wasn’t the right choice for us.

For me seeing is believing, so I know our nutrition regimen and lots of exercise has made all the difference. I do cook a lot and make their snacks and smoothies, but I’m not in the kitchen all day.  I think that a misconception to eating healthy is that you are slaving away all day in a kitchen, but there are tons of easy and quick healthy meals.  We do a lot of stir frys, healthy casseroles, salads, or crock pot meals. 

My boys are also a fan of herbal teas, which I make with manuka honey and lemon for colds.  Flus and infections are a thing of the past!  If they do get a little cold it lasts a day.  I crank up the vitamin c, add in herbal teas like chamomile, peppermint or ginger.  For infections, I would use hydrogen peroxide in their ears, or give them grapefruit seed extract or oil of oregano.   During cold and flu season I use Echinacea and Elderberry.  I’ve found many natural remedies on the Wellness Mama blog, which I love!  My boys love her elderberry syrup recipe, which boosts the immune system and fights the flu. She has a great herbal cough syrup recipe made from Marshmallow root, ginger, chamomile and cinnamon.

Javi is now in the 2nd grade now and is doing so well, even with the transition into a new school and that is huge for him!  The right diet, supplements and therapies have made him thrive.  I just know God made me his mother for a reason and my little blessing has changed my life more ways than one!  God’s purpose for him is making me a better Mom.

I like the autism society, generation rescue and autism speaks for info and support:

http://www.autism-society.org/

http://www.generationrescue.org/

http://www.autismspeaks.org/