Intro to Supplementation for ASD
- Sara L
- Feb 18, 2024
- 3 min read
Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) have a combination of issues making it tricky to get them the adequate nutrition that their brains and bodies need.
They can be picky eaters limiting themselves to just a few food groups. This is because they don't like the texture, smell or taste of food that may be good for them, like vegetables or fruit. Making matters worse, children with ASD are also four times more likely to have tummy problems such as constipation, diarrhea and tummy pain, compared to their neurotypical friends, meaning they may not feel like eating much, or even at all.
It gets worse...
ASD causes problems with the way that children’s internal machinery works. Their internal factories are unable to make or use a lot of the chemicals and nutrients their brains and bodies need to help with behavior, thinking and socialization. This causes the symptoms you see with ASD.
And then, it gets a little more worse…
As if that wasn't bad enough, food allergies affect children with ASD more so than neurotypical children. A recent study showed that for every 100 children with autism, just under 13-14 of them will have a food allergy, compared to 3-4 of non Autistic children¹, making it even harder to give children with ASD the nutrients their brains and bodies need.
All of this creates the perfect storm for potential malnutrition in children with ASD and highlights the importance of at least considering supplementation.
Why you should consider supplementation for ASD?
As a mother you may be concerned about whether they are getting the nutrients they need to support healthy brain and body development. Malnutrition is a big concern with ASD which is why it is a good idea to look into supplementing their diets with additional nutrients to make up for what they are potentially lacking. Supplementation could also help lessen their ASD symptoms (though it is unlikely to completely resolve symptoms).
I've done days of research (so you don't have too), compared loads of studies and sources (because you wouldn't want too) to provide you with the natural ways that you can support your child's nutritional health if they suffer from ASD.
I'm going to focus specifically on the nutrients that can be supportive and helpful specifically for children with ASD in terms of improving some of the symptoms they may experience.
My goal is to empower mothers with this information regarding natural ways to support their children's healthy development.
So, to start, in an ideal situation a dietician/nutritionist would look at your child’s diet, and work out the nutrients they are or are not getting. Based on this they should be able to provide guidance regarding supplements that would be most helpful for your child’s specific case.
However access to a dietitian can be tricky, and your child’s current healthcare provider may not be familiar with the best nutrients to support children with ASD.
This is why over the next few weeks, I want to share a list of the most helpful supplements specific to helping moms who have children with ASD.
To help, I have included weekly PDF cheat sheets for each supplement containing a helpful shopping guide to help you narrow down the formulation of the supplement you chose to buy. Recommended dosing for your child based on age is outlined. The form you should buy (eg capsule vs liquid etc) is discussed. I provide a handy list of recommended third party tested brands, some that I personally use for my family. This ensures that you are only giving your child high quality supplementation and nothing else. Supplements are not FDA regulated so brands can pretty much put whatever they like and use whatever ingredients they choose, which may not mean the most effective stuff for your child.
This site is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the giving of medical advice. The contents do not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing, or other professional health care services. No provider–patient relationship is formed.
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