Sarah’s son David was considered to have “worst-case-scenario for autism” by specialists due to his highly aggressive and self-injurious behaviors and complete lack of verbal communication. Today, thanks to Sarah’s commitment to healthy diet and detox, David is considered high-functioning. He is now verbal, learning job and money management skills, he is happy and all negative behaviors are a thing of the past.
Jenna was diagnosed with autism at age 4. Today, she is taking college classes, holds a junior Black Belt in karate, and is an amazing self-advocate.
I had read that children on the Autism spectrum often suffer from medical issues and have nutritional deficiencies and gut inflammation. But I had always brushed it off because my son never physically showed any signs of medical issues. I decided to look into this some more.
Autism. I used to not be able to say this word out loud without my heart sinking just a little. It made me sad (still does sometimes) and angry (still does sometimes). You see I have a son with autism.
Autism often comes with a laundry list of medical issues that interfere with development and weigh our kids down. One day could be perfect with the next day a complete disaster. I root for the good days, but we’ve had our fair share of disasters, like this day from a few years ago:
This was the moment I lost it. We have been fighting now for almost five years – sacrificing everything (literally) in order to help my daughter recover and heal. My daughter’s health has done a 360! I started crying happy tears, thinking about how far she had come…
The whitewashing of autism comes not only in the delusional declaration that it has always been here, but also the claim that the autistic brain is simply wired differently. There is a growing body of science that is much more grim and sobering.
Next time I share that my son has “autism” and someone asks, “Oh, so what is his gift?” (Think Rainman and how everyone assumes that every “autistic” has an incredible ability that somehow overshadows that fact and makes it magically ok that they are severely affected by that “autism”…), I can answer that his is being fearless.
My autism journey has changed the way I live and care for my family. I am passionate about nontoxic products, natural remedies, grain-free nutrition, essential oils, and healing the symptoms known as autism. This is a space for anyone aspiring toward cleaner, healthier living.
XO Joanna
