Our Experience: Navigating Medical Treatments for Autism Spectrum Disorder
At Lighthouse Complex Care each of our providers has come into the world of the medical treatment of autism in a very personal way. As professionals, we supported the mainstream view of limited treatments and interventions available for autism and it’s cousins, ADHD, sensory issues, and others. Those options seemed adequate . . . until our own children started to have complex issues.
We have experienced firsthand the feelings of powerlessness, frustration, and uncertainty that come with a complex diagnosis like ASD. We were plunged into the world many parents find themselves in, trying to find the root causes of heartbreaking symptoms and searching for safe, effective treatments that improve health and quality of life.
Searching For Help
Unlike most parents, we had the opportunity to reach out to colleagues and specialists in our search for answers. When you hurt your foot, you make an appointment with a podiatrist. When you have a cavity, you go to the dentist. But who do you see when you have a child struggling with symptoms of autism?
Unfortunately, there isn’t a mainstream designation for that provider because our current system tends to compartmentalize treatment with each specialist focusing on one body part or system. The problem is, autism symptoms can arise from dysfunction across multiple systems in the body.
How We Approach Each Case
In our practice, we see these interconnected issues in the digestive system, the immune system, the neurological system, in a person’s genetics, in their metabolism, and how their body processes toxins it encounters. In addition, each child has different needs in each of these areas or in only a handful of them. Treatment has to be incredibly individualized and requires a broad range of knowledge and a high-level understanding of the interplay between systems.
Our model is collaborative, bringing together providers with different specialties to share their expertise. Our approach is a unique, systematic method of investigation, testing, and research that allows us to develop an individualized plan for your child. We use the best of mainstream medicine and less traditional, but effective modalities to maximize results with the goal of improved quality of life always in mind.
In both our professional and private lives, we have developed deep knowledge about the root causes of many autism-related symptoms including (but not limited to):
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speech and developmental delays
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sensory sensitivities
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aggression
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gastrointestinal issues like chronic constipation
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food sensitivities
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sleep difficulties
We have extensive knowledge about treatments for diagnoses from autism and other conditions that can look like autism or happen concurrently including PANS/PANDAS, autoimmune encephalitis, and others. We have seen incredible results in our own children and in the children we see in our practice.
Why We Are Different
Our mission is to bring the knowledge and passion we have gained into one practice to support other parents on the same journey. We chose the name Lighthouse because we have been on the rough waters of difficult symptoms, of sleepless nights, of fearing for our child’s future.
We understand what you’re going through and we have the tools, expertise, and personal experience to provide the care you need and to listen compassionately. Like a light in the dark, we want to provide not just guidance to get through the storm. . . we want you to know there is hope.
Families come to us from many different places in the journey from newly diagnosed to reaching out to us as a last effort when nothing else helped. They may not have seen anyone besides their pediatrician or they may have seen multiple doctors, specialists, and clinics.
We see children with many different levels of symptom severity and multiple, complex conditions. If you aren't sure if we can help because your child is "too complex", we ask that you submit our intake forms and previous records. From there we can make a decision based on your child's history.
It can be difficult to find a practice with the right expertise that isn't a cash-only model. We know how difficult complex care can be on a family budget under those conditions because we have lived it. This is why our practice accepts many forms of insurance and is doing everything we can to provide access to care to as many families as possible.
Let’s work together to help your child. You can get started today! Just fill out our intake paperwork here and we will contact you to schedule your first appointment.
Need more information? Just fill out the form below and we will send it your way.
