Jamaican Mother Pens Holistic Guide for Parents Raising Children With Autism

Marking Autism Awareness Month, Jamaica-born author Sushana Guthrie has released a self-help guide aimed at parents raising children with autism, as well as those managing ADHD, epilepsy and seizures.

The book, titled Nutritional Therapy for Autism, leans heavily on holistic approaches rooted in Guthrie's Jamaican upbringing. "Not everyone is aware of what autism is and how to deal with it, so I wrote this book (Nutritional Therapy for Autism) to bring awareness and just to help parents and loved ones of children living on the spectrum. These tips are mostly holistic as I have tapped into my Jamaican roots to make this happen. No longer do we get rude staredowns and discriminatory remarks from others who do not understand the complexity of autism. My daughter is also functioning better," she said.

Guthrie explained that her daughter Aliana, now 12, began showing signs of being different around 24 months old. "I had relatives visiting me then, and the children were much younger than her but were more advanced. They were maintaining eye contact and were very sociable. My daughter was the opposite of that. She was very secluded and was non-verbal. She was just looking and was just in her own world," she recalled.

A self-described perfectionist, Guthrie said the diagnosis weighed heavily on her, and Aliana's behaviour deteriorated by the age of four. "As time progressed, her behaviour got worse and she started to bang her head in the wall and damaging stuff. I used to cry a lot and I knew I couldn't accept it and that there must be something that could be done," she said.

Determined to find answers, Guthrie began researching the condition. Blood work ordered by a holistic doctor revealed that Aliana's brain was inflamed and that she was deficient in key nutrients. "We then started detoxing her system and I realise that a lot of the snacks or sweets that we were eating were detrimental to her. I pulled sweets, gluten and processed food from her diet. After a while she started progressing," Guthrie said.

There was a stretch when Guthrie rarely took her daughter out in public because she posed a risk to herself and others. With encouragement from her partner, she gradually reintroduced outings. "My partner has been very supportive and he gave me a lot of encouragement, so I started taking her out again. You know back in those times in the Jamaican culture it is sometimes seen kinda like a curse to bring forth an imperfect child," she added.

Guthrie said dietary adjustments and changes to Aliana's living environment have produced marked improvement. "My daughter is doing great. I recently did her review at school and she is doing well. Back then her report card would have a lot of 'not applicable' ticked and so on. Her language has become a bit more functional and she is maintaining eye contact, and she no longer hits on others or herself. Most of her symptoms are reduced and I am keeping her nutrition up to par," she said.