Ok! We are finally getting into the nitty gritty of Ashton’s autism journey- his vitamins and supplements. I’m going to break this up into three different blogs because there is a long list and you don’t want to introduce them all to your child at once. If you have not read Steps 1-3, please go back and read those first. Once again, I am not a doctor. Just a mom sharing her son’s journey and what I did to help him make such big strides in his development. Please consult with your child’s pediatrician before introducing these vitamins.

Because every child is different and I’m not a doctor, I can’t give you specific dosage amounts. If you purchased the Fight Autism & Win book I recommended a few posts back, they give dose recommendations. I do not give Ashton the amount they recommend because I believe it’s a bit excessive, however, the book is a great starting point. It is all about doing research for each specific vitamin and understanding what works best for your child.

While we waited for Ashton’s metal toxicity reports to come back, I started him on a few vitamins that would help any child regardless of a diagnosis or not. I give him his vitamins three times a day mixed with organic apple juice and Fiji water (Fiji water has natural properties that help remove toxins from the system). Every Sunday, I crush all of Ashton’s vitamins and divide them into a pill organizer for the week.  Not gonna lie, it’s annoying AF to sit there crushing pills for like 15 minutes but it’s 100% worth it so I power through it.

If you’d like to see the specific brands and tools I use for Ashton, click here to visit my Amazon Shop.  As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Magnesium

Magnesium helps so much with a ton of the body’s functions- energy creation, protein formation, gene maintenance, muscle movements, nervous system regulation- a lot. But the main reason this is Ashton’s daily vitamin list is because magnesium plays a critical role in brain function and most importantly it helps with sleep irregularities, frequent outbursts, anxiety and irritability. In a nutshell, it helps calm Ashton down because he is super hyper child with tons of energy. If I skip giving Ashton magnesium for just one day, he is like the Tasmanian devil the next day.

Zinc

Zinc is such an important supplement for a child’s growth and development. Children’s bodies need so much more zinc than an adult because they burn through a lot of zinc especially during growth spurts. It also plays a big role in immunity, healing, gut health, mood and behavior. Before we started Ashton on his vitamin regimen, he would grind his teeth incessantly. After introducing him to zinc, that stopped within a week.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is a common vitamin that has been widely promoted for decades because of it’s antioxidants that help the body ward off diseases and battle viruses. But it also strengthening bones and tissues, keeps gums healthy and helps the body better absorb other supplements.

Echinacea

Echinacea is something my dad got me hip to from a very young age. If I ever felt a tickle in the back of my throat and could tell I was getting a cold, I would pop a couple echinacea vitamins throughout the day and it almost always cleared everything right up. Since Ashton does not get the flu shot, I want to make sure that his immune system is well supported. But that is not all Echinacea is good for. It also helps to reduce inflammation, can help with constipation and has calming properties.

Side note- I have a neutral view on vaccines as one of my children is fully vaccinated and the other is not due to past reactions to vaccines. My personal opinion is that vaccines affect each child in differently. This is such a sensitive topic that I choose to avoid discussing it. But please know that I do not judge any mother for her choice in vaccinating/not vaccinating.

Multivitamin

This one is a no-brainer but it is very important to find a great multivitamin for your child. I love Mary Ruth’s Organic and actually use their adult multivitamin for myself.

Alright, so that’s it for part 1 of vitamin introduction! I truly hope this blog series is helpful for you all!