“It’s just allergies.” How many times have you heard these words that seem to minimize what your child goes through every day? If you’re a parent watching your child battle constant coughing, sneezing, runny nose, and itchy eyes – along with the crushing fatigue and irritability that comes with both the allergies and their medications – you know it’s never “just” anything.

As a parent, there’s nothing more heartbreaking than watching your child struggle and feeling powerless to help. Perhaps you’ve already explored various treatment or therapy options – from traditional chiropractic care to occupational therapy – but something still feels missing. You’re not alone in this journey, and there’s hope for a different approach.

As a parent, watching your child struggle with chronic health issues can feel like being trapped in an endless maze. You’ve tried everything – special diets, medications, supplements, various therapies – yet the breakthrough you’re desperately seeking remains elusive. If this resonates with you, you’re not alone, and more importantly, there’s hope.

As a parent of a child with autism, you’ve likely found yourself wondering about those repetitive movements – the hand flapping, rocking, or specific sounds your child makes. Perhaps you’ve received well-meaning but misguided advice to suppress these behaviors or been told “they’ll grow out of it.” 

Today, let’s explore the real root cause and deeper neurological story behind stimming that most healthcare providers miss and how understanding it could transform your approach to supporting your child. Realizing how stimming connects to nervous system dysfunction reveals a powerful truth: addressing your child’s underlying sensory tension can help them and your whole family find relief.

1. Rest 

Usually the reason we get sick is because we’ve been doing a poor job of this one essential health + resilience building action (or lack of action) – rest. 

When we’re in a busy, stressful, chaotic season as an individual or as a family it very much depletes our body’s natural defenses and weakens our immune systems. This lowered resistance and resilience is what actually causes an illness to take hold, not merely the exposure to it (germ theory). 

Therefore the most important thing our body craves and needs to get over the illness as quickly and effectively as possible is to rest. 

This looks like not only extra sleep, but also just taking it easy when you’re awake. Do all you can to avoid checking emails or work messages as an adult, and do all you can to keep your child or teen away from phones, texts, YouTube, and TV when they are resting. While this can be quite boring and therefore difficult to do, it will help speed recovery in a major way. 

Take a deep breath with me for a moment. If you’re reading this, you’re likely living with a daily reality that feels overwhelming: constant emotional outbursts, intense mood swings, heartbreaking meltdowns, struggles with anger, and a child who seems to have no impulse control. For many parents of children with emotional dysregulation, this isn’t just a bad day – it’s every day.

Has a healthcare provider ever told you that your child’s health challenges are “just genetic” and there’s nothing you can do about it? Have you felt frustrated, being told to simply rely on medications and learn to live with it? If so, I have some empowering news for you: science now shows us that genes aren’t everything.

Does this sound familiar? Your child suddenly covers their ears in a noisy restaurant, has an unexpected meltdown at the grocery store, or becomes distressed by the tags in their clothing. As a parent, these moments can feel overwhelming and isolating. You might have been told that these are just behavioral issues or that your child will “grow out of it.” But what if we told you there’s something deeper happening in your child’s nervous system?

If you’ve been lying awake at night, worried about your child’s health and wondering why traditional answers aren’t working, you’re not alone. As a parent, you know when something isn’t right with your child, regardless of what you’ve been told by well-meaning doctors or friends. That instinct – that deepening concern that something more is going on – is worth listening to.

As a parent, you have probably experienced that sinking feeling. Sitting in yet another doctor’s office, watching the clock tick by as you wait with your uncomfotable or distressed child. When the appointment finally happens, it feels rushed. Your concerns are brushed aside and you leave with another prescription – but no real answers.