
Maureen McDonnell joins Len to explore why more information isn’t the solution parents are looking for. Joined by Taryn McCracken, she explains why focusing on root causes and practical, parent-friendly guidance is what actually leads to meaningful progress. The secret this week is… Address Root Causes Or Stay Stuck
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A
Western medicine really shines when you're talking about acute care, when you're talking about emergency situations, you know your child has appendicitis, you break an arm, God forbid you have a heart attack. I want to go to the er and I want top physicians who really excel in the Western medicine model. But when you have a chronic health condition, your child has anxiety, your child has adhd, your child has autism, they've been injured by vaccines. Say you have chronic fatigue, some sort of autoimmune illness. I'm sorry, the Western medical model does not work. It does not work. It's inept, it's antiquated. And in many cases, when they jump in to help, they can do more harm than good.
B
If you're a parent of a child with autism, you are being called to rise with love, courage and clarity. This journey isn't easy and most parents aren't equipped, but you can be. This podcast is your invitation to rise higher because how you navigate matters. I'm Len and this is Autism Parenting Secrets, where you become the parent your child needs now. Hello and welcome to Autism Parenting Secrets. There's more information available to parents today more than ever. And there's podcasts, there's practitioners giving guidance, protocols. It's everywhere. And yet so many parents are still overwhelmed and because they're taking in so much without a clear way to really actually use it. And even the best information, if it doesn't turn into action, gets left on the table. So that's why I'm excited to share resources that truly help parents cut through the noise. And that's why Today's guest, Maureen McDonnell is here with us. And she spent decades doing exactly that. She's worked alongside pioneers like Dr. Sid Baker and helped shape the Defeat Autism now conferences. And now, through the Children's Health Solutions series, she's bringing forward trusted voices and turning their insights into practical, parent friendly guidance. But even with the right information, many parents still struggle to move forward. So today we're going to talk about who to trust, what actually matters, and how parents can move forward with more clarity. And the secret this week is address root causes or stay stuck. Welcome, Maureen.
A
Thanks so much, Lynn. Thanks for having us.
B
I'm thrilled. And again, your voice is a powerful one. I'm excited for our listeners and I know I teed up a lot in your history and what this episodes about, but ultimately it is about taking actions. And unless you are really addressing root causes, it's very unlikely that the progress that you're hoping to see will materialize. So I know touching on that key insight is key, but otherwise, I'm excited to welcome you. And since you've been at this for many decades, I'm just wondering right now, when you look around and you think about parents today, what feels most different to you today than perhaps when you started decades ago?
A
Awareness. I think there's a huge paradigm shift happening right now when it comes to health, and especially the health of our children. I think we previously have all been programmed to consult the experts what, when we have a condition or our child has a condition, get a label or a diagnosis for that condition. And then the paradigm of Western medicine is basically see if there's a medication or in the case of autism, certain therapies are recommended, but often there's a lack of hope, there's a lack of inspiration, there's a lack of options. And in the past, I'd say 30 years, that's shifted. Parents now are aware that there are root causes to their child's condition. You know, things like the child's mitochondria is affected, their gut microbiome is a problem often in autism. They often have dysregulated immune systems. Their nervous system is not regulated. There's all kinds of underlying issues that a typical Western medical doctor, psychiatrist, neurologist, they're not aware of. And thankfully, based on the work of Dr. Sidney Baker, Dr. Bernie Rimland, and now Dr. Neuenschwander, Dr. Elizabeth Mumper, Dr. Larry Polewski, many of the doctors who are involved with the Medical Academy of Pediatric and Special Needs, which is maps, where doctors go to get trained to learn that, how to deal with these, first of all, how to recognize how to test for these underlying root causes, and then what treatments are helpful to help bring that child back into a regulated state. And so we're in the midst of that paradigm shift. So parents now are not just running for a label. They're looking more deeply into what caused this problem. And what can I do that's practical in many cases, hopefully natural and also affordable. Because when you enter this path of autism and autism treatment, it can get very overwhelming, confusing, expensive, and just. It results in a lot of stress and emotional turmoil for parents, as you well know. So, yeah, I think that that's the difference is, you know, back when I worked in labor and delivery, back in the late 1980s and 1990s, and actually it was 1970s and 1980s, parents, there were some that were choosing natural childbirth, choosing to breastfeed, choosing to raise their kids in a natural way. But I'm Finding many, many, many more parents now are saying, look, I, I'm going to question this crazy vaccine schedule that's escalated beyond belief. I'm going to question the type of toxic cleaning products that are in my child's school. I'm going to question the nutritional value of the food that I'm purchasing or growing or have access to or my child has access to, especially at school. And so this awareness is what's propelling this paradigm shift. And it's really exciting to see that. And Taryn's a perfect example. Taryn is the creative director for the work that we do, the Children's Health Solutions series, which I'll explain in a minute. But she's a young mom of three children birthed at home and homeschools and a homeschool co op and is just so aware, much more aware than many, many parents that I knew back in the day. So it's exciting, it's an exciting time.
B
Great. Well, yeah, Taryn, great to have you here as well. And again, this is meant to be a free flowing conversation and I appreciate what you're sharing, Maureen, in the sense that you're seeing, looking in the rearview mirror, that there's much greater awareness on the part of parents, which is phenomenal. When you talk about practitioners, though there may be more practitioners like the maps practitioners that you mentioned, who are more aware, more equipped, see things perhaps through a different lens and take a more holistic view. But by and large, conventional practitioners, it may not be much different than it was decades ago. Which is why as you're navigating in the space as a parent, knowing, being more discerning on what's true, what information's out there and who especially to lean on from a guidance perspective is a very important aspect of navigating.
A
Absolutely. I encourage parents back when I taught natural Child Roast classes and now when I interact with parents who are seeking help from the medical world or practitioners, interview them, interview them, ask them questions, set up a time when you can be face to face and interview them like you're interviewing a building contractor, you know, a plumber. They, you need to resonate with them. You need to, to feel that they understand the, the various pathways that your particular child and you have to go down in order to get some answers and get some improvement in your child's health, behavior, developmental issues. So I think that's really important is yes, my hope is that every practitioner who wants to enter this field or who is in this field of trying to help children with developmental behavioral health problems will Attend the MAPS conference, the Medical Academy of Pediatric and Special Needs. Because it's there that these doctors and nurse practitioners and chiropractors learn how complex a condition autism can be. And they look at each child. Hopefully they look at each child individually. That's what they're being taught. Stemming all the way from Dr. Sidney Baker's influence on the Defeat Autism now conference, which morphed into MAPS conferences. But that's key, is looking at each child individually. There's no cookie cutter approach. Not every child has low zinc level. Not every child has a mitochondrial deficiency, not every child has microbiome dysregulation. Most of them do. But each child has to be looked at individually. And then the practitioner needs to know which labs to really help them identify the particular problems that child has. And then once those results are back and a good physical exam is done and you see what's going on with that child, what are the. Then the practitioner's job is to help the parents prioritize the interventions. You know, I may do an array of testing and come back with 30 things that are off base, but first of all, what is that parent ready for? What is that child ready for and how can I help guide them through that pathway that doesn't make them crazy. That starts to bring about the changes you want to see in the child. And that's, again, I think, parents in this realm. One of the top recommendations I have is to seek out a MAPS trained clinician. And every single episode we do of the Children's Health Solutions series, we basically not only interview a MAPS trained holistic pediatrician, but several times throughout the episode, we recommend people find a clinician through that organization.
B
The MAPS list of practitioners. Right, because they're listed there, they've gone through certain training, they have a lot of the qualities you mentioned. So it's a great way of narrowing your focus. But a lot of it does come down to a parent getting even more clear on who would be a fit for them. And I think one thing that you touched on, which I bring up all the time on this show, is that for a practitioner, a quality that's really important is curiosity. And frankly, many practitioners do not have any curiosity. They have their protocol, they have what they learned. It hasn't changed in decades. So when you talk about these MAPS practitioners, the Medical Academy of Pediatric and Special Needs, they all generally have that quality, but they, and even math practitioners are going to vary from person to person. So as a. As a parent, if you believe what Maureen is saying, and I suggest that you do believe it. It's so individualistic for your child. You have to really look at your child, say, okay, who would be a fit as a great medical guide or as a great practitioner for my child? And if you think that through more clearly, I think you'll find that you can rule a lot of people out who might be closer to you but not a fit. And that's where, if you're trying to discern who might be a fit, mat's practitioners, people who show up in that directory, and I'll include the link in the show notes, are much more likely to be a fit, perhaps for what's. What's going to be helpful for your child. And then that to the idea of if you're having that guide, having a root cause approach is absolutely essential.
A
Essential. And Also one thing Dr. Sidney Baker taught me, who was this extraordinary holistic pediatrician who went to Yale and trained a lot of doctors in this, how to really analyze what was going on with the child and help each child individually. He always said to me and anybody he taught, listen to the parents, honor the parents. The parents have the. They hold the key. They know that child better than anyone. So if you find yourself sitting before a practitioner who isn't honoring your perspective, your ideas, that's a red flag. You have to find someone that you resonate with and someone who respects you as the parent and yes, they are the guide. It gets very complex with all these different conditions these kids have. You want someone who really knows their science, who really stays on top of the research, who. Who gets themselves trained at these different conferences, especially the MAPS conference, because they have really cutting edge presentations at these conferences. But mostly you want to feel that mutual respect. I think that's really, really key. And another thing about listening to parents that Dr. Baker taught me when I, after several years of working together every day, I went off on my own and he became my medical supervisor. And I said to Dr. Baker, I said, I'll never be as smart as you. You know, you went to Yale and I'm just a nurse. And, you know, you're just so brilliant. And he said, listen to the parents. They will give you the guidance you need. They will tell you where to start and you know how to proceed, really. But it's listening and it's honoring that's very critical in this particular realm of helping children with these complex situations.
C
There's two parallel systems right now which we talk about, and there's the standard pediatric treatment where the pediatricians are treating the symptoms and Then there's this whole new emerging system of these maps, doctors and different pediatricians who are actually focused on the root cause and looking at the total child, the whole. Even from the outside in. And I feel these. That parents are, you know, we're taught, at least in the millennial generation, to go on this parallel system with the standard pediatrician who you meet, you Visit them for 10 minutes, they barely know your child, and they. And what they're treating is they look at Big Pharma and they get your prescription and that's it. And so many parents these days are actually waking up and going, wait, that doesn't feel right. That didn't work for me when I was growing up, and now it's not working for my child. And they're shifting and looking for this other system that is being. That is. Which we all met at, which is so beautiful, which is coming in and becoming more popular. At the MAPS conference that we just went to, there's over, I think, 250 new pediatricians that are. That were there. So it's helping these parents find this new system that's emerging right now. And I think it's such a beautiful time. And what I've noticed through having young kids is the groups, the online groups have been so helpful to find these different alternatives. And then what we've created with the Children's Health Solutions series, we're giving parents that foundational knowledge to help them when. When they're going to look for the pediatrician that clicks and understands them. They actually have tools in their toolbox, so they're not going in completely blind. They have the baseline knowledge to say, okay, well, this pediatrician brought up this certain type of homeopathics, which I actually know a little bit about. And that feels really good because I wanted to try that. So what I think is so beautiful about the Children's Health Solutions is we're actually delivering such a beautiful foundation and knowledge for parents so that they're not completely blind when going out and looking for the correct pediatrician to find the root cause for their child.
A
And also I think it's important, and as I get older, I've mellowed a little bit. And my understanding and what I want to project now about the medical world, especially having a stepson who's a wonderful ER doc, is that Western medicine really shines. When you're talking about acute care, when you're talking about emergency situations, you know your child has appendicitis, you break an arm, God forbid you have a heart attack. I want to go to the er. And I want top physicians who really excel in the Western medicine model. But when you have a chronic health condition, your child has anxiety, your child has adhd, your child has autism, they've been injured by vaccines. Say you have chronic fatigue, some sort of autoimmune illness. I'm sorry, the Western medical model does not work. It does not work. It's inept, it's antiquated. And in many cases, when they jump in to help, they can do more harm than good. So, example, the overuse of antibiotics for recurrent infections, you know, that's one of the biggest things when kids have ear infections over and over again, and they just get more antibiotics and stronger antibiotics, and it completely destroys their microbiome. And so much the immune system is located in the gut. So many allergies can develop from that overuse of antibiotics. And then you become desensitized to antibiotics when you really need them in the future. So that shift, that separation, I think, is becoming clear to people that emergency. God bless Western medicine. Chronic health conditions, complex disorders like autism and these other things we talked about. You gotta find somebody that really is, as you say, Len, curious, that really keeps studying this and that can help guide you with respect through this kind of narrow pathway that happens when you're trying to get to the root cause of your child's problems. But, man, when it's done right with the right person, the right testing, things are prioritized correctly, there's mutual respect between the physician and the parents and the child. Like I witnessed so many times working with Dr. Sidney Baker as his nurse. You see progress, you see children improve, may not always recover, but now it's decades later since Dr. Baker began this journey. And so they're digging even deeper into other areas that Dr. Baker and I, back when we started, were not doing. So it's an exciting time. And yes, what we do with the Children's Health Solutions series is we take one condition at a time. Whether it's again, your child's anxiety, whether it's adhd, autism, how to treat whooping cough and measles now that a lot of people aren't getting vaccinated, or they're doing less vaccines for their children. Some of these infections, I don't want to call them diseases, but natural childhood infections are coming back and parents are ill equipped to deal with them. So we're addressing that in an episode of the Children's Health Solutions series. So many kids and adults have Lyme disease, and that's such a complicated situation. Well, we take each of those conditions and we create an episode around that condition. Number one, we interview one of the top holistic pediatricians in that particular field. Number two, I ask questions along with our co host. My co host is Layla Setner and Layla is a very holistic educator. She has a school that teaches mindfulness and has gluten casein free, sugar free chefs and she has several wellness centers. So she's a great one to co host with me. And we ask questions that parents want to know and very, very targeted, but ones that make sense. And as Taryn said, these episodes then help lay the foundation for parents to understand that particular condition, the root causes, and the natural, affordable and practical treatment protocols. And what Taryn does is she takes that interview, she takes about, I don't know, six, seven weeks because she's an incredible creative artist. And she turns that interview into a very engaging, inspiring, visually pleasing episode that has graphics and music and all types of visuals that help the parent understand that condition. So there'll be graphics of mitochondria, there'll be, you know, a visual of what glutathione looks like. There'll be, you know, just ways to help us break down these complex scientific understandings and break it down so we can all digest it. And then parents are equipped with this basic knowledge given to them from the top people in that field. And then like Taryn said, if you go to a maps practitioner at that point after viewing one of these episodes that are relevant for your child, you're going to be much better equipped. And that was always my thing with if you're going to spend the money to go and see a doctor who's done all this work and goes to all these conferences and gets all this training and you're probably gonna pay a little bit more than your average pediatrician. And so you're, as a parent, the best thing you can do is prepare the soil, is create the foundation. And that's what these Children's Health Solutions series episodes do. And best of all, they're free. So we have a sponsor, we're able to pay the doctor for their time. So we pay them for these hour plus interactions, interviews, we pay for the production and we have a very generous sponsor. And so then we make them free to parents, teachers, therapists, other practitioners so they can gain insights into that particular condition that maybe they didn't have before.
B
Great. Yeah, no, I appreciate you expanding on that. So yeah, it's a video series, very well produced, can definitely help you hit the ground running when you start working with a practitioner and it also might help you have greater awareness to ascertain who that right practitioner might be. So that's where information is key. You raising your awareness to a heightened sense of awareness is really important. And that's where just a regular Google search might reveal sources that seem credible, that are mainstream and generally accepted, which again may actually steer you in the wrong direction. And so that's where I know even before we started recording, we were talking about the concept of, you know, what's in the mainstream. And there is a lot of misinformation in the mainstream in terms of things that are generally agreed upon that may not be really accurate or at the very least may not be the right fit for your child. So I loved how you talked about Dr. Sidney Baker and his guidance. Right. The parent has key insights in a sense that no one else will. And so to be able to work with a practitioner who acknowledges and understands that, who cherishes that. So I think we now have two key qualities of practitioners. Right. The first one was curiosity and then the second one is somebody who actually listens to the parent. And the reality is the conventional world, there's no time for a practitioner to, to be curious or to listen. Which is why if you want someone who's going to really give you personalized guidance of what's right for your child, more than likely you'll have to invest in someone who might cost more, but will be able to take the time to give you something that's tailored to your child as opposed to a one size fits all.
C
Yeah, those practitioners, they're trained on that one lane, that one they have the blinders on. They're not going to see all of the other ways to treat the trial because that's not what they're here to do. They want to keep you within the system that they have been trained on, that has worked for X amount of years, X amount of patient worked, worked, which we all know it works for a different system than what we're aiming for with our children. And another thing that I found very helpful that I just want to reflect back is instead of using the Google search, I've shifted did and now I'm asking these questions in these moms groups, there's this natural minded mom group. And hearing from the parents who have lived through the experiences with their child, who have done, who have been on this road longer than I am, I've found so many more valuable insights and information than honestly on Google. It's almost like just creating these little Micro networks between parents and with Maps. Maps is actually we just had the first parent conference which was just geared to getting parents together and so parents could ask the experts the questions and then the parents go back into their own networks and share the information with their, with their little groups in their town. So I just see that parent to parent connection being so valid, especially with the era of AI and where we're going with that. We really don't know the truth when we're just blindly searching on Google and so really just making sure that we create this intergenerational and these parent groups to continue spreading the truth knowledge about what we see with these children and the results that we're getting with the, with these natural, affordable and practical solutions.
B
Yeah, and that's where the overwhelm is because there's so many more ways to get information and some parent support groups can be dynamite, others can be horrendous in itself. So you have to be really discerning about again, where are you getting your information from? And again, I think we all would like to say, hey, well what we believe is accurate, everyone else isn't, you know, so that's where you have to really understand who's putting it together, what the source. And that's where again in the mainstream there's a lot of great information and there's a lot of great conventional pediatricians that for certain kids could be a great fit. But the reality is most parents at least who are watching this have a complex child who's not easy to figure out. And that's where even more so you want somebody who's listening, who's tuned in and again, who can give you guidance of what makes sense for your child and perhaps what to do and in what order, because there's an art to this. So if you're a parent going it alone, it's really important to have the right people on your team who are advising you. You're still the decision maker, but make sure you have the right people in the right box and absolutely, Taryn, yes, you can also really benefit from what other parents have gone through. But again, just be discerning because there's a lot of parent support groups that are out there where parents are well intentioned but also sharing information that might cut against what's going to be right for your child. So the key is stay in that decision making mode. Take in perspectives, but never surrender your authority to anyone, whether it's a practitioner or being overly influenced by another parent, because your child may be very different than their child.
A
And what I love about maps too, not that this is a commercial for Maps, but we all like maps. They're very careful about vetting their presenters. We used to do that with the Defeat Autism now conferences too. There were other conferences where if you had the latest shiny penny, you know, you could get up to the podium and tell parents that this penny was going to save your child. And what I loved about being the organizer, the coordinator of the Defeat Autism now conferences, working with Dr. Bernie Rimlin, Sid Baker and Dr. John Pengborn, is every presenter went through their filter and they had to have be well referenced and the information had to be really solid before we would allow them to get up there in front of these vulnerable parents who are just waiting for the miracle cure. But like on these parent groups and other types of conferences, you don't have that. You don't have that vetting system. And I also just wanted to go back for a second and explain. One of the reasons your typical allopathic medical doctor isn't well versed in what we're talking about, root cause, is because in their training, as Taryn alluded to, you know, it's very pharmaceutically based. But they are not taught to open Pandora's box. The root cause, Pandora's box is toxins. You have to look at all the toxins that are affecting our kids. Everything from the food they're eating that's containing glyphosate and other pesticides and the chemtrails and unfiltered water and I mean, personal care products, cleaning products, it just goes on and on. So that's one part of the triangle and then the other part is diet. You know, Bobby Kennedy right now is trying to implement. I think it's up to 50 med schools now have agreed to teach nutrition in med schools. It was 26 a couple weeks ago. Now 50 have agreed. So that's. I don't know what they're going to be learning, but, you know, a little basic training there wouldn't hurt.
B
Step in the right direction.
A
Another factor that typical allopathic doctors are totally ill equipped to deal with. And that nutrition piece, that diet piece is so critical in children who are on the autism spectrum detoxing their life and adding really great nutrition and environmental
C
such as emfs, is a new. This is all new too weird.
A
Vaccines, Sorry, that's the third part of the triangle. You know, when your kids are getting 26 in the first year and 52 before the age of 5 and 79 before age 18, I mean, parents are definitely Waking up to that. And allopathic doctors typically are not questioning that third element of the triangle. And parents are. And people who are aware and conscious and trying to help our kids identify the root causes are looking at all three of those areas. But as Dr. Baker, who used to say, if all you have is a hammer to heal a child, everything looks like a nail. Right. But in this case, you need more tools. You need more tools in your toolbox to identify the real root causes of your child's condition. So, yeah, the hammer can be helpful, but there's a lot of other tools that practitioners need to acquire in order to truly help these children with these complex conditions.
B
Yep. And there's a lot of different ways of characterizing the root causes. You can bucket them like, as you did in certain ways. But, you know, one other helpful way is just it's all about traumas, thoughts, and toxins. Those are three things that could absolutely be root causes. And that applies for your child. It can apply to you as a parent in terms of what might be holding you back. And yeah, there's a lot in the environment. Right. We live in a much more toxic environment. So the goal is to play better defense. Perhaps if there's issues, then detoxification is key. And again, it's a much more complex environment. Now, currently, what we're dealing with is radically different than when you started out, Maureen. Right. In terms of it's always been a toxic world, but we're in a exponentially more so. And a number of the items that you mentioned, whether it's EMFs, vaccines, again, it comes down to for your child, your unique child, what is something that's not a fit for them? What's something where you need to be better, playing better defense? And it's a really hard thing for a parent to figure out in isolation, which is why forming your team, having good advisors, having parents who are further down the road, all that can be helpful. Just be very discerning on who gets a place at the table, who gets to be on the team, because not everyone with opinion belongs on your team.
A
Right. Exactly, exactly. So I would just encourage parents to check out our website, thechildrenshealthsolutions.org website, which is where every one of these episodes are available and as I said, access them for free. But we interviewed Kathy Meehan the other day from Mindset Kids, and she just off the cuff, said this statement that when you become aware, you have to share. And so that's really our role. And I believe it's a role Other parents. If we are really trying to create a new paradigm and as Taryn said, a parallel system that's really impactful and gonna help more and more families, then when you become aware, it's almost like, I hate to sound put a little Irish guilt on you, but it's really our obligation to share. So I really hope when people go to that website and watch an episode or two or three or six or seven, they will let their like parents in their group who are like minded also have access to the website and these episodes.
B
I think that's a very dynamite suggestion. Yes. So consume the content, watch the videos. I love the care that you both put into creating these assets, these tools or resources for parents. So yes, consume it. And then before you share it though, which definitely do that, put it into action because again it's easy to watch the videos and then nothing happens. Right? There's no, nothing's different. And it's just like with the Maps conference, dynamite that they had a parent day at the last conference. I know they're going to have another multi day conference in September and I'll include a link to that in the show notes as well. But again, just showing up for a conference and consuming things, unless you can find a way to put it into action, then again awareness can only get you so far. So the key is ultimately having a plan that's addressing the root cause. You as a parent know your child better, you can formulate that, but make sure you have the right support around you to be able to actually ultimately turn it into consistent action. Because we know there's a lot that's more. That much more is possible for these kids for sure. But it ultimately requires usually, as I'm sure you'll both agree, uncomfortable action. You know, usually what is needed is never easy, but it makes all the difference.
C
Yeah, I like to call it fun, comfortable. So shifting from the UN to the fun and instead of be, it's just sometimes you can feel so overwhelmed, especially after that parent conference. It's like wow, where do I begin? And it's just that one stepping stone. So just one new shift a month. Let's focus on this one new skill. This one root cause a month has been really beneficial for me. And then in the next and three months goes by and you just shifted three major things either in your environment or your diet or maybe you paused on the vaccine schedule. Whichever avenue you do in the next six months, look at, look at all the progress you've made. So not you don't have to make all those changes immediately. But, but just focusing on one thing and you're a stepping stone to success with your child.
A
And also, Len, you mentioned that another triangle, the trauma thoughts and toxins and thoughts are incredibly powerful. And as parents go through this, having a positive attitude, because it can feel overwhelming if you choose to address it, like an avalanche of information. But if you're focused on your intention, you know, to help your child to optimize their health and well being and you stay positive in your thought process, you're going to attract the right people, the right situations. I imagine that's what you do, Len, in your consulting, you help parents. Well, explain that a little bit to me.
B
Yeah, it's. Well, I appreciate that. Yeah, it's a huge part of how I advise parents and it is helping them to reveal because the mindset, you're right, is important. That attitude and that we can adopt, but it's usually the second piece, which are the beliefs that we're holding. These stories that we tell ourselves that we are certain are true and those tend to generate the friction that can hold a parent back. So, yeah, I've dedicated my life to helping parents unearth these stories, these beliefs. Because if you can just become aware of what's hidden, parents can shift like that. So this, if you visualize the journey of a parent helping their child and they're carrying this big backpack, there's a lot of weight on their shoulders. They can shed an incredible amount of weight just by reprogramming themselves in terms of these stories that they tell themselves. So, yeah, that's a huge part of it. And it's usually stories the parents telling themselves about their child or about autism or more often than not, definitely was the case for myself, it's about these stories we tell ourselves about ourselves that can really weigh us down. And there's such a liberating feeling when you can course correct and shift in a much more powerful way. That plus a positive mindset, the parent's unstoppable.
A
Fabulous. I love that. I think we're all unstoppable. I think with that type of tools in our tool bag, you know, we have the knowledge and the awareness and the paradigm is shifting. We have each other. There's so many great organizations now. You know, you look at what Del Bigtree's doing, you look at what Children's Health Defense is doing, you look at what moms across America are doing, look at what you're doing, look at what Kathy Meehan is doing with Mindset where she's connecting families with holistic pediatricians and of course the Children's Health Solutions series and mam. The Millions Against Mandates is taking its focus and putting it more on the Children's Health Solutions Now. We've done a lot of work in the realm of trying to get rid of mandates and making people aware of of what's going on, what was going on during COVID and how to stay healthy. But our focus now is shifting more to just the solutions for our children. So we, I and I know Taryn too, we really appreciate you having us on this show and being able to talk a little bit more about this exciting program that we created with the help of Layla Setner. And we just, you know, we've shared it with tens of thousands of people but my goal honestly is to share it with millions of people around the world. I think it's so focused on practical solutions and natural things that they can do and in many cases very affordable. So it's a shift in mindset, it's a shift in lifestyle, but it's so worth it and all of us are there to help support and guide parents.
B
Wonderful. Well, thank you both for what you're doing, you and your whole team and I'm delighted to be able to help spread the word about this resource. So everyone will be in the show notes, but otherwise, check it out. I can guarantee you there's at least one topic, probably many topics that are quite relevant for what you might be experiencing. So again, thank you both for the time and and care that you're putting into this and just wishing you great success in getting this out to more parents.
A
Thank you Len. Appreciate your time.
B
Your child needs you running on all cylinders now and the fastest way to rise is with personalized one on one support. Get started today. Go to elevatehowyou navigate.com.
In this episode, Len Arcuri and guest Maureen McDonnell dive deep into why parents of autistic children must look beyond conventional labels and quick fixes to address the root causes of their child’s challenges. Drawing on decades of experience, Maureen explains the limitations of Western medicine for chronic health conditions like autism, the ongoing paradigm shift toward root-cause approaches, and practical ways parents can empower themselves with knowledge, discern quality practitioners, and act with clarity. The conversation highlights the importance of trusting parental intuition, building the right team, and committing to consistent, focused action.
The importance of finding professionals trained in root-cause approaches (e.g., MAPS practitioners).
“Curiosity” and the ability to listen to parents—essential traits in practitioners.
Personalized plans and mutual respect are critical: if your intuition as a parent does not feel respected, that’s a red flag.
Notable Quote:
“Listen to the parents, honor the parents. The parents have the... They hold the key. They know that child better than anyone. So if you find yourself sitting before a practitioner who isn’t honoring your perspective, your ideas, that’s a red flag.”
— Maureen (13:34)
Online mom groups, parent support groups, and curated content (like the Children’s Health Solutions series) help parents learn from those who have traveled this path.
The Children’s Health Solutions series provides free, visually-rich, episode-based education for parents on topics like anxiety, ADHD, autism, and more, produced in collaboration with top holistic pediatricians.
Notable Quote:
“What I think is so beautiful about the Children’s Health Solutions is we’re actually delivering such a beautiful foundation and knowledge for parents so that they’re not completely blind when going out and looking for the correct pediatrician to find the root cause for their child.”
— Taryn (16:38)
Maureen [00:00, 17:52]:
“When you have a chronic health condition ... the Western medical model does not work. ... In many cases, when they jump in to help, they can do more harm than good.”
Maureen [13:34]:
“Listen to the parents, honor the parents. The parents have the... They hold the key. ... If you find yourself sitting before a practitioner who isn’t honoring your perspective, your ideas, that’s a red flag.”
Taryn [16:38]:
“What I think is so beautiful about the Children’s Health Solutions is we’re actually delivering such a beautiful foundation and knowledge for parents so that they’re not completely blind when going out and looking for the correct pediatrician to find the root cause for their child.”
Maureen [30:09]:
“If all you have is a hammer to heal a child, everything looks like a nail. ... In this case, you need more tools. You need more tools in your toolbox to identify the real root causes of your child’s condition.”
Maureen [35:03]:
“When you become aware, you have to share. ... If we are really trying to create a new paradigm ... it’s almost like ... it’s really our obligation to share.”
Taryn [37:47]:
“Just focusing on one thing and you’re a stepping stone to success with your child.”
Len [40:38]:
“If you can just become aware of what’s hidden, parents can shift like that.”
Summary:
This episode urges parents to move beyond passively receiving diagnoses toward proactive, root-cause investigation and tailored action. By combining reliable information, the right team of curious and respectful experts, a strong community, and faith in themselves, parents can find hope and real progress for their children with autism. The process is stepwise: educate, discern, assemble support, and implement—one change at a time.