Mother of autistic child writes self-help book

In commemoration of Autism Awareness Month, Jamaica-born Sushana Guthrie published a self-help book for parents with children living with autism as well as ADHD, epilepsy and seizures.

"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 said when her now 12-year-old daughter Aliana was born, she realised that she was different from other children at 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 said.

Guthrie admitted that as a perfectionist, Aliana's diagnosis took a toll on her. She said Aliana's behaviour changed by the time she was 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.

Guthrie said she began doing research on autism and started finding solutions. After blood work was done by a holistic doctor, it was found that Aliana's brain was inflamed and she was lacking 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 recalled that there was a time when she hardly took Aliana out as she was a danger to herself and others.

"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," Guthrie added.

She said that since she has adjusted Aliana's diet and changed her living environs, her condition has improved significantly.

"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.