If you watched my first video, How Yeast Overgrowth Affects Children with Autism Part 1: Signs and Symptoms, you might be thinking your child’s problems stem from yeast overgrowth. So what’s next?
Starting a Trial Treatment
If you suspect your child has yeast overgrowth you have two options – you can test or treat. Sometimes, if you’re fairly certain a yeast overgrowth is causing your child’s symptoms, starting what I call a trial treatment may be helpful. If we treat for yeast and symptoms go away, we know we were on the right track. Starting with yeast treatment, which I will talk about in the third and final part of this series, can save you money and time.
Testing for Yeast Overgrowth
If you’re unsure whether or not yeast overgrowth is the root cause of your child’s signs and symptoms, I recommend testing first. These tests are sometimes covered by insurance and while they can be a bit of a hassle to collect, they often provide great insight into what’s causing your child’s issues.
There are three typical testing options:
- Blood Test: A blood draw tests for antibodies to yeast or candida. If those antibodies are present, then we know yeast is a problem. However, of the three testing options, the blood draw is the least sensitive.
To protect itself from detection, yeast can suppress our immune systems and give us a false negative. Because of this, we know a negative blood test doesn’t always mean yeast overgrowth isn’t a problem and more testing may need to be done.
However, a positive test indicates yeast most certainly is a problem. - Urine Test: A urine test looks for markers of potential yeast overgrowth. One of the best urine tests is the Organic Acid Test (OAT). For this test, you collect your child’s urine at home, freeze the sample, and FedEx the sample back to the lab. If your child is not potty trained, you can request an adaptor for the urine collection kit which will include a bag that sticks to the outside of your child’s bottom.
- Quest Diagnostics, LabCorp, Genova Diagnostics, and Great Plains Laboratory all offer OAT testing. Great Plains Laboratory, my personal favorite, uses an OAT test that screens for a comprehensive list of markers that can help identify some other root causes of typical autism symptoms.
- The cost for an OAT test ranges from $200 to $400 and may be covered by insurance in some cases.
- Quest Diagnostics, LabCorp, Genova Diagnostics, and Great Plains Laboratory all offer OAT testing. Great Plains Laboratory, my personal favorite, uses an OAT test that screens for a comprehensive list of markers that can help identify some other root causes of typical autism symptoms.
- Stool Test: Stool tests can be messy depending on your child’s toileting habits, but there are some situations where a stool test is more appropriate than a urine test. If your child’s symptoms include constipation, diarrhea, or any other gastrointestinal or digestive symptoms, I recommend choosing a stool test over a urine test. This type of testing can give you a lot of great information about inflammation in your child’s gut which may be the root cause of the bothersome symptoms.
- GI-MAP testing ranges from $160 to $360 and may be covered by insurance in some cases.
Ready to Start Testing?
If you think yeast overgrowth is the root cause of your child with autism’s issues and you’re ready to begin testing, here are the steps to follow.
- Find a licensed provider in your area to order the tests. Often, traditional medical providers don’t know about these tests or how to go about ordering them. You can find a naturopath or functional medicine provider in your area through either of these sites:
- Contact your insurance company to see if any of the tests are covered.
- Follow the testing instructions provided by the lab.
All my videos offer unbiased, actionable advice for your most common autism challenges.
Be gentle with yourself. You’re doing a great job.
I hope this information has been helpful to you as part of creating Your Autism Game Plan.
Do you have a topic you’d like to learn more about? Email me at joya@yourautismgameplan.com
