What if your child’s “behaviors” are actually their nervous system asking for help?
In this episode, Lauren Davis, an osteopathic physician, functional medicine practitioner, and proud neurodivergent mom, explains how hands-on medicine, nutrition, movement, and vision can radically change the quality of life for autistic and ADHD kids (and their parents).
Key Questions Explored in the Episode:
- What is cranial osteopathy and how is it different from craniosacral therapy?
- How can hands-on osteopathic treatment support autistic and ADHD children (and their parents)?
- What role do primitive reflexes, gait, and toe-walking play in behavior and regulation?
- How do nutrition and micronutrients impact attention, mood, and overall functioning?
- Why is vision so often a “missing link” in fine motor, balance, and behavioral challenges?
- How much can regular exercise really do for neurodivergent children compared to medication?
- What does it look like to parent as a neurodivergent physician and mom in a neurodivergent family?
Dr. Lauren Davis, an osteopathic physician double board-certified in family medicine and neuromusculoskeletal medicine, who also practices integrative and functional medicine. Dr. Davis explains cranial osteopathy, how tiny motions in the skull and cerebral spinal fluid affect lymphatic drainage and brain function, and how this can support autistic and ADHD individuals. She shares how birth compressions, fascial restrictions, and skull dysfunctions may contribute to irritability, impulse control challenges, and executive function struggles, and how hands-on treatment can optimize—not “cure”—a neurodivergent brain.
They dive into primitive reflexes, toe-walking, gait, and the importance of a thorough physical and neurologic exam. Dr. Davis highlights how retained reflexes and structural issues can present as “behaviors” and how simple home exercises can support integration. The conversation then shifts to nutrition: high sugar intake, micronutrient deficiencies, and Dr. Davis’s practical strategies like “color nights” and creative gluten-free, protein-rich meals for picky eaters.
They also explore vision as a huge but often overlooked piece of the puzzle, including tracking, convergence, binocular vision disorder, and specialized approaches like cranial vision osteopathy. Dr. Davis emphasizes exercise as a powerful intervention, citing evidence that 30 minutes of moderate aerobic movement can improve frontal lobe blood flow similarly to stimulant medication. Finally, she shares her personal story as an AuDHD physician, her neurodivergent family life, burnout in medical training, and how understanding her own neurology reshaped both her practice and parenting. She closes with a powerful message: your child is perfect as they are, and our job is to support who they are meant to be.
Time Stamps:
00:00 - What is osteopathic neuromusculoskeletal medicine and cranial osteopathy?
03:44 – Cranial osteopathy vs. craniosacral therapy and how fluid movement in the skull affects the brain and lymphatic system
06:16 – Why cranial osteopathy is still relatively unknown and how it helps the autistic community
07:02 – Newborn care, birth compressions, fascia, and early patterns that persist into childhood
09:10 – Hyperactivity, executive function, and improving frontal lobe blood flow through hands-on work
11:15 – What a typical evaluation looks like: history, physical exam, screening, and integrative recommendations
13:14 – Nutrition deep dive: sugar intake, micronutrients, and the impact of processed foods
15:11 – “Colors of the rainbow” eating and creative color-themed meals for kids
18:17 – Raising gluten-free kids with celiac disease and teaching cooking as a lifelong skill
19:57 – Picky and restrictive eating: practical strategies to “hide” nutrients and upgrade comfort foods
21:16 – Movement and gait: what walking patterns reveal about the nervous system
22:49 – Primitive reflexes explained and how retained reflexes can mimic ADHD or autism
24:54 – Demonstrating the glabella reflex and reflex integration concepts
29:28 – Toe-walking: possible root causes in muscles, nerves, spine, brain, and sensory systems
33:15 – Vision, eye tracking, convergence, and binocular vision issues in neurodivergent kids
35:50 – Treatment options: computer-based vision programs, prisms, and cranial vision osteopathy
40:32 – Exercise, sensory seeking/avoidance, and finding movement each child can tolerate
41:40 – Research on 30 minutes of aerobic activity and its impact on the frontal lobe vs. stimulants
45:57 – Parent regulation, traditional Chinese medicine, and children as extensions of our nervous system
50:22 – Lauren Davis’s personal journey: growing up neurodivergent, celiac disease, medical training, and burnout
55:04 – How functional and osteopathic medicine, plus lived experience, inform her clinical work
56:42 – Final message to parents: your child is perfect as they are
Ready to look beyond “behaviors” and start understanding your child’s brain, body, and nervous system as a whole?
Tune in to the full episode for practical, hopeful insights you can bring into your home, your appointments, and your everyday life.
