Frequently asked questions
Can nutrition help autism, adhd, allergies, growth failure, seizures, bowel problems....?
My child is growing fine and has no bowel issues. Can nutrition tools still help?
What is nutrition care?
Why is it so hard to find someone to work with on special diets for special needs kids?
Isn't this type of care too new, alternative, and unproven to use?
What is a "licensed" nutritionist?
What is a "certified" nutritionist?
What is a "registered dietitian"?
I'm already a nutrition professional. How can I learn more about this area of practice?
Q: Can nutrition help autism, adhd, allergies, growth failure, seizures, bowel problems....?
Click the conditions on the left for more information on how nutrition care can help these for your child.
Q: My child is growing fine and has no bowel issues. Can nutrition tools still help?
Yes, nutrition tools can still help. Nutrition care is a process that uses evidence-based assessment tools to find nutrition problems that may otherwise go under the radar. Whatever problems are found can be addressed. As for bowel problems, these often go unnoticed /unaddressed by the pediatrician. The American Academy of Pediatrics changed guidelines in 2007 to encourage pediatricians to make GI referrals, but parents still report needing to initiate and request these. Nutrition measures can help children to comfortably pass soft formed stool daily, a sign that they are absorbing nutrients and food energy normally. Check this page for more information on bowel concerns.
Q: What is nutrition care?
Nutrition care is an established, evidence-based area of clinical practice that requires a license in 45 states. Working with a licensed nutrition professional enhances your odds for insurance coverage, permits access to payment for care from federal and private programs, and assures that your child receives a standard of care that helps keep nutrition care safe and appropriate. Nutrition care is a process that assesses, diagnoses, and treats a nutrition problem.
Q: Why is it so hard to find someone to work with on special diets for special needs kids?
Currently there is a shortage of health professionals trained in using special diets as as therapy for autism and other special needs. Physicians (MDs) frequently have little training in nutrition care, and are not expected or required to apply it in practice. Combining existing clinical standards for child nutrition with newer "biomedical" model tools can work well, and there is growing evidence to support its use. NCPA - the Nutrition Care Process for Autism‚Ñ¢ that Judy Converse created and has refined in practice for a decade - is an amalgam of these tools. This care can begin now for your child, without lengthy waits for appointments, or costly lab studies - which are useful, but are not required to begin. Start here if you would like to initiate this care. Judy has helped many families nationwide even when they can't travel to her office.
Q: Isn't this type of care too new, alternative, and unproven to use?
Decades of data on child nutrition clearly demonstrate that good nutrition status is a pre-requisite for typical growth, learning, and development. Nutrients, diets, undetected inflammation from foods, and gastrointestinal impairments can impact behavior, learning, sleep, mood, growth and development in children. Standard clinical tools for nutrition assessment and monitoring apply to all children, including those with special needs like autism, ADHD, behavior or learning problems, asthma, or allergies. Withholding nutrition care from a child because they have a special need is not only illogical, it is unethical.
Q: What is a "licensed" nutritionist?
A licensed nutritionist has met requirements for licensure in his or her state. Licensure requirements are more rigorous than "certificate" requirements, with stricter standards for practice, liability, education, supervised clinical training, professional monitoring, and ethics. Typically, licensed nutrition professionals must have a minimum of one nutrition or health sciences degree from an accredited university program; must be a registered dietitian or show equivalent training; and must maintain proof of continuing education activities that are approved by professional peers. States with no licensure or monitoring for this profession are AZ, CA, CO, NJ, and WY; anyone can be a "nutritionist" in these states. Nutrition professionals in those states can maintain licenses from other states. This allows professional oversight and helps patients access insurance coverage for nutrition services.
Q: What is a "certified" nutritionist?
This gets confusing because "certified nutritionist" is not a regulated phrase. Certified nutrition counselors, certified nutrition therapists, and certified clinical nutritionists do not have uniform requirements and are not subject to uniform oversight. Accredited degree program studies in nutrition and health sciences are not required. Supervised clinical rotations in accredited care settings, like university affiliated hospitals or clinics, are not required. Some certificates can be obtained in as little as 100 hours of on-line correspondence. Because inadequate or inappropriate diets can trigger irreversible problems in cognition and growth pattern, as well as wreak havoc for behavior, learning, mood, sleep, and functional abilities in children, anyone working with children on special diets should be trained in child nutrition assessment and monitoring - which certificate programs do not teach.
Q: What is a "registered dietitian"?
A registered dietitian (RD) has a minimum of an undergraduate nutrition sciences degree from an accredited university, and has also qualified for and completed 900 hours of on-site, supervised clinical training. Clinical training is coordinated with graduate faculty mentoring and MD oversight, and occurs in settings pre-approved by the Commission on Dietetic Registration, a national credentialing body. Typical training settings are hospitals, clinics, federal programs providing nutrition services, or state departments of health. A lengthy exam akin to medical or law boards must then be passed in order to receive the RD credential. This is a strictly monitored credential that requires proof of 75 hours of continuing education every five years. RDs often pursue graduate (masters or doctoral) degrees in nutrition specialties as well. RDs meet licensure criteria but it is up to the individual dietitian to obtain a license per their own state licensure board, and maintain it.
Q: I'm already a nutrition professional. How can I learn more about this area of practice?
So far, there is no accredited, university-affiliated program that teaches nutrition professionals or physicians how to use special diets or nutrition care for kids on the autism spectrum or with other special needs. In 2008, Judy published the first peer-reviewed, accredited course on this topic, click here to preview. Training webinars for professionals are also available.