If you are looking for more information on the Paleo lifestyle, I would encourage you to start with these 2 books:
Robb Wolf is a biochemist who provides the science behind the Paleo diet in an easy to follow book called The Paleo Solution.
Mark Sisson has put his own spin on the Paleo diet, renaming it Primal, and his original book is The Primal Blueprint. He modifies some basic principals around dairy and overall compliance. Again, it’s an easy read with lots of info to back his claims.
The Paleo Physicians Network is a group of doctors who understand and follow Paleo principals in helping patients. http://paleophysiciansnetwork.com/
If you are interested the basics of adrenal fatigue, I would recommend Dr. Wilson’s book Adrenal Fatigue, The 21st Century Stress Syndrome. I substituted Paleo principles for many of the diet and supplementation advice, but it is a good resource.
Adrenalfatiguesolution.com is an update and informative website with more specifics on adrenal fatigue, including causes and solutions.
Click here for Mark Sisson’s description of how our adrenals work.
Click here for an article on adrenals from naturopathic doc Bryan P. Walsh.
For more information on Sensory Processing Disorder, I would highly recommend the books The Out of Sync Child and The Out of Sync Child Has Fun by Carol Kranowitz.
The Sensory Processing Disorder Foundation’s informative website http://www.spdfoundation.net/
Specific information and strategies for introducing new foods with picky eaters: http://www.sensory-processing-disorder.com/picky-eaters.html
http://www.tacanow.org/family-resources/picky-kids-eating-and-autism/
To contact me directly, please send me an email to joymdvorak at yahoo dot com. I welcome any questions, comments, or successes with food based intervention for your typically-developing or special needs child.
Professional pictures posted in this blog were taken by my lovely and talented friend Wendy Kaefer.
PeaceLovePaleo 
Joy,
I have a 6 year old with 1p36 deletion syndrome and sensory processing disorder. My son is healthy for the most part’ and doesn’t suffer from any seizures or organ problems. On the other hand, my son is considered severely intellectually disabled and is non-verbal. We have wanted to try paleo for so long, desperate for any improvement in sensory issues and hopefully improved communucation. So here we are now, on day 7, everyone feels better but my 6 yr old is having issues since he no longer has goldfish, popsicles’ fast food,etc. If he sees anyone with a brown paper bag he digs in it and gets extremely upset when he finds that there isn’t a burger or fries in there. We don’t want to give up because we have read so many articles about paleo helping SPD’ Autism, etc., but my question is do you think the diet is too much for my son considering his intellectual disability? Thank you, hope to hear from you!
Hi Angela,
Thank you for your question! Food change is hard on children and adults, and it can be difficult to know if we’ve changed too much too fast. You know your child best–disability or not, you know when your child is truly stressed and unable to recover in an appropriate time frame. I would say continue to observe your child’s behavior as long as you can without bringing in any other non-Paleo foods. If you notice his outbursts are less frequent and intense, then the food change may be helping him control behavioral outbursts. You may need a few more days to assess if his response to see if the “paper bag scenario” improves, worsens, or stays the same. That being said, if you need to modify your plan to make it more manageable for the entire family, give yourself permission to make changes on your journey.
I would also recommend a Zinc supplement as a Zinc deficiency can increase cravings. I like a product called ZMA on Amazon. It’s a combination of Zinc and Magnesium–2 minerals that are essential for overall health. I would recommend trying the capsule yourself and seeing how you respond. (tummy upset and loose bowels are a side effect) When I tried it with my girls, I unscrewed the capsule and added small amounts to their smoothie or drink to see how they tolerate it and then increase or decrease the amount accordingly.
I hope that helps! Hang in there! You are doing amazing things for your family’s health 🙂