#397 - The Best Nutrients to Support Sensory Processing in Kids

More than half of the supplements that you're gonna find on Amazon don't have the actual ingredients in them that they say they do. They're knock offs, right? So And Amazon doesn't regulate this. Make sure that when you do get these supplements that you're doing your research to make sure that it has what it says it has and it's clean. I actually saw a video the other day of like

you know, Thorn, which is a great supplement company and like here's what the bottle of like real Thorn looks like and here's the Amazon knockoff version like almost the same. There's gonna be like one or two tiny details. It

It's so hard to tell the difference, which honestly, I'm at a point where I'm just like I buy very little things from Amazon anymore. I don't buy any supplements from Amazon. Yeah, it's creepy. I go directly to the website so that I know what the company is, where they're from. I can see the third party t like I'm getting a little bit hyper vigilant on it because it kinda freaks me out. I know.

I'm Rachel and I'm Jessica. And this is All Things Sensory by Harkla. We are both certified occupational therapy assistants and together with Harkla we are on a mission to empower parents. therapists and educators to help raise confident and strong children of all abilities. On this podcast, we chat about all things sensory, diving into special needs, occupational therapy, parenting, self-care, overall health and wellness, and so much more.

We are here to provide raw, honest and fun strategies, ideas and information for parents, therapists, and educators, as well as other professionals to implement into Thank you so much for joining us.

Hey there, welcome to All Things Sensory by Harkla. We're so happy to have you here today. I'm Rachel. And I'm Jessica. And today we have a fun, fun interview. This is a unique episode. This is a unique episode. I don't think we've talked about it as much. I think we've had an interview where we've talked a little bit about it. So we're talking about supplements today and can supplements help kiddos and adults with sensory processing disorder? And in the research that we did

for this podcast episode. I came across this really unique unique article. And we thought it would be interesting to do kind of an article review type podcast where we're not necessarily just going to share our thoughts. on this and our information. It's more of like, let's talk about what the research is is saying and, you know, what this article says. So it's kind of more of like a literature review episode. Yeah. But we also just have to disclaim her and say, you know

Talk with your doctor, talk with your child's doctor before implementing any changes if you do in their dietary routine or supplements. Supplements. Do your research. Do your own research. And we'll link this episode or this article as well so that way you can review it if you're a visual learner.

You can review it as well. Yes. First, we have to talk about sensory processing disorder, what it is, in case you're new to the sensory processing world. So Sensory we all have a sensory system. We all process sensory information constantly throughout the day, 24/7, in even when we are sensitive. sleeping our sensory systems are working. So we have eight main sensory systems, the five that we all learned at elementary school: vision, smell, taste.

just sound and touch. I almost said vision twice. Um but then we have three hidden senses our proprioceptive system, our vestibular system, and our interoceptive system. And those are really um like our internal senses of movement where we are in space. How to move, when to move, balance, strength.

feeling our emotions, if we're sick, if we're hungry. And so all of these eight senses come together to make our sensory processing system. And if they are working well, then we're able to get through our day easily, regulated. We might We might have moments where we're a little bit overstimulated, maybe by the kids yelling and the dog barking at the same time, but if we're pretty well modulated, we can get through it and we don't have a big overreaction.

Sensory processing disorder, which is not a recognized diagnosis in the DSM five, disclaimer that, um, is When the one or more of those sensory systems has trouble, goes haywire and causes adverse responses. So in that example of the kids yelling and the dog barking, if you struggle with auditory processing

and you have sensory processing disorder, you're gonna have a big reaction to that auditory input because it's overwhelming to you, to your brain, and you can't provide an adaptive response. So sensory processing disorder for kids often impacts their ability to engage in social situations, play on the playground, have success in the classroom and just get through their daily routine like brushing their teeth or sitting down to eat a meal and get dressed.

Mm-hmm. That was a really great explanation. Thank you. It's my elevator pitch. Yes. So this article actually says that As many as 95% of kids with neurodevelopmental disorders also have symptoms and, you know, basically sensory processing disorder or at least, you know, that's a

a side effect, if you will. I don't know if that's a proper term, but it makes sense of, you know, a diagnosis like ADHD or autism. And so most of the time if someone is neurodiverse, they're probably going to have sensory processing challenges as well. But if you have sensory processing challenges, it doesn't necessarily mean that you are neurodiverse. I know that's kind of confusing to think like you can have some sensory challenges and some sensory quirks.

and not necessarily be ADHD or autistic. But, you know, if you are autistic or you have ADHD, then you probably have some sensory concerns as well. So I think that's helpful to keep in mind and, you know, really we're just helping our kids have a well-modulated system. We just want them to be able to get through their day as easily as possible. And if you're wondering, yeah, my kiddo has some sensory challenges, but like do I need to get them help or services? Our go-to is always

If it's impacting their ability to get through their day easily, then you should seek help and get occupational therapy services. If they can get through their day okay and they have some minor challenges, but for the most part, they're modulating their input. pretty good, then you can probably get through with some adaptations and modifications and some different strategies to help them. But really if it's making everyone in the household miserable, it's important to get help.

'Cause you're all as regulated as the least regulated person in the household. So I think that's important to keep in mind. Yep, and we will share some more resources on sensory processing disorder, sensory integration, occupational therapy in the show notes. So in the links below this episode, we will share a couple more things

So that if you are new to this journey, sensory processing disorder, you can look at those next. But what we really want to talk about are supplements because as sensory processing disorder has become more well known and the research is you know, looking into it. Um, more companies are coming out with these

Supplements that are targeted for sensory processing disorder. I think in this research article they call them sensory supplements. And so, you know, if you are a parent or if you're a therapist and you've got clients who've got kids who have SPD, sensor pressing disorder, then supplements might be something that you want to learn more about. To identify, do these supplements help my child with regulation and sensory processing? Is that something that could be helpful?

Yeah. So let's jump in and kind of review this article and share some some key points here. I think the first thing that is important to discuss is, you know, what sensory supplements work. And the article says that clinical research into non-pharmaceutical supplements for children with behavioral disorders has mixed results. Of course, but large meta-analysis have suggested that the most effective nutrients for improving behavior related to sensory processing disorder disorder.

difficulty. Um these supplements include L-carnitine, coenzyme, Q10, digestive enzymes, B vitamins, melatonin, and some multivitamin formulas as well. Um, NAC, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin C, and vitamin D3 are the other ones. So not a lot that I'm surprised by in that list. I'm excited to kind of review this and and talk a little bit more in depth about these.

Yeah, so the first one that we'll talk about are multivitamins that include micronutrients. Now, if you've been in this m you know, supplement world for any amount of time, you know how deficient in so many of these micronutrients and vitamins we are as a society. And this goes into a lot of, you know, other areas of discussion of like food and how our food produced, right? The soil, the farming, agriculture, um, the types of food we eat, that kind of thing. So

you know, as a whole, our society is pretty deficient in a lot of these vitamins and micronutrients. But especially kids with sensory processing challenges or SPD, oftentimes they're picky eaters. And they have a very limited food rapport and the food that they do eat their safety.

Foods are often highly processed, which means that they're not getting these micronutrients or these vitamins that are really essential for their body to regulate. So a really good multivitamin, I think, is probably essential for everyone, no matter what. matter what. That's my personal opinion.

disclaimer, I'm not responsible for anything, but that's my opinion. No, I take a multivitamin, my son takes a multivitamin, um, and, you know, doing your research to find ones that you know, have clean ingredients, have third party testing, and oh my gosh, I was just listening to a podcast today about how More than half of the supplements that you're gonna find on Amazon are likely coming from overseas and don't have.

the actual ingredients in them that they say they do. They're knockoffs, right? So and Amazon doesn't regulate this. probably because of a variety of reasons. Um, but just make sure that when you do get these supplements that you're doing your research to make sure that it has what it says it has and it's clean. Mm-hmm. I actually saw a video the other day of like

you know, Thorn, which is a great supplement company and like here's what the bottle of like real Thorn looks like and here's the Amazon knockoff version. Like it's a difference. Almost the same. There's gonna be like one or two tiny details. It

So hard to tell the difference, which honestly, I'm at a point where I'm like, I buy very little things from Amazon anymore. I don't buy any supplements from Amazon. Yeah, it's creepy. I go directly to the website so that I know what the company is, where they're from. I can see the third party tet like I'm getting a little bit hyper vigilant on it because it kind of freaks me out. I know. It's scary. It really is. Anyways. So, okay.

So let's let's, you know, move on from our multivitamin. We'll talk a little bit more about amino acids. Now, the first amino acid is L-carnitine, and this is essential for central nervous system health and fatty acid metabolism. So number one, I mean the nervous system, this obviously is gonna be huge for our sensory processing challenges, our autistic clients.

clients as well. Emergent emerging research has shown that L-carnitine plays a role in fatty acid metabolism and may support healthy behavior and focus and in children, probably adults as well. But that's really helpful to keep in mind. As well as Phospho title serine? I don't know how I'm saying that.

Properly. Nicely done. I think you were pretty close. It's not accurate. PS is what it has it abbreviated as. Yes. This is a component of the cell membrane that supports membrane fluidity and receptor function and regulates a stress response. PS levels are often decreased in autism and individuals with impaired sensory processing. However, many children's supplements contain PS.

Evidence for its benefits and sensory processing deficits is lacking. So just the research is lacking. Go figure. Yeah. I think just overall amino acids, those are the building blocks for our cells. Yes. And our mitochondria. Yeah. So very, very important. I actually take an amino acid gummy. Any vitamin I can take in gummy form, I will be taking it. It's gummy right now. I know. Uh next is vitamin D. Now what we know about vitamin D is that it comes from the sun.

Right. And unfortunately, so much of today's society is indoors. We're not getting enough sunlight. Again, from a podcast that I listened to, they were looking at a research article that showed that Currently people in prison get more sunlight than most elementary school children. That's wild. It's creepy. Yeah. So we're vitamin D deficient. Um, keep in mind that again, this is gonna be research. Um, you need to pair vitamin D.

with a fat in order to get it to absorb you into your system, into your body, and have positive effects. So vitamin D can have a pretty big impact on inflammation, depression. dopamine, growth factors, serotonin, like those feel-good transmitters. So like

If you have a kid with sensory processing disorder and they're really low affect, low arousal level, maybe they don't feel good very often. We want to look at their vitamin D levels. A 2020 meta-analysis found that vitamin D supports neurological health, may assist with maintaining Maintaining calm behavior in children, but keeping in mind that combinations of vitamin D with omega-3 fats have been shown to improve social and behavioral outcomes. I take a vitamin D3 or DK.

Three supplements? Either K two or K three. I take a liquid. Um yeah, mine's like a little dropper and I add it to my greens drink, my multivitamin greens drink. You could just put it right under your tongue. Just straight into your brain. I mean, it goes straight into my system. I think it's doing fine.

Vitamin D also this doesn't talk about in the research article. Vitamin D has a huge impact on our immune system too. Yeah, you know what else is crazy? After I had my kiddos, my midwives, were like, we're gonna increase your vitamin D to six thousand IUs, I think that's what I Um because it can actually help prevent postpartum depression. Depression. Boom! I uh was taking six gummies a day because I love my gummies. I know they're not always the best, but that's

That's you know, you gotta get them back to it. You have to figure out a way to get it in because getting it in is better than not, exactly, in that sense.

Yeah, yeah. Okay, next one is omega-3. So we talked a little bit about omega-3 with our vitamin D. This is one of actually one of the most popular supplements for kiddos with behavioral disorders. likely due to the evidence that children with ADHD have lower blood levels of DHA. Omega-3 fatty acids, especially DHA, are necessary for normal development and functioning of the brain, auditory, and the visual processing systems.

A 2023 meta analysis found that omega 3 supplementation improved attention, psychosocial functioning, emotional health and behavior in eight out of fourteen studies. So that's just over half, yeah. Yeah. And They also did some brain imaging and they found that children who received omega-3s showed enhanced activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, which is a region linked to emotional regulation and decision making, where dysfunction is associated with antisocial behavior.

So I love that there's at least some good research supporting this one. Yeah. And I think it's another it could be up there with the multivitamin. Like let's Let's do this one. The only challenge with this one is I have a harder time getting my kids to take it because like it just tastes fishy. Yeah. And I don't like to take'em either as well. So

Uh that's fair. Yeah. Where's my good gummy in this one? I'm sure they probably have a gummy. Gummy that you chew it and it tastes like fish. My fish gummy. Gross. It's terrible. Covered in flavoring and sugar. Sugar.

Twenty grams of sugar. I don't care. Just give me the give me the gummy. Alright, next are probiotics. Um an imbalanced gut bacteria can disrupt brain signaling and affect emotional and sensory functions. There is research showing that you know, the gut and the brain connection has a huge, huge impact on our emotional abilities, our emotional regulation, and that um, you know, autistic children, autistic adults often have that imbalance

gut bacteria and I think just you know going along with today's food and diet so many of us do have gut issues because of our highly processed diet. So a good probiotic supplementation in children has been shown to improve gastrointestinal symptoms, but also adaptive functioning, development, sensory processing. You know, I'll tell you what, when I take my probiotic and everything is just running. Running smooth every day. I feel so much better.

There's nothing worse than not being able to poop. No. Yeah. And so many of our kids are constipated. A lot of our kids are constipated. Yeah. Yeah. So finding a good probiotic could be a game changer. I know we're not supposed to say game changer anymore. No. But it is. Yeah.

So really, you know, at the end of this, I think if everyone listening could even find like a functional medicine practitioner or like, you know, more of like a holistic practitioner, I think if you brought these to, you know, a Western medicine doctor, they probably would be like

Sure. Well they don't have training in it. Ex that's my thought. Exactly. Well they don't have training in it and most of these supplements aren't F D A approved so a doctor actually can't recommend them'cause they could lose their license if something happens. Which is why I think every child, every adult Neurotypical or not, should see a functional medicine practitioner. I think that would be really helpful. Um, you know, maybe do blood work and see if.

if if they're lacking in any of these areas as well and and that way, you know, a practitioner can recommend like the best brand for your child as well and one that's not found on Amazon and one that's, you know, a little bit more Tested and use caution, use your best judgment, do your research and try you know, I think trying one thing at a time is important as well because if you were like, Oh my gosh, we just got these

seven supplements for my child and then you try all of them at once, you have no idea what's actually working and what's not. So if you can do something like, all right, this month for four to six weeks, we're gonna do this one supplement and see what happens. And you, you know, maybe take some notes, you keep a journal, you keep track of things that you notice. And then go from there. Yeah. If you thought this episode was helpful, let us know. If you want more episodes like these, let us know.

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