Annalaura Brown Miracles from an Autistic Journey!

Annalaura Brown is a health coach, podcaster, and blogger. Diagnosed with autism at age five, she wrote A Spectrum of Miracles to help parents and adults on the spectrum. A thriving adult today, her childhood included many challenges along with miracles and blessings. Each chapter includes a gluten-free, casein-free recipe and an essential oil blend.

Host: Richard Lowe | Guest: Annalaura Brown

Interview Transcript

Richard: Tell me about your autism diagnosis and how it led to your book.

Annalaura: I got diagnosed at age five, which was pretty young back in the 80s. In the very first chapter, I talk about how at 17 months old, I almost died from a really severe illness. One of the complications was brain damage, which led my parents and doctors to be a lot more alert for potential problems. That was one of the reasons they were able to diagnose me at such a young age.

Back then, everybody was all lumped into one diagnosis. Now, I probably would have been more like PDD-NOS — what they diagnose you with when you have a lot of autism symptoms but don’t fit classic autism.

A Spectrum of Miracles

Richard: Tell us about the book.

Annalaura: It’s called A Spectrum of Miracles: Hope and Healing for Parents of Children with Autism. It’s a combination of things — partly my own story, based on my experiences and things my parents told me. I also talk about things that really helped me as a child: music, different therapies, diet changes.

I grew up with parents who didn’t believe in a lot of drugs. My mom wasn’t a big fan of even using antibiotics unless absolutely necessary. She took me to naturopathic doctors and nutritionists. I started on the gluten-free, casein-free diet from about age six, probably a year after my diagnosis. That’s pretty unusual for the time. Now it’s one of the more common nutrition interventions that holistic and functional medicine doctors recommend for kids on the spectrum, because a lot of them have digestive issues with gluten and dairy.

The book includes gluten-free, casein-free recipes at the end of each chapter — things my mom gave me when I was on that diet as a kid, plus things I still eat today. I also include essential oil diffuser blends that I’ve found helpful for different issues. And throughout the book, I have scattered quotes about miracles, because I’ve experienced miracles throughout my life. The first miracle was that I survived at all.

Richard: What do you hope readers get out of it?

Annalaura: Especially for parents with a younger child on the spectrum — I hope they get that there is hope. That you can help heal your child. That your child can become a functional adult. That there are ways to help that are not all about drugs. And to look for the little miracles in life, not just the big grandiose ones.

Why Not Drugs?

Richard: What’s the problem with drugs in these cases?

Annalaura: Two things. One, it’s often a cover-up. Two, it isn’t really addressing the root cause. I also want to say I don’t think there’s a total cure for autism, and I don’t think you necessarily want to cure it. A lot of kids on the spectrum have very good abilities with math, science, language, or music. They have a lot to contribute. Drugs are not going to cure it. A lot of times drugs are an attempt to use chemicals to control impulsive behavior instead of going through therapies or holistic things that can actually help the child rather than cause long-term harmful side effects.

That said, there are exceptions. If you have a really severely autistic child who’s also having seizures, drugs may be needed. Or if a child has extreme ADHD. But for your average moderate to highly functioning child with autism who doesn’t have seizures or other medical issues, drugs are not really the appropriate course of action, in my opinion.

The Autoimmune Connection

Annalaura: In 2018, after a long journey of figuring out mystery health symptoms, I got diagnosed with Hashimoto’s, an autoimmune disease of the thyroid. My podcast focuses on that — I interview guests about their journey to diagnosis, what they’ve done to start healing, and what they’d recommend.

One interesting thing from my research is that a lot of kids with autism have mothers with autoimmune conditions. And a lot more adults, especially women on the spectrum, grow up to have autoimmune conditions. They’re not totally unrelated.

The Writing Journey

Richard: Describe your journey of writing and publishing the book.

Annalaura: People told me for a long time I should write a book. Once I decided, I still sat on it for a few years. I think that’s pretty common — a lot of people talk about writing a book but don’t actually do it.

Once I finally started, I opened a Google Doc and periodically wrote things down — stories, outlines. I took an online course through the Institute of Integrative Nutrition on how to write and publish a book. Going through that course was when I actually wrote it.

I had a coach who has experience in writing and editing — she’d self-published her own books and used to work for a self-publishing company. She went through it, helped me edit, made suggestions. She was kind of my editor even though she’s not officially listed.

Then I brainstormed titles, hired a graphic designer on Fiverr for the cover based on recommendations from people who’d used him before, and self-published on Amazon.

Richard: Where can people find you?

Annalaura: My main website is annalaurabrown.com.

Learn more about Annalaura Brown at annalaurabrown.com.

Find Richard Lowe at TheWritingKing.com.