Autism is no longer rare. Today, 1 in 36 children is diagnosed, with that number continually rising. But what’s even more alarming is how misunderstood this diagnosis has become.
Scroll through social media and you’ll find plenty of posts about “neurodiversity” and being “proudly autistic.” And listen, we 100% believe in respecting and supporting every single child. But for families navigating the daily realities of Level 2 and especially Level 3 autism, the truth is, this isn’t just about quirky personality traits or different ways of thinking. These children are struggling with their health in deep and challenging ways, and their families are constantly trying to hold it all together.
We’re talking about kids who can’t sleep, can’t communicate, and live with nervous systems stuck on total overload. Parents are exhausted, worried, and left wondering if their child will ever get better.
And yet, the medical world still says autism is “genetic,” while the functional medicine world focuses only on the gut. But what if there’s something even deeper, a foundational neurological issue, that helps explain why so many of these children can’t connect, can’t regulate, and can’t develop the way they’re meant to?
Let’s take a closer look at the 3 Levels of Autism, why the diagnosis doesn’t tell the whole story, and what families can do to actually address the root cause.
A Story of Hope: Luke’s Journey
Meet Luke.
At 13 months old, Luke began to regress. He stopped talking. He stopped making eye contact. He struggled with sleep, sensory overload, and constant meltdowns. His mom, Jacqui, describes that season as heartbreaking. She often wondered if she’d ever see her son fully connect with the world again.
Like so many parents, she dove headfirst into therapies and support services. But what she says made the biggest difference in Luke’s healing was adding Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic care.
“Chiropractic has been our #1 tool the whole time,” Jacqui shared.
By calming and retraining Luke’s nervous system, chiropractic helped his body start connecting and healing again. Slowly, pieces of their life returned. Eye contact. Calmer days. More regulation. And then, the biggest celebration of all, Luke started talking again!
Jacqui vividly remembers his very first words after an adjustment. The entire office lit up with excitement. From that day forward, Luke kept progressing.
Today, at 10 years old, Luke is a happy, healthy, talkative kid who lights up every room he walks into. His mom says, “He’s healed to a degree I wasn’t sure we’d ever get to. I hoped, I prayed, and I put in the work, but you just never know. Now I get to see him thriving every single day.”
What the 3 Levels of Autism Really Mean
The DSM-5 categorizes autism into three levels, based on how much support a child needs:
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Level 1: Requires support for social communication and rigid behaviors.
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Level 2: Requires substantial support with more pronounced communication delays and repetitive behaviors.
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Level 3: Requires very substantial support with severe communication impairments and limited social interaction.
While this framework helps guide educational and therapeutic resources, it completely misses the bigger picture: the neurological dysfunction driving these traits in the first place.
And here’s something most families are never told: these levels can actually change. We’ve seen it in practice again and again: when the root neurological causes are addressed, children can move from higher support needs to lower ones.
The Real Root Cause Doctors Often Miss
The medical community typically points to genetics, while functional medicine focuses on the gut. But both often overlook the deeper, underlying issue: neurological dysregulation.
We explain it through what we call the Perfect Storm: a sequence of stressors such as maternal stress during pregnancy, birth trauma (inductions, forceps, vacuum, C-sections), prematurity, low birth weight, frequent medications, antibiotics, toxins, and more.
Each of these stressors stacks up, leading to nervous system imbalances where the “fight-or-flight” system is stuck on overdrive, while the “rest, digest, and regulate” system is shut down.
This dysregulation doesn’t just affect mood and behavior. It disrupts digestion, immunity, motor tone, sleep, coordination, and ultimately, development itself. It’s why so many children with Level 2 and Level 3 autism experience not only developmental delays, but also things like stimming, toe walking, severe sleep challenges, and frequent meltdowns.
How Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Care Helps
Here’s the exciting part: we can measure and address this dysfunction directly.
Using our Neurological INSiGHT Scanning Technology, we can actually see the depth and severity of nervous system stress your child is under. These scans measure things like:
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NeuroThermal scans for inflammation and dysfunction
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EMG scans for motor tone and coordination issues
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HRV scans for overall nervous system balance
These tools allow us to create a fully customized care plan, tailored to your child’s unique needs, not a one-size-fits-all approach. And best of all, they give us a way to track healing over time.
Instead of just managing symptoms, we get to watch your child’s nervous system truly shift toward balance and healing.
Hope for Every Family
The autism diagnosis can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re told that “this is just the way it is.” But families like Luke’s show us that’s not the full story.
When we address the root cause, the nervous system itself, incredible progress can happen. And every step forward, no matter how small, can change a child’s life and a family’s future.
If your child is struggling with autism, sensory challenges, or developmental delays, know this: there is hope, and there are answers.