Tips to Beat the Back to School Bug

There are a lot of things that come to mind when parents think of back to school season, such as fall colors, school activities, and helping their kids with homework. What’s not fun for parents to think about, but is something that should be prepared for, is the inevitable spread of the cold or flu that comes with the school year. To help keep your child with ADHD or autism healthy and in their steady routine of learning, here are some helpful tips to keep the back to school bug at bay.

Work on Healthy Hygiene Habits

Hygiene and autism can be a tough intersection for a lot of parents, but there are strategies you can use that can be successful. Focus on the importance of hand-washing regularly and keeping hands out of the nose, eyes, and mouth. Use visuals and social stories that include scenarios at school where they should wash their hands, such as before meals, after using a computer, and after recess. You should also include in your social stories how germs can make you sick and that touching your face often can make you more vulnerable to germs.

Focus on a Healthy Diet

Be extra intentional with your child’s diet during the germ-laden back to school season. Emphasize meals with leafy greens, lean proteins, and healthy carbohydrates. For snack time, try to avoid anything sugary since excess sugar intake has been shown to weaken the immune system.

Use Immunity Boosting Supplements

Using supplements to help with autism can be very effective for boosting mood, energy, and overall wellbeing. It only makes sense then that supplements can be very helpful for boosting your child’s immunity. Zinc is a powerful nutrient that helps reduce your child’s vulnerability to viral infections and can be found in a flavored lozenge form or syrup for children. Vitamin C is another widely available supplement that is useful in preventing colds. Vitamin D3 plays a vital role in a healthy immune system and is produced naturally through exposure to the sun, which decreases going into the school year. You can likely find multivitamins that contain all of these nutrients but be sure to check the label to make sure everything your child needs is present.

Probiotics, particularly Lactobacillus and Bifidobacter, have been shown to reduce the occurrence of fevers, coughs, runny noses, and other cold and flu symptoms. The ProbioMax ENT probiotic supplement is known to be a helpful preventative measure for strep. Look for these probiotic supplements in powder or liquid form, this makes it easier to blend into drinks, smoothies, or soups.

There’s also the classic echinacea herbal supplement that is known to boost the immune system to prevent infections, along with decreasing the duration of infections.