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Dr. Ari | Brain Health & Neurodevelopment | Pregnancy+

@dr.aricalhoun

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Supporting healthy brains from the womb onwards!
😊Holistically optimizing neurodevelopment and emotional regulation by addressing the root cause.

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Comment WAITLIST to be the first notified when the live training opens up.

If you’ve tried to support your child’s ADHD and nothing has really worked

You need to first know that you’re not alone.
Next you need to know that there’s usually a reason for that.

One of the biggest things I see in practice is this:

We’re treating ADHD like it’s one condition.

And it’s not.

Two children can have the same diagnosis
and have completely different underlying physiology.

Different drivers.
Different patterns.
Different needs.

So when we apply the same approach to every child, it often falls short.

Not because nothing works.

But because we’re not matching the support to what’s actually going on underneath.

This is where things start to shift.

When we can identify the pattern your child is presenting with, we can begin to understand:

👉 why certain approaches haven’t worked
👉 what might be driving their symptoms
👉 and what direction actually makes sense next

That’s exactly what I’ll be walking through in this training.

The 4 patterns I see most often in practice
and how I start thinking through each one.

If this is something you’ve been trying to figure out,
I highly recommend getting on the waitlist.

You’ll be the first to know when the live training opens up.

Comment WAITLIST and I’ll send you the details 🤍 by @dr.aricalhoun

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5 months ago

Autism is associated with differences in key brain chemicals that influence mood, behavior, and emotional flexibility... including glutamate and serotonin…

Glutamate is the brain’s main excitatory neurotransmitter.

Some studies show that people with autism can have altered glutamate signaling, which may impact neural networks linked to behavior and emotion…

Researchers talk about a “balance of excitation and inhibition” in the brain.

When excitatory signaling (like glutamate) outweighs inhibitory signaling (like GABA), neural circuits can behave differently, which may relate to emotional rigidity and sensory responses.

Now, serotonin helps regulate mood, sleep, and behavioral responses.

Many individuals with autism show differences in serotonin pathways, including variations in how it’s synthesized or transported...

& tryptophan, the amino acid precursor to serotonin, is often lower in children with autism.

This can translate into reduced serotonin synthesis, which influences emotional reactivity and regulation...

These neurotransmitters don’t act alone.

They’re part of a network that shapes how the brain processes emotion, stress, and behavior.

Changes in one system will ripple through others…

When brain chemistry differences are present, emotional inflexibility, anxiety, or reactivity aren’t about choice anymore…

They reflect how neural circuits are functioning.

Understanding this doesn’t fix everything...

But it DOES shift the question from:

“Why won’t they behave?”

to...

“What’s happening in the brain that we can support?”

If you’re interested in understanding autism, emotional regulation, and brain health through a whole-body, evidence-informed lens, welcome, you’re in the right place. by @dr.aricalhoun

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8 months ago

This work isn’t just clinical for me… it’s deeply personal.

I didn’t choose brain health because it was trendy or easy.
I chose it because I’ve seen, from every angle, what happens when families aren’t given space to ask questions, and how powerful it can be when they are.

As a naturopathic doctor, a mom, and the daughter of a psychologist, I live at the intersection of empathy and science.

I understand how overwhelming it can feel to care deeply about your child and still feel unsure about what’s “right.”

Here’s what you’ll find if you stay here:

Clear, evidence-informed conversations about brain health and neurodevelopment

Nuance… not pressure, fear, or absolutes.

A place where questions are welcome and complexity is respected.

Guidance that helps you think earlier, without blame for what you didn’t know before.

I teach about brain health because families deserve clarity… not fear.

They deserve information that empowers them, not persuades them.

And they deserve care that recognizes every child is different.
If you’re thinking ahead about pregnancy, parenting, or your child’s brain health and you want education that feels calm, thoughtful, and grounded in science…

You’re in the right place, you’re exactly who I created this space for. by @dr.aricalhoun

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9 months ago

I know what it’s like to watch a child work incredibly hard in therapy, year after year, and still not get the shift everyone’s been hoping for.

Parents carry grief around that, wondering if they missed something, if they should be doing more, if there’s some intervention nobody’s mentioned yet.

I don’t think the answer is always “another therapy” or “another supplement” stacked on top of everything you’re already doing. Sometimes the more useful question is what’s actually driving the picture underneath all of it.

This is exactly why I don’t want preconception and early pregnancy left out of this conversation.

Comment DISCOVER if you want to start building that groundwork now, before you’re the parent searching for answers years down the line.

We can see patients in California, Oregon, Montana, and Arizona, outside those states, comment MAPS for a provider directory near you.

Ref: Zhang Z, Zhang L, Zhu G, et al. Neurol Ther. 2026 Jun;15(3):1221-1232. doi:10.1007/s40120-026-00914-2. taken in San Diego, California by @dr.aricalhoun

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16 hours ago

Sometimes the best way to help a child focus is to let them move first. 🏃

Inhibitory control helps a child pause, filter distractions, and shift into a task. Research suggests that even a short bout of exercise can improve these skills in children with ADHD.

That’s why I often recommend movement before homework or a demanding classroom activity. I’ve even had movement breaks written into IEPs.

But movement is one piece of a larger plan. In my ADHD Masterclass, I explain how I build nonpharmacological plans tailored to six different ADHD subtypes.

Comment SUBTYPES if you want the masterclass on how I actually build these plans. by @dr.aricalhoun

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3 days ago

That email from a teacher has a very specific kind of dread attached to it, the kind where you reread it four times trying to decide how worried to actually be.

If part of that dread is fear of a label, you’re not alone. It’s one of the most common concerns I hear from parents.

You haven’t done anything wrong by not immediately booking a $3,000 neuropsych evaluation. Your child does not need a label before you can start seeking support.

Start with what you can address now. An evaluation can be incredibly helpful, and you can pursue one while you’re putting support in place. You don’t have to wait for a report to take the first step.

If this is where you are right now and you’re in California, Oregon, Montana, or Arizona, comment DISCOVER and our team will help you figure out the next step for your family.

If you’re outside those states, comment MAPS for a provider directory near you. taken in Arizona, USA by @dr.aricalhoun

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5 days ago

I want to say this directly to the parent who’s been wondering if everyone thinks she’s making this up.

You’re not weak for how hard this has gotten.
You’re not enabling anything by believing your own child over a room full of people who’ve known them for six weeks.

I’ve sat across from families who have done every single thing asked of them for years, tried every recommendation, followed every plan, and still had someone question whether they were trying hard enough.

You know your kid. You knew something shifted before anyone had a name for it.
That instinct was never a problem.

If this sounds like your family, comment DISCOVER and our team will get you on a call. We’re licensed in California, Oregon, Montana, and Arizona, outside those states, comment MAPS for a provider directory near you. taken in Portland Oregon by @dr.aricalhoun

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8 days ago

In practice, this is one of the most common things parents describe to me, and it rarely comes out as a complaint. It’s usually confusion:

“The medication is working, so why do I still feel like I’m failing?”

Parents genuinely start to wonder if they’re the problem when the prescription is doing exactly what it’s supposed to and the house is still falling apart by 8pm.

Nobody tells you upfront that a medication working and a child still struggling can both be true at the same time. Those are two separate problems, and they need two separate answers, not more of the same one.

Swipe through, and if any of this sounds like your house, comment SUBTYPES and I’ll send you the masterclass where I walk through how I actually approach this. by @dr.aricalhoun

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10 days ago

The criticism can come from both sides on the same post, in the same week.

One side tells me I’m not going far enough. The other tells me I shouldn’t be having this conversation at all. Honestly, it still gives me pause.

But I know how many parents (and, privately, providers) are asking these same questions. They feel caught in the middle of a debate where fear is louder than a nuanced conversation.
Parents aren’t trying to win an argument.

They’re trying to make the best decisions they can for their children. They deserve to ask questions, hear the evidence in full, and be treated with respect.

Swipe through. If this resonates, share it with someone who needs to know they’re allowed to ask. taken in California USA by @dr.aricalhoun

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12 days ago

I practiced belly breathing with my daughter a lot when she was younger. My son has had an easier time regulating, so we never built it into his routine in quite the same way.

Then, when he was upset in the car, I watched her teach him. ❤️

I heard an excellent presentation on the vagus nerve at a conference last month, and it brought me back to moments like this. I see the value of these small practices both at home and in my clinical work.

Breathing is more than a mental reminder to “calm down.”

**The exhale is the part I especially want kids to notice.**

As we breathe out, vagal signaling helps slow the heart. Making that exhale gentle and a little longer gives the body time to respond. It’s a physical shift, even when a child can’t yet put their feelings into words.

If you want to try it, start when your child is calm. Put a stuffed animal on their belly and watch it rise with a gentle breath in. Then let it lower as they breathe **slowly and easily out**. You might pretend to cool a spoonful of soup or blow a bubble without popping it. Practice *with* them. Keep it playful, not perfect.

The part I love most about this clip is seeing a skill we practiced together become something my daughter could share with her brother. by @dr.aricalhoun

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15 days ago

Some of the children I see wear helmets because their self-injury is severe enough that they need protection from themselves.

Others have parents who subtly move breakable things out of reach, separate siblings when things escalate, or have learned to read the few seconds before their child loses control.

And some parents are being hit, kicked, bitten, or scratched by the child they love more than anything.

There is so much shame around childhood aggression. Parents struggle to even say it out loud, because admitting my child hurts people can feel like admitting something terrible about their child, or about themselves.

But when I see aggression this severe, I don’t see a bad child. I see a sign for help.

I want to know what has hijacked this child’s brain, what took a kid who wants to feel safe and in control of their own body and pushed their nervous system to a place where aggression became the response. That’s where my work starts.

I look for infection and immune activation, strep, mycoplasma, the broader PANS and PANDAS picture, especially when the change was sudden. I consider Bartonella, which has been tied to severe agitation and aggression in the research.

I look at the gut, including Clostridia and other dysbiosis patterns that can produce metabolites affecting brain function. I look at dopamine and norepinephrine regulation through genes like COMT and DBH, since differences in how the body handles these can affect impulsivity and how quickly a nervous system overwhelms. And I almost always check copper, ammonia, histamine, and inflammation, because a body already carrying that much physiologic burden may need very little to overflow.

None of this means we ignore the behavior. Safety matters. Boundaries matter. Behavioral support matters. But behavior is often a symptom, and sometimes a child who is hitting, biting, or hurting themselves is showing us, in the only way they can, that something isn’t right.

So when I see severe aggression, my first question isn’t only how do we stop this behavior. It’s what has hijacked this child’s brain, and how do we help them find their way back. That’s where I start. Not where the workup by @dr.aricalhoun

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17 days ago

If your kid seems to fit every ADHD pattern I’ve talked about, that’s more common than you’d think, and it’s not a sign you’ve miscategorized them.

Comment SUBTYPES for the full breakdown of all four patterns and where to start with each. by @dr.aricalhoun

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19 days ago