For Sushana Guthrie, motherhood is a path marked by both deep love and constant challenge. As a single mother raising two daughters on the autism spectrum, she speaks with honesty about the reality of her daily life.
“My journey is… I’m currently a single mother,” she says. “It has been challenging caring for both my girls, but the love, the passion and the patience that I’ve developed over the years—it motivates me.” She holds tightly to the belief that “children are a blessing… a gift from God or a gift from the universe.”
Her younger daughter, Skyler, now five years old, is “very sweet… very friendly… she likes to dance… and enjoys swimming,” Guthrie shares. Yet the early years of parenting were filled with uncertainty.
She remembers a turning point during a Fourth of July gathering. Her eldest daughter, Aliana, watched as other children interacted and communicated. “They were… speaking, running around, maintaining eye contact,” she recalls. “And it was at that point that I realized that something was wrong… she just sat in a corner… self-directed.”
The emotional impact was immediate. “It was very hard… very devastating,” she says. “I went into a state of sadness and straight-out depression.” Coming from a Jamaican background where autism is less widely understood, she also struggled with self-doubt. “I started feeling as though I wasn’t good enough.”
Success
You are now signed up for our newsletter
Success
Check your email to complete sign up
Challenges in daily life
As her daughters’ needs became clearer, Guthrie made the difficult decision to leave her career and care for them full-time. “My finances changed,” she says. At the time, both children were nonverbal and required constant attention.
Simple activities like going out in public often became stressful. “You have the public just staring at you… like, ‘Why is she behaving this way?’” she recalls. “That’s one of the harsh realities.” Despite this, she remained committed to her role. “I feel as though I am the best person to care for them and be there for them.”
The journey could also feel isolating. “You get so lonely so quick,” she says, describing how difficult it can be for others to understand the behaviors and needs of children on the spectrum.
Discovering Healing Through Nutrition
In recent years, Guthrie began to see meaningful change. Determined to find answers, she turned to research and started implementing nutritional and environmental adjustments at home.
“I started digging deeper… I started giving my children nutritional therapy,” she explains. This work eventually led to her newly published book, Holistic Nutritional Therapy for Autism, ADHD, Epilepsy & Seizures.
The improvements, she says, have been significant. Her younger daughter is now being considered for placement in a typical school setting. Her older daughter, once completely nonverbal, has begun to communicate.
“She left from being totally nonverbal to being semi-functional with her language,” Guthrie says. One moment stands out clearly: “She looked dead in my eyes and said, ‘Mommy, I want to go shopping.’ That way… was the biggest gift.”
Behavioral changes have also followed. “She’s no longer hitting on herself… no longer banging her head… no longer damaging things,” she notes. Guthrie credits dietary changes such as removing gluten, dairy, and sugar, along with reducing processed foods.
Her book outlines more than 20 strategies based on her personal experience. “Everything that I’ve implemented… is what I’ve experienced, step by step,” she says. “The more the behavior changes… the more that I dig deep.”
Growth, acceptance, and hope
The transformation has not only impacted her daughters, but also Guthrie herself. “I’ve become more balanced… more centered,” she says. “I no longer have brain fog… I’ve lost a tremendous amount of weight.”
Once an entrepreneur and adjunct professor, she now focuses entirely on her children’s well-being. “I put my heart and my soul into my children… it humbled me.”
Her message to other parents centers on acceptance and self-care. “The sooner you accept the reality of your child… that’s the moment you regain your power,” she says. “You just have to love upon that child… and get into their world.”
She also emphasizes the importance of caring for oneself. “If you’re not in a good space… your family will feel it,” she explains. Reflecting on her own journey through depression and healing, she adds, “I started being happy again… I started living again.”
Today, Guthrie stands as both a devoted mother and an advocate. “I have learned to make lemonade with the lemons that life has given me,” she says.
Her story is a powerful reminder that even in the most difficult circumstances, resilience, determination, and love can open the door to progress—and to hope.
