Total Load Theory: Transforming Lives in Autism, ADHD, LD, SPD, and Mental Health

What Is Total Load Theory?

Total load theory is a conceptual framework used to understand the synergistic and cumulative impact of root causes and environmental and lifestyle stressors on a person’s health. It postulates that each individual stressor adds to the total load that a body must manage over time. Because a body has limited resources and only so much capacity to handle these stressors, there will be a point at which the total load exceeds these resources, and this is when health symptoms typically emerge.

What’s in the Total Load Theory Book?

Root Causes and Stressors

In this latest of Patty Lemer’s books, she dives into a host of root causes and stressors that are behind the diagnoses of neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism, ADHD, Sensory Processing Disorder, learning disabilities and mood/emotional disorders; autoimmune disorders, asthma, allergies and more. Among these root causes are:

Patty discusses how to assess, reduce, eliminate, remediate environmental, physical, biological, lifestyle and other types of health stressors that children today experience more than any other generation.

Therapies and Supports

It would be an awful thing to tell parents about all of the potential root causes and stressors without providing information about how to address them with therapies and supports, and that’s what’s next in the book. She understands that a body cannot heal unless it is in a state of calm and that so many of today’s children are in a state of nervous-system dysregulation due to:

Cell danger response
Mast Cell Activation Syndrome

Cleaning up the diet and implementing special diets are key to healing the body (which includes the brain!) and also to addressing the immune dysregulation and mitochondrial dysfunction that these children so often have. The book contains a section on immunizations for those who wish to know more.

Patty offers a three-pronged approach to healing that addresses factors such as strengthening immunity, lowering chronic inflammation and treating potential underlying conditions such as mold/mycotoxin illness, Lyme disease and PANS/PANDAS with stem cell therapy, detoxification and bioregulatory medicine. This type of medicine includes (and Patty’s book discusses):

Oxygen therapies such as HBOT
Pulsed Electromagnetic Frequency Therapy (PEMF)
Flower remedies
Essential oils

Sensory-processing and motor-planning challenges are fully addressed, as one would expect from Patty, and she also includes jam-packed edifications about:

No Patty discussion or book would be complete without explanations about social-emotional skills, academics and transitioning out of school and into life, and this book is no exception. She also includes one of her favorite subjects: information about how to have a healthy baby.

In Conclusion

Beth Lambert’s blurb about his book sums it up well: “Patricia Lemer’s Total Load Theory is the ultimate resource for parents and practitioners looking to understand not only why children are so sick today but also how these conditions can be fully reversed. This book gives tremendous hope!”

About Patricia S. Lemer LPC MEd

Patricia S. Lemer is a licensed professional counselor, holding a Masters of Education in counseling and learning disabilities from Boston College and a Masters in Business from Johns Hopkins University. She practiced as an educational diagnostician for over 40 years.

She was a co-founder and served as Executive Director of the international non-profit organization Developmental Delay Resources (DDR). After DDR merged with Epidemic Answers, she became Chairman of the Board. When she retired from the board, she became an emeritus board member.

She is the author of three books, the most recent of which is Outsmarting Autism, Updated and Expanded: Build Healthy Foundations for Communication, Socialization, and Behavior at All Ages (North Atlantic Books, 2019).

Lemer wrote over 50 editorials for "New Developments," the quarterly newsletter of Developmental Delay Resources (DDR), from 1995 - 2009. When DDR wound down, she wrote an online blog, "After the Diagnosis, Then What?" from 2009-2017. Her articles and blogs have been updated and archived on the Epidemic Answers website.

Since 2019, Patricia Lemer has recorded a bimonthly podcast, "The Autism Detective." In these hour-long shows, she interviews parents and professionals about their experiences in maximizing the potential of individuals on the autism spectrum. Over 100 episodes are available on Spotify and other online platforms. To learn more, go to PatriciaLemer.com and OutsmartingAutism.com

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