AS FEATURED ON FOX 10 PHOENIX · SEPTEMBER 17, 2026
Autism Diagnostics Lab President Dr. James B. Adams and Research Director Dr. Christina Flynn were recently featured on FOX10 Phoenix, sharing new research into the connection between gut health and autism spectrum symptoms. The segment is giving families across the Valley, and beyond, a new reason for hope.
The Gut-Brain Connection, Explained
For years, researchers have suspected that gut health plays a bigger role in autism than most people realize. The FOX 10 Phoenix segment highlighted new findings that give that idea real weight: in the featured research, 90% had at least one extremely elevated microbiome-derived metabolite. When left untreated, pathogenic gut bacteria and yeast can produce chemicals that interfere with key neurotransmitter pathways. As a result, they affect serotonin and dopamine, which influence mood, behavior, and communication.
The implications are significant. Rather than treating symptoms in isolation, this research points to an underlying, testable cause, one that a simple urine sample can help identify in children as young as two years old.
A Family’s Story of Real Change
The segment followed one Valley family who spent years searching for answers. Their son was diagnosed with autism as a young child, and for a long time, communication and daily routines were a real struggle.
Everything shifted after a gut and yeast screening uncovered an underlying infection the family did not know existed. Within weeks of treatment, they saw changes they had stopped expecting: fewer sensory meltdowns, new food tolerance, and communication gains that reshaped their sense of what was possible. A year later, the family describes their son’s formal evaluation as dramatically improved, along with a level of independence and confidence they had not seen before.
“Identifying the right root cause early can change a family’s whole trajectory.”
What This Means for Your Family
The same gut-brain research led by Dr. Adams and Dr. Flynn is at the heart of ADL’s MDM™ Gut & Brain Health Test Kit, a simple, at-home urine collection with analysis performed by a CLIA-certified laboratory designed to screen for the gut bacterial and yeast markers linked to autism symptoms. It is appropriate for children as young as two, and results give families a concrete starting point for treatment, rather than a guessing game.
If this story sounds familiar, you do not have to wait for more answers.