A Clear, Research-Grounded Roadmap for Families in Crisis

Navigating PANS and PANDAS as a parent is a nightmare.

Some families are fortunate to encounter a physician who quickly recognizes the symptoms and helps guide them toward appropriate care. For many others, that is not the reality.

Instead, parents find themselves advocating for sudden, frightening changes in their child—often late at night, scrolling through Google and typing, “What happened to my child?” 

Their once happy, outgoing, adventurous child who loved sports, school, and time with friends begins to feel like a shell of themselves. It’s as if the lights are on behind their eyes, but no one is home.

Children may become consumed by obsessive rituals or sudden, intense fears about someone breaking into the house at night, or something terrible happening to their parents. Kids who once ate a wide variety of foods may suddenly restrict themselves to a few “safe” options or develop fears around contamination, expiration, or choking. Teenagers who were once independent may find themselves sleeping on their parents’ bedroom floors. School-aged children who once loved school may scream and sob at drop-off.

The Hardest Part: Not Knowing Where to Go

For many families, the hardest part of PANS/PANDAS isn’t even the symptoms—it’s the lack of a clear roadmap.

Parents are often trying to advocate for their child without knowing which information matters most, what steps to take next, or how to communicate concerns in a way that is taken seriously.

In the midst of crisis, the absence of easy access to a structured, research-based framework can leave families feeling lost, dismissed, or fearful that they are missing something critical—at exactly the moment when clarity matters most.

The Hopeful Reality

Effective treatment approaches exist. When PANS/PANDAS is recognized and addressed by an informed, interdisciplinary team, children can begin moving toward recovery and, in many cases, remission.

Thoughtful, research-guided assessment—paired with collaboration across medical and mental health disciplines—can be a powerful starting point for care.

With the right information and support, families can move forward with confidence and begin building a treatment plan that addresses the full picture of their child’s needs.

Why This Guide Exists

There are so many outstanding, free PANS/PANDAS resources available—and families should absolutely be using them. This guide is not meant to replace those resources.

It was created for a specific parent: the one who has already read everything, bookmarked all the links, joined the groups, and still finds themselves overwhelmed and unsure how to organize it all when it matters most.

As I prepared for a CE training on PANS/PANDAS that I’ll be delivering to clinicians on February 27, I realized how helpful it would be to take that same clinician-level material and translate it into a parent-facing resource.

This is for the parent who may be surrounded by skeptical providers who wants to cite the *EXACT* research article that backs up every concern they mention (This guide explicitly cites the research on every single page).

It brings together peer-reviewed articles, current expert consensus, my clinical experience working alongside PANS/PANDAS specialists here in the Central New York community, and my own lived experience as a parent—into one clear, organized roadmap.

This is for the Parent Who Needs:

• Help organizing information into a useable framework
• A resource they can confidently bring to their child’s physician
• Language that supports collaborative, coordinated care
• Potential access to a licensed professional their provider can contact as part of the treatment team (reach out to inquire for NYS residents)

It’s a printable, easy-to-navigate PDF designed to reduce the chaos of endless tabs open at 2 a.m. and help families feel confident they aren’t missing something critical.

For many families, the hardest part of PANS/PANDAS isn’t just the symptoms—it’s trying to advocate effectively without a clear, research-based framework.

Use this guide alongside the many incredible free resources out there—as a way to organize what you’ve already learned, clarify next steps, and support thoughtful conversations with your child’s care team.

What you’ll receive

A printable, easy-to-read PDF

Research-based explanations written in plain, human language

Information broken into manageable, digestible sections

A resource you can underline, reference, and bring to appointments

This guide does the researching, digging, and organizing for you—so your energy can go where it’s needed most: supporting your child and yourself.

*All families that book a consultation with me will receive this handbook free charge.
If finances are an issue, please reach out and I will email you the guide with no questions asked!*