Something feels off with your child, and no one can tell you why.
We help you get underneath the symptoms to what's actually driving things — and figure out the one move worth making first.
Founded by Leah Daphna, RN — after years of nursing and a long road with her own kid.
Tell me if any of this sounds like you.
You know your child better than any chart does.
If you've been handed from one office to the next and still don't have a plan, that's not in your head. And you're definitely not the only one sitting where you are.
Everyone owns a piece of your child. Almost nobody is holding the whole picture.
That's the seat Start at the Root sits in. We assess your child, work out what's really driving the picture, then build the plan and keep the whole effort pointed the same way — across conventional and complementary care alike. Medical questions get sorted first. And the loyalty here is to your kid, not to any one method or product.
- The doctortests and treats one part of the body.
- The programhands you a single method to follow.
- The therapistworks within their one lane.
- Wesee the whole child and decide what comes first.
You do not have to figure this out alone.
Start with a conversation. We will talk through what is going on, and you will leave with a clearer sense of the next right step.
From a tangle of symptoms to a clear first step.
It follows the shape of a root. Start at the surface, work down to whatever's really driving things, then build back up into a plan you can act on without losing your mind.
Listen
A real intake. Your story, your child's history, everything you have already tried, and what is worrying you most right now.
Assess
A structured developmental assessment that maps where your child actually is, underneath the labels and the conflicting opinions.
Find the root
Connect the dots across development, body, and environment to get at what is actually driving the picture, not just the symptom on the surface.
Prioritize
The part that matters most: a clear, ranked plan. What to do first, what can wait, and what to set aside for now. No overwhelm, no twelve-item to-do list.
Coordinate
Bring in the right people (medical first, then the rest) and keep the whole effort pointed in one direction as your child grows.
Ready to find the root?
A short discovery call is the best place to start. No pressure, just a clear look at where you are and where to go next.
Start at the Root does two things: builds the plan, and runs the team.
Some of the work happens directly with you. The rest is matching your child to the right practitioners and keeping everyone moving in the same direction.
The plan itself
- The developmental assessment.A structured look at where your child truly is.
- The neurological organization plan and home program.Practical, built around your child and your family.
- Triage and sequencing.What comes first, what waits, what to ignore for now.
The right team
- Medical care, always cleared first.Your pediatrician or the right specialist, before anything else.
- Bloodwork and functional nutrition.Through trusted functional-medicine practitioners.
- Craniosacral, acupuncture, hyperbaric, energy healing, and other supportive or spiritual practices.Matched to your child, never one-size-fits-all.
Let's talk about your child.
Bring your questions, your worries, and whatever you have tried so far. We will start from there.
A nurse, a parent, and a knack for getting to the root.
Start at the Root was founded by Leah Daphna, RN. After years in nursing — and a long, winding road helping her own child — she realized her real gift wasn't any one technique. It was seeing the whole child at once, cutting through the noise, and knowing what mattered first.
Parents come to her because she's open-minded and straight with them. She takes conventional and complementary paths seriously, and she'll tell you plainly what's worth your time and what isn't. No single method gets pushed here. She listens, connects the pieces, and points you toward the most direct path for your child.
Her nursing background informs the work, but Start at the Root is a developmental navigation and education practice, not a medical or nursing service.
Families who have found their footing.
Real stories will live here. These are placeholders for now, to be replaced with permission from families Leah has worked with.
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[Parent name, city]
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[Parent name, city]
Start at the root.
Book a discovery call and let's see what your child's picture is really telling us.
No forms-first, fill-out-the-intake nonsense.
The first step is a conversation.
Tell us a little about your child. The discovery call is a relaxed talk — no pressure — to see whether Start at the Root is the right fit and what your next step looks like.
What to expect on the call
- A chance to share what is going on, in your own words.
- An honest read on whether Start at the Root can help.
- A sense of the very next step, whether or not we work together.
- No jargon, no overwhelm, no pressure.
Working together
Consultations and planning are $150 per hour. The discovery call is a brief, no-pressure introduction to see whether we are the right fit. Assessments are arranged and tailored to your child during a consultation, rather than bought off the shelf.
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Your email app should have opened with your message ready to send. If it did not, reach out directly at lorraine.grynspan@gmail.com.