For Patients
Integrative Pediatrics
Atlanta's integrative pediatric program for children who need more than a standard pediatrician. Led by Melanie Wardle, NP, FMAPS, with root-cause care for autism, ADHD, developmental delays, chronic allergies, and unexplained symptoms that have not responded to conventional treatment.
Board certified in pediatrics. FMAPS credentialed. Johns Hopkins, UCLA, and St. Joseph's-trained. Infancy through early adulthood.
A Different Kind of Pediatric Care
Root-Cause Medicine for Children Who Deserve Better Answers
You have taken your child to pediatricians, specialists, and therapists. You have been told it is behavioral, or they will grow out of it, or there is nothing more to do. You know something else is going on.
Functional pediatric medicine investigates what conventional pediatrics often does not:
- Gut health
- Immune function
- Nutrient levels
- Toxin exposure
- Food sensitivities
- Mitochondrial function
- Methylation and genetic factors
These are the systems that shape how a growing body and brain develop, and they are often the systems overlooked in a ten-minute visit.
Children are not small adults. Every protocol at PMC is calibrated to a child's age, weight, and developmental stage. Our pediatric program is built around growing bodies, not scaled down from adult care.
We work alongside traditional therapies like ABA, speech therapy, and occupational therapy, not against them. Functional medicine strengthens the biological foundation. Your child's other therapies address behavior, communication, and skills. The two approaches are designed to complement each other, and we coordinate with your existing care team.
Conditions We Treat
- Autism spectrum disorder (the program's flagship specialization)
- ADHD and attention challenges
- Developmental delays
- Chronic allergies, asthma, and recurring infections
- Autoimmune conditions and immune dysregulation
- Digestive and gut health issues, including food sensitivities
- PANS and PANDAS (sudden-onset neuropsychiatric symptoms following infection)
- Sleep disturbances and emotional regulation challenges
- Mitochondrial dysfunction, methylation issues, and MTHFR considerations
For parents exploring nutritional support for ADHD, see our guide to the 7 best supplements for managing ADHD in children and adults.
Not sure whether your child's situation fits? Call (770) 676-6000 and we will help you figure out the right next step.
Treatment Approach
Your Child's Personalized Treatment Plan
Every child's plan is individualized. The tools below are selected and calibrated for each child's biology, age, and specific presentation. No two children at PMC receive the same protocol.
Diagnostics
Your child's plan begins with comprehensive testing that goes beyond standard bloodwork. Panels may include gut function, immune markers, nutrient levels, toxin exposure, food sensitivities, metabolic performance, mitochondrial function, genetic markers including MTHFR, inflammation pathways, and detoxification capacity. See our Diagnostic Testing page for the full diagnostic toolkit.
Nutrition and Gut Health
Individualized dietary strategies based on your child's specific sensitivities, deficiencies, and metabolic needs. Not a one-size-fits-all elimination diet. Gut healing protocols address the microbiome, intestinal permeability, and dysbiosis that often sit underneath behavioral, cognitive, and immune symptoms.
Targeted Therapies
Where appropriate for your child's age and case, the pediatric program draws on:
- IV Nutrient Therapy. Direct nutrient delivery that bypasses absorption issues common in children with compromised gut function. Formulations are pediatric-specific.
- Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy. Increased oxygen delivery for neurological healing, inflammation reduction, and cellular repair. Used selectively for pediatric neurological and immune conditions.
- Detoxification support. Gentle, age-appropriate protocols to reduce the burden of environmental toxins and metabolic waste.
- Naturopathic medicine. Herbal, nutritional, and lifestyle protocols that support the underlying systems functional testing has identified.
Biomedical and MAPS Protocols
Melanie Wardle holds FMAPS certification (Fellowship of the Medical Academy of Pediatric Special Needs), a credential focused on biomedical approaches to autism and neurodevelopmental conditions. When clinically appropriate, your child's plan may include MAPS-informed protocols.
Ongoing Support and Adjustments
Children are growing and changing. Your child's plan adapts across developmental transitions, with regular check-ins, follow-up labs, and treatment plan adjustments over time.
Your Child's Care Team
Melanie Wardle, NP, FMAPS
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner | Functional Pediatrics Program Lead
Melanie Wardle is a board-certified pediatric nurse practitioner who leads PMC's functional pediatrics program. She earned her Master of Science in Nursing from the University of South Florida with pediatric nurse practitioner specialization, and completed prior coursework at A.T. Still's University College of Osteopathic Medicine. She is also trained in osteopathic manipulation.
Her clinical foundation spans several of the country's premier pediatric institutions. Wardle trained and worked at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital, UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital, and St. Joseph's Children's Hospital before joining Progressive Medical Center. She holds certification from the Medical Academy of Pediatric Special Needs (FMAPS), a credential focused on functional and integrative care for children with complex developmental and behavioral conditions.
Wardle sees children from infancy through early adulthood. Her practice is grounded in a simple principle: parents deserve to understand the roots of their child's condition, the treatment options available, and how the plan will unfold over time. She wants families to be informed partners in every decision, not passive recipients of a protocol.
We do not just look at a child's diagnosis. We look at what is going on underneath. That is where healing begins.
Melanie Wardle, NP, FMAPS
As both a clinician and a mother, she brings science and heart to every family she works with.
What to Expect
Your Child's First Visit, Start to Finish
The first visit is the foundation for everything that comes after. It is long, thorough, and parent-led. Here is what to expect.
In-Depth Health History Review
A real conversation led by Melanie, not a fifteen-minute intake form review. You will walk through your child's medical history, nutrition, behavior patterns, sensory challenges, emotional health, sleep habits, previous therapies, and previous diagnoses. Bring everything: every test result, every report, every observation you have made. We want the full picture.
Targeted Diagnostic Testing
Based on the health history, Melanie orders targeted labs: bloodwork, stool analysis, urine panels. These evaluate gut health, immune function, nutrient levels, toxin load, food sensitivities, and metabolic performance. Where indicated, testing may also explore mitochondrial function, MTHFR and other genetic markers, inflammation pathways, and detoxification capacity. These are tests most pediatricians do not order. This is often the moment parents realize PMC is different.
Personalized Treatment Plan
Your child's plan is built collaboratively with you. It may include dietary changes, nutritional supplementation, gut healing protocols, detoxification strategies, IV nutrient therapy, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, or other age-appropriate interventions. Each recommendation is chosen for your child specifically.
Ongoing Support and Adjustments
Children grow and change constantly. Your child's plan evolves with them. Regular check-ins, follow-up labs, and adjustments happen across developmental transitions.
About the cost. The initial pediatric consultation is $250, comprehensive and not a 15-minute visit. Progressive Medical Center is out-of-network for all insurance providers; superbills are provided for out-of-network reimbursement, and Cherry Financing and CareCredit are available. See Insurance & Financing for the full picture.
Ready to start the conversation? Call (770) 676-6000.
Common Questions
Questions Parents Ask
What ages do you treat?
Infancy through early adulthood. Melanie Wardle's scope covers infants, toddlers, school-age children, teens, and young adults transitioning out of pediatric care.
Is this just for children with autism?
No. Autism spectrum disorder is a flagship specialization of the program, but Melanie also treats ADHD, developmental delays, chronic allergies, asthma, autoimmune conditions, digestive problems, recurring infections, PANS and PANDAS, sleep disturbances, and emotional regulation challenges.
What makes functional pediatric medicine different from a regular pediatrician?
A conventional pediatric visit often stops at symptom management or medication. Functional pediatric medicine investigates what sits underneath: gut health, immune function, nutrient levels, toxin exposure, methylation, mitochondrial function. The treatment plans are built on what lab testing surfaces, not on a default protocol.
What is MAPS certification?
MAPS stands for the Medical Academy of Pediatric Special Needs. The FMAPS credential (Fellowship of MAPS) is a specialized training in biomedical approaches to autism and neurodevelopmental disorders. Melanie Wardle holds this certification. For parents of children with complex developmental or behavioral conditions, it is one of the more meaningful pediatric-specific credentials outside of standard board certification.
Do you work with my child's existing doctors and therapists?
Yes. PMC's functional approach complements existing care. Melanie coordinates with your child's pediatrician, behavioral therapists, speech therapists, occupational therapists, and other specialists so everyone on the team has the same information. When the underlying biology is better supported, children often get more out of every other intervention.
What does the first appointment cost?
The initial pediatric consultation is $250. It is a comprehensive evaluation, not a brief intake. Progressive Medical Center is out-of-network for all insurance providers; we provide detailed superbills for out-of-network reimbursement. Cherry Financing and CareCredit are both accepted. See Insurance & Financing for the full picture.
How long before we see results?
It varies. Quicker changes (sleep quality, digestion, energy, behavioral regulation) sometimes show up within weeks. Slower changes (cognitive development, communication, deeper immune and metabolic shifts) build over months. Progress is monitored closely with follow-up labs and plan adjustments over time.
We do not live in Atlanta. Can we still come?
Yes. Many pediatric families travel to see us. Our patient navigation team coordinates scheduling, accommodations, and the full itinerary so you can focus on your child. See our Out-of-Town Patients page for the logistics walkthrough.
Your Child Deserves Better Answers
Call our care team to discuss your child's situation. A care coordinator will answer your questions and help you schedule your child's first visit with Melanie Wardle. Your first call is a conversation, not a commitment. No referral needed.