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For children & families

Test without needles. Without distress.

A small hair clipping at home. No fasting, no clinic, no needles. For families wanting nutritional and mineral data on a child without the trauma of conventional bloods, HTMA is one of the most parent-friendly options — and one of the most rigorous.

"It wasn't a magic fix — but it was the first time anyone had given us a number, a pattern, a thing to work on. That mattered." — Parent of family-practice client, NZ
Why parents land here

Four common reasons families come to us

Most parents who book HTMA for a child fall into one of these. None are emergencies. All are reasonable starting points.

⊘

Wanting non-medication options first

The school or paediatrician has flagged attention, sleep, or behaviour. The family wants to investigate nutritional and environmental factors before a medication conversation, not instead of one. A sensible position.

↻

Recurrent illness, slow recovery

Your child catches everything and takes ages to bounce back. Bloods come back fine but the pattern continues. Tissue-level mineral status often reveals deficiencies (zinc, magnesium) that blood doesn't flag until severe.

↑

Picky eating & restricted diets

Limited diet, sensory eating preferences, food refusal — sustained over years creates real mineral gaps. HTMA gives you data on what's actually depleted instead of guessing from a food diary.

⌖

Environmental exposure concerns

Old housing, water-quality concerns, family history of metal exposure. Lead and cadmium concentrate in hair where blood often misses them. HTMA is one of the few practical screening options for this in children.

Read this carefully

A note about diagnoses, behaviour, and labels

Important — please read

HTMA does not diagnose ADHD, autism, anxiety, or any childhood condition.

Parents are often searching for answers, and the testing market is full of overpromising. Plainly: HTMA does not diagnose any developmental, behavioural, or psychiatric condition in children. Not ADHD. Not autism spectrum. Not anxiety disorders. Not learning differences. None.

HTMA can surface mineral patterns that sometimes accompany attention, sleep, and self-regulation difficulties — and a thoughtful nutrition protocol can sometimes meaningfully shift those patterns. The report is not a diagnostic instrument and we will never claim that it is.

If you suspect a developmental or behavioural condition, the appropriate path is your GP, a paediatrician, and (where appropriate) a registered psychologist. We support you continuing under their care. HTMA can sit alongside that work — not replace it.

The kid-friendly process

What testing actually looks like for a child

Designed to be the least possible disruption to a child's day. No clinic. No needles. No fasting.

Step 1

Parent fills the form

Parent/guardian completes the Mandatory Health Questionnaire — diet, growth, current symptoms, family history.

Step 2

Kit arrives at home

Small box, scissors, sample envelope, illustrated instructions. Kid-friendly — looks more like a craft project than a medical test.

Step 3

Snip from the nape

Small clipping (about a teaspoon), painless, takes 2 minutes. Most parents do it before a bath or during a show.

Step 4

Mail it back

Post the envelope to our Wellington address. We courier on to ARL USA. Report and protocol back via email — addressed to the parent, not the child.

A composite case

What this looks like in practice

Composite · Family practice

Boy, 7. School raised attention difficulties and suggested medication. Parents wanted to rule out nutritional or environmental factors first. Standard bloods normal.

HTMA showed magnesium and zinc deficient, copper elevated, aluminium slightly elevated. Pattern consistent with what we sometimes see alongside attention and sensory regulation difficulties — never diagnostic.

Six-month follow-up: magnesium and zinc back to mid-range. Parents and teacher reported observable changes in classroom focus and self-regulation. Family decided to continue monitoring rather than medicate, with GP awareness.

— Composite case based on family-practice clients Composite illustration. HTMA does not diagnose attention difficulties or any other condition. Family worked alongside their GP throughout. Outcomes vary; your child's situation is unique. See Client Results for more cases.
Parent FAQs

Practical questions before you book

What's the youngest age you'll test?
We test from age 2 upwards. Below 2, mineral status is so closely tied to feeding patterns and rapid growth that the test becomes hard to interpret meaningfully. If you have specific questions about an under-2, email Gary first — he'll tell you honestly whether it's worth testing.
Do I need a GP referral?
No. HTMA is direct-to-consumer. That said, if your GP is involved in your child's care we encourage you to share the report with them — many GPs will read it carefully even if they don't routinely use HTMA themselves.
Is the price the same as for adults?
Yes. The lab work, panel, and interpretation are identical regardless of age. Same pricing applies — $495 Baseline Analysis or $895 Baseline + Progress bundle.
How much hair do you need from a child?
The same amount as for an adult — about a heaped teaspoon, taken from the nape of the neck. For children with thinner hair, we give detailed pictorial instructions and you can take from multiple spots over a 3cm arc. Full guidance on the Sample Collection page.
What if I can't get my child to sit still long enough?
It takes about 2 minutes total. Most parents do it during a screen-time moment, while reading a book together, or in the bath. Compared to a venipuncture clinic visit, it is by far the lowest-stress mineral test available for kids.
What if my child has very short hair?
Body hair is acceptable as a fallback — fine arm hair or fine back-of-neck fluff. Note this on the questionnaire. If your child's hair is shaved short within the last 6 weeks, wait until growth is at least 1cm long.
Can I test the whole family?
Yes. Many families do — particularly when investigating environmental exposure (water, housing). Each person is a separate test. We can sometimes batch-mail kits to save shipping; ask Gary.
Will the report use scary language?
No. Gary writes parent-facing reports in plain English. He will not use clinical labels he hasn't earned the right to use. If a result genuinely concerns him, he'll say so plainly and direct you to a GP — not bury it in jargon.
Which test for kids

Most family clients choose Baseline Analysis first

For children, a single Baseline Analysis is often the right starting point — data without committing to a two-test cycle upfront. You can always add a Progress Analysis later.

Common starting point

HTMA Baseline Analysis

$495
One test · NZD incl. GST

Single test, full panel, full interpretation. Most family clients start here and decide whether to retest based on what shows up.

View Baseline Analysis
If pursuing protocol

HTMA Baseline + Progress Analysis

$895
Two tests · ~4 months apart · NZD incl. GST

If the initial picture suggests an active protocol is worth pursuing — e.g. following up on a meaningful magnesium or zinc deficiency — the bundled Baseline + Progress is more economical than buying separately.

View Bundle

Get the data without the trauma.

Testing a child shouldn't require restraint, sedation, or hours of distress. A small hair clipping gives you 35+ data points and a parent-readable interpretation — often before considering more invasive options.

Start with Baseline Analysis · $495 Read the FAQ first