Full Cream Milk

Michelle - posted on 11/16/2008

There are about a billion diets out there that people will tell you to put your kid on. The fact of the matter is there is no proof that gluetin/casein free diet makes any difference whatsoever in the behaviour of an ASD person. The thing is, for some kids, a minority, this is an issue. I think it is worth trying the diet to see if there is a difference because your child may be part of that minority. Keeping a food journal is very helpful when trying to make decisions. You may see patterns in black and white that were not otherwise obvious.

Lorraine - posted on 11/16/2008

Hi kate my son is 16 i've tried everything from fish oil ,sweets resticted diet ect ect to no avail other than to make both our lives a misery. After years of working with special needs I'd say consistancy is the key to living with a child who finds the world very confusing and scary hope this helps. One last word enjoy him being different who really wants to be normal , not me!?

Kelly - posted on 11/16/2008

Unfortunately, most doctors don't understand the gut-brain connection. Since my daughter was diagnosed 4 yrs ago, I have done TONS of research including going to DAN! conferences (Defeat Autism NOW!), have gone to NAA conferences (National autism assoc) and connected with tons of moms in my area to find out what works best. Trust me - when it comes to autism- you will learn a ton more from moms dealing with it, than from your pediatrician...they are stuck in the past.they are using info from 10 years ago becasue they aren't taught much about autism in med school...plus most doctors know very little about nutrition...in med school, they are required to take ONE course...that's it....

After these conferences, I found a DAN! doctor who I thought did a great job presenting his case. We take our daughter to Dr. Kenneth Bock in Rhinebeck, NY. Since I started taking her there, he has appeared on Good Morning America, and Montel Williams Show twice. He is fantastic. But we have to travel 10 hours to see him. For a list of DAN! doctors in your area, see www.generationrescue.org . This is a fantastic resource for you! You will be amazed how much there is to know about children with autism...and how much they can improve with the correct interventions.

Anyway, good luck and I hope it helps! -Kelly

Kate - posted on 11/15/2008

thank you so much kelly......why didnt doctors tell me this?



thanks again xx

Kelly - posted on 11/15/2008

Kate- YES! YES! YES! You need to take him off dairy all together. That means all ice cream, butter, yogurt, milk, even some deli cold cuts - anything with casein in it. You will usually see a huge difference within about 10 days to 2 weeks. Over 75% of children with ASD have GI problems. Loose stools or constipation or a combo of both. Most of these kids cannot digest the very large peptides found in casien (dairy) or gluten (wheat). These peptides pass through their intestine walls and get into their bloodstream and go straight to the brain causing a morphine-like effect. Hence, the reason most ASD kids LOVE to eat dairy and wheat products. They are physically addicted to it. I would take it slow...try taking away dairy 1st and keep a journal - write down any changes you see. If that works, you can try removing gluten - but I'll warn you that gluten is in nearly everything! For help go tryt eh book Special Diets for Special Kids by Lisa Lewis (on Amazon!) Good Luck!