Parents with ASD Children Who Have Tried Gluten Free and Casein Free Diets.

I have quite a few friends and colleagues with kids on the spectrum (including PDD/NOS and OCD), and they have used supplementation to ADD rather than go crazy trying to eliminate all kinds of things. By adding missing nutrients, kids (and adults) are able to metabolize and process the other things in their diets. In fact, the vast majority of food "allergies" are not true allergies, but just the inability to process because something is missing. I have another friend whose child was diagnosed with over 50 food allergies and a learning disability and rages. The rages went away first, and in about 5-7 months, everything else was gone too, and he came off his IEP. You can still use therapy in conjunction with this.

Happy to provide more info.

Easiest thing is to test them for gluten sensitivities before spending money on a gluten free diet.
My family foisted that on me, and there was ZERO change. I took my son in for a complete battery of tests afterward(going off of their incorrect notions on what was wrong). Any competent allergy specialist will know the tests to run when you say you are screening for the gluten allergy that mimic's ASD symptoms. Since I took him to the specialist my FAMILY picked out, they had ZERO input when I shot their thoughts down, and returned my son to his normal foods.

Do it if only for your piece of mind, but please, do your research first. Don't go in expecting a miracle. There are no "miracle diets" to correct it, as ASD is classified that BECAUSE there are so many variations on it.

Be an informed advocate of your children's health, because you are the only one's that will be looking for their best interests. I can assure you the specialists that are pushing for their diet to be labeled a definitive cure for Autism won't be.

Just my 2cp.

Hummingbird, I think that some of Mama's on here are right about eating healthy rather than go completely gluten free unless your child has been tested (blood test) and it is proven that your child has allergies or celiac. You mention in your message that you are looking for foods to help make a difference in their lives and I hope you are also looking at other things as well such as therapies (occupational therapy, social thinking, social skills, dir/floortime, psychiatry for anxiety if it is that bad you could look at medication to help your 12 year old function with anxiety). I think it is worth it for you to go to a pediatric nutritionist (with a focus on autism) to discuss appropriate foods. Good luck to you, I know that its difficult since I have an 8 year old autistic son (not on a gluten free diet, but a healthy diet which he can handle for now - my son has food aversions). Take care.

We follow a modified version of the Feingold Diet for my autistic daughter as well as my daughter that has ADHD and ODD. We do almost everything except going gluten free. I also follow the diet for myself since it helps my Fibromyalgia.

When we went lactose free, it took a month because we followed the Elimination Diet. It takes two full weeks for the body to purge itself of dairy completely. It takes another two full weeks for the body to learn how to "work" properly without dairy, and for the child to recognize what it feels like being dairy/lactose/casein free.

It's important to note that casein is the milk protein, while lactose is the milk sugar. Lactose intolerance occurs when the small intestine doesn't produce any or enough lactase enzyme, which is what digests lactose.

We did this at 3 1/2 or so years old. Our pediatrician was supportive. We also went to a pediatric gastroenterologist for an official diagnosis, who (once we got the official diagnosis on paper for school dietitian purposes) put us in touch with her pediatric nutritionist. Our pedi neurologist is very VERY supportive as she's an Autism Advocate.

My son does not have an ASD but when he was 2 he did have some sensory integration difficulties and some red flags for an ASD. I removed dairy from his diet and well as put him on an almost all organic diet and included fish oil (Nordic Naturals or Carlson) every day. His last immunization was at 18 months. I noticed a difference in his irritability very quickly. He just seemed happier and better able to handle things that otherwise would have bothered him. He is 4 1/2 now and thriving. I think it is worth a shot. I do believe that toxins in the environment as well as allergies can trigger autistic-like symptoms that if caught early can be reversed.

It would be better to check if your child has allergies or gastrointestinal deficiencies first. Every child is different. Autismspeaks.org may have info on this kind of thing.

My son has ADD - he also has celiac disease, he cannot eat any wheat products. About a month or two after going on the gluten free diet, we noticed improved focus and decreased symptoms - It has been over a year now and we cannot believe the difference. Even teachers at school commented on the difference.

I know it is not ASD - but thought I would share my experience anyway - I think that you should have your child tested for celiac and if he does have the condition - then gluten free diet can make a world of difference. If you choose to try the diet without evaluating for celiac first, keep in mind it might take a month or two before you notice a difference.

Jenny McCarthy put her son on a gluten free diet and she swears that it helped cure her son from ASD, who knows. I read her book, it was pretty good. Worth a try.

Great that you're going to change diet and such to try this. I have found several clients (therapy) that benefited from this:
no dairy
no gluten (even if you aren't tested, gluten really is not healthy, you can simply alter using glutenous flour with brown rice, un contaminated oat, chickpea or many other flours. coconut flour for baking is nice too)
no processed foods
no dyes, colors, preservatives, etc. If you're processed food free, it's simple
no sugars, NONE, you can sweeten from time to time with some good quality organic maple syrup or fruit juice that doesn't have sugar added
try to get as much organic as possible
no tins, cans, aluminum held products or pans for cooking. Try to stay away from the microwave too
Food is not the only thing..... you need to watch what you clean with, wash with, etc. No dyes, colors, perfumes..... Use all natural soaps and cleaners. To clean the bathroom, use baking soda and vinegar!!! No fabric softeners either. Anything toxic, stay clear of

Now you're thinking what can we eat that's quick and feeds my family of 6????
At night, wash 3 cups of brown rice (don't forget organic) and soak with spring water. Wash and soak some beans too. Kidney, black, aduki (like mini kidney beans), white beans......In the morning, pour out the soaking water for the beans only. Add fresh water to the beans and set both to boil. Lower to simmer and by the time you've got yourself or kids ready the stuff is cooked. You can put aside if cool enough outside and when dinner time comes, just add some sauteed onions (not too many, often such above situations have reactions from onions, garlic and the like) or some fresh herbs and a heap of veggies and dinner is served.
Also make sure to have LOTS of dark green leafy veggies. They are very high in calcium and a million other vitamins you need.
Oh, you can also soak some oatmeal or steel cut oats over night with some raisins (not too many) and in the morning add some nut milk and heat up. The water will absorb over night allowing quick prep time for you. You can chop an apple in, sprinkle some cinnamon....

Nut milk you ask??? Sooo simple to make. Certain nuts may also cause a reaction. Start simple. Walnuts are high in omegas, brazil nuts high in selenium, almonds, calcium. You should stick with more alkaline forming nuts. So not too many cashews, etc.
You soak a 1/4 cup of nuts in good water for minimum 4 hours, put in a blender with at least 3 cups of water and maybe one pitted date if you'd like it sweet (so then also add a drop of vanilla extract, real not fake stuff) and blend up. Take a cheesecloth or even a clean stocking (nude not dyed preferably) and strain. You can save the nut meal for baking or thickening foods, soups, gravy.
Carrot juice is good but not too much because it can be high in sugar. Smoothies are nice. Again, nut milk, some fruit but stick to berries, things with less sugar load and a few pieces of kale. Want it a pretty purple? Add some Acai powder which is really nutritious and blueberries. Don't know where to buy all this stuff? www.iherb.com and www.vitacost.com have some great deals. If you order from iherb, use code VEG114 for your first order and you'll receive $10 of the order. They also have free shipping.

It can take up to 3 months to notice a significant difference but you will be amazed with the results.

Good luck and don't forget to take care of you too