Has any one tried the no gluten/casing diet for autism?

Question

my four year old son is autistic and seems to have the typical bowl problems most autistic people do. a freind who has tried the diet for her kids seems to find that it makes a good diffrence.

Answer 1

havent tried it and havent done much research on it.  i work with children who have autism and i havent heard of them using it either.  do lots of research on it before you play around with crazy diets and ask your doc ofcourse!

Answer 2

yes a Gluten free diet is great for your child we have some customers and after they switched to a gluten free diet it was like a vail was lifted from their three childern  it will take a couple of months for all the gluten to pass from your child body .

Answer 3

If it helps his bowel problems, go with it. As far as improving autism, there isn't a whole bunch of research that supports it. I know three autistic kids that are on the diet and they haven't changed one bit. Their parents keep them on it, but they aren't getting much validation.

That being said, there are some parents that swear by the diet and claim very good results. That is an excellent reason for you to give it a try for a few months just to see if it works for your child. The only problem will be if he is a picky eater and getting him to eat it is torture. There isn't enough validation to try something that drives your child crazy.

Answer 4

I have seen it work for one family I used to teach. (former early childhood education teacher with experience in autism.)

If you want to try it these sites may help u get a better understanding of it!

www.gfcfdiet.com

www.csaceliacs.org

www.celiac.com

www.celiac.org

www.glutenfree.com

www.glutensolutions.com

Most of the sites are catered to those with Celiac but that is who the primary gluten free audience is...but you shoudl still fidn good info on there as well as specific food ideas.

Answer 5

I have.Also need to eliminate any allergenic foods.Corn,dairy,soy,eggs.These are the most common allergenic foods.Corn syrup is in everything.Also all grains that contain gluten need to be eliminated.Artificial ingredients,chemicals in proccessed foods.You also need to give nutritional suppliments.Kerkman labs makes suppliments for kids with autism and ADHD.The common scratch test is not accurate for testing for food allergys.I went through Immuno Labs in Florida.It is expensive.Peanuts is another common allergen.Check out some autism bio-med groups on yahoo groups.Also check out the autism research institute.Check out the book Children With Starving Brains.I believe adrenal dysfunction is also common in autism,but overlooked.I have been treating myself,and my autistic son for adrenal fatigue,and it has made a world of difference with his tantrums and agressive behavior.The sooner you start,the better chance to loose the autistic label.Many kids are recovering from autism using the DAN protocol for autism.Some kids that havn`t responded to the DAN protocol have been helped with homeopathy.Hard to find a good homeopath that works with autism though.Pierre Fontaine is a homeopath that works with autistic kids.He does long distance consults.I think he is in Florida.Not all kids get totally better with this,but most at least show improvemnent.

Answer 6

When starting any special diet it is best to talk to your pediatrician or a nutritionalist.

I have a 3yr old who has autism, I have not implemented the diet with him because he currently has feeding issues but I have done some research on it.

Individuals on the autism spectrum may have trouble digesting proteins such as gluten. Research in the U.S. and England has found elevated levels of certain peptides in the urine of children with ASD, suggesting the incomplete breakdown of peptides from foods that contain gluten and casein.  The incomplete breakdown and the excessive absorption of peptides may cause disruption in biochemical and neuroregulatory processes in the brain, affecting brain functions. Until there is more information as to why these proteins are not broken down, the removal of the proteins from the diet is the only way to prevent further neurological and gastrointestinal damage.

Some hypothesize that children with ASD have what is referred to as a "leaky gut" -- tiny holes in their intestinal tract that may be caused by an overgrowth of yeast. Some believe that this overgrowth may contribute to behavioral and medical problems in individuals on the spectrum, such as confusion, hyperactivity, stomach problems, and fatigue.

For a gluten free/casein (dairy) free diet (gfcf diet) it is suggested to remove the dairy first from the childs system. The casein takes less time to be completely removed from their systems, usually about 3 weeks. Now with gluten it is suggested to remove it from the diet over a period of time. Gluten can take up to 6 months to be removed from the system. One of the main reasons it is suggested to remove a little at a time is because the child will go through withdrawal. Their charateristics of autism actually worsen before they improve. It also suggested to give the diet a try for at least 6 months since it takes about the same amount of time for the gluten to leave their system. Special care must be taken when checking ingredients lists, gluten may come in forms such as vegetable proteins and starch, modified food starch (when derived from wheat instead of maize), malt flavoring, and glucose syrup. Many common ingredients contain wheat or barley derivatives. Many foods will contain gluten, but not be indicated on the ingredients, because they are not in the formulation of the product, but in the preparation of it. One example of this is the dusting of the conveyor belts in the production facilities to prevent the foods from sticking during processing. The food itself might not contain gluten, but there is gluten in the ingested product. You also want to look at products in your home besides food such as shampoo, lotions, sun screen, toothpaste, etc. They can contain gluten and it can be absorbed into their system.

A GFCF diet is no cure for autism but may help characteristics of autism improve in certain people. What may work with one child may not work for another. You can have completely different results in 2 childern who have the same characteristics of autism. Good Luck.

Answer 7

I too work with students on the spectrum.  I have seen some students where there has been some improvements in some areas, some where there has been no improvement in any area and everything in between on the Gluten/Casen free.

Famous people aside - what works with one student, may be ineffective for another and anyone who touts this as the 'cure' is being irresponsible.

Answer 8

I have heard mixed reviews of this diet when used with children with autism. The majority of people I know who have tried it have said it has made a difference but only very short term. They have said for a couple of months they saw a slight improvement in their child but then they seem to go back to how they were. Also a child with autism will very often find it difficult to understand why you are restricting their diet. If I were you I would give it a try as there is no harm in trying. But if it doesn't work then perhaps try something else. Good luck.

Answer 9

I've heard of the diet and have concluded that it's worth a try if you feel it might be beneficial. I have seen an OT conduct therapuetic listening on an autistic child and it produced results - especially bowel problems.

Consult your child's doctor to determine what is the best method of treating your child.