I am interested in starting the DAN protocol with my recently diagnosed autistic son.?

Question

I went online to found research against doing the biomedical (DAN protocol), and was not able to find any. I have read all the success stories, and I am reading a book titled "Children with Starving Brains". This books talks all about the test to do to start the program, it talks about the GF/CF free diet and all the other things that go along with it. I have plenty of supporting evidence for why I should try this approach but I was wanting information too as to why I shouldn't so that I can make an educated decision before I talk to my son's doctor's about this. If anyone can help me with this I would appreciate it. Thank you.

Answer 1

I totally agree with abacaxit above. Autism is a pervasive development that a child is born with and will stay with them for the rest of their life. You say you have read a lot of success stories but, have you actually met some one who has been successful on one of these diets? There is no cure for autism but there are strategies that can improve communication and social issues that are fully researched and proven and also don't cost a lot of money. Instead of wasting money on these so called quick fix solutions why not make the most of your child? I have two children with autism and would not change them or the way they are for anything. Make the most of your child instead of pursuing outlandish claims.

Answer 2

The dangers of doing the DAN protocol are that there can be damage to the liver and kidneys.

I also have the book strange brains, bought it at an autism conference in 2003.  Also, I agree somewhat with the other poster is that the prices can be inflated.  

We did a homeopathic detox.  It is an alternative medicine approach.  We saw extreme improvement.  My son was so damaged by vaccines and genetics that his skin would not even react to the sun, he never got any color, had huge circles under the eyes and we went to infectious disease doc, and no suprise his immune system was in the dirt, all the immunoglobulin antibodies were out of range.  

Autistic spectrum disorders are a congenital, hereditary, autoimmune, neurological disorder that is not fully understood.  There are lots of theories about environmental toxins (namely mercury and vaccines), brain injury (hypoxia at birth), chromosomal abnormalities in 15 and 16 (that we know of), abnormal low serotonin levels (as seen in mood disorders), macrocephaly from abnormal frontal lobe growth beginning inutero(as seen in tourettes), there is evidence that autistic spectrum is recessive, most on the spectrum have recessive eye color 75%, allergies (again recessive autoimmune), are left-handed (recessive), male (due to the short y chromosome being 1/3 the length of X

My son was always sick.  He was on antibiotics 8-12X a year/ had several sets of tubes, scarlet fever 3X, rheumatic fever and other uncommon things like kawasaki disease before age 4.  The kid hasn't been sick in 4 years, at all!!!  He began talking, now talks in sentences.  This began within 1 year of detox.  Eye contact huge improvement, appears normal except he diverts from a camera a lot.  

We thought he would need a residential setting for school, with no academic IEP, only ADL's, now he is in a reg ed classroom dx PDD.NOS barely.  We stopped vaccinating when he was dx age 25m.  I do not believe in a cure, or a quick fix.  I do think that there can be some degree of healing, but my son will always be on the spectrum, however even now specialists need to be reminded that he is PDD.NOS (dentist, optometrist, audiologist), these people see the spectrum kids all day long and don't pick up on my son.  As we were doing this, we were doing therapies in conjunction with it.  Also his sensory system was improving with thx and because all kids start to be integrated between 6-10.  I attribute a lot of his improvement from the detox.  

We spent close to 10,000 over 5 yrs. therapies included.  The detox was 1 yr long and cost 3,500.00.  We are going to do our middle son to.  He was not vaccinated but is on the spectrum though starting much higher functioning than the oldest.  The neurologist was all for it.  She said it hurts nothing and she has seen great improvements with it.

I know of 2 other kids my son went to school with that did detox, 1 did DAN same thing both saw dramatic improvements.  The kids that didn't do DAN that I know of 2 are asperger's with significant impaired social skills but in reg ed classes, he is a target though and 1 is still locked into the autism and attending the autism program.  She has done tons of therapies for him but does not believe the DAN/detox will work despite what she has seen in the other children, mine included.

I would proceed with it but cautiously and know that it doesn't always have great effects.  As far as GF/CF we aren't on it but lots report great improvements including Luke Jackson (aspergers, author, kid)

Answer 3

I recommend to let your autistic son develop at his own pace.

Being a high functioning autistic (with ADHD) myself, the best thing my mother has done for me was to not put me on ANY medications in which as I grew older, I learned how to adapt being who I am, and not depending on drugs to change my mental processes.

Drugs are only a band-aid to cover the neurological difference between Autistics/Aspargers and those who are not Autistic.

Do I want to be cured of Autism?  That is a silly question because how do you cure something which is genetic? I do not want a cure an besides, I have found the benefits rewarding and also, to myself, I am normal, I m not normal when I am compared to somethign which does not exist truly but exist as the 'ideal' passing it self as being normal.

Like other Autistics, I do not need to be changed, cured or drugged, but just to be accepted as being different and being Autistic, as a difference in thinking and relating to others.

Answer 4

i think it works for some people---if a food allergy/sensativity is part of their problem--not all people with autism are affected by food allergies/sensativity.

Answer 5

I don't have an autistic child, I have an autistic nephew. (in case you think personal experience is needed).

Autism is a developmental delay ... and whatever people were trying at the time progress happens will be credited with being a miracle. For every child that "recovers" on therapy "X", there are many others who recover without it.

There is no convincing evidence that autism can be helped by any nutritional supplements. The evidence that it's an extremely complex congenital or hereditary neurological disorder is increasing rapidly ... although the work is way over my abiliyt to explain.

There is no convincing evidence the DAN protocol works.  The "DAN" group is way off in left field, medically speaking.  Read this: http://leftbrainrightbrain.co.uk/dan-doc...  

The Geiers set up their own approval board for their "research" ... I put it in quotes because he persuades the parents of the children to pay for lots of expensive testing that in real research is paid for by a research grant.

The "tests" are usually sent to a couple of labs run by other DAN members ... and are far more expensive than the same test done at a local hospital.  If they insist on tests, use your own local lab, or at least call and get a price quote.

And the tests themselves are suspect ... for example, they test for heavy metals by using a "challenge", then compare the results to the "typical" range seen in non-challenged  patients.

That is much like measuring blood sugar after giving a hefty dose of insulin and then saying ... OMG, it's not normal, you need therapy!

The "supplements" are marketed by the authors of the books, wiht little research to prove they actually work as claimed.

I'm looking for a couple of blogs by parents who had their children on this diet and saw no difference in anything except their wallets and the amount of time they were taking with all the special foods and supplements.

ADDING: Found it!

http://leftbrainrightbrain.co.uk/?p=295  

My personal advice would be to not put your child through this ... concentrate on behavior, learn to communicate in his way of communicating, and save your time, energy and money for living.

Answer 6

I can give you a reason why DAN protcol should be avoided:

In this article (see link below):

"The great autism rip-off ... How a huge industry feeds on parents desperate to cure their children"

we learn that...

"DAN! practitioners often recommend chelation therapy - injections intended to detoxify the blood of heavy metals, the treatment that led to the death of autistic five-year-old Abubakar Nadama, a doctor's son from Batheaston, Somerset, in 2005. "

Read the article to see how DAN practitioners promise much but deliver little for huge amounts of fees.