Autism Diets

Shrinking_Moody

Has anyone tried this for yourself or your child? (GF/CF, CF, GF, specific allergen, etc)
If so - what diet? Did it work? Did you see a reduction in symptoms?

My ultimate goal is for my son to speak. He's making progress with speech therapy (he also has apraxia) and has a ton of signs - but I've seen mixed reviews on whether or not the diets result in a language explosion. Just curious on everyones take on this.

contingencyplan

That autism diet stuff is such a crock. The only reason it got so much publicity is because of Jenny McCarthy. You have no idea how many of us over at the wrongplanet forums hate when parents put their kids on that crap.

contingencyplan

A big part of so-called autism therapy it seems like is aimed more at the parent of the autistic person to make them feel better about the situation, more in control, than aimed at legitimately helping the child. As someone with an autism disorder myself it bugs me to no end to find that there are more resources out there to help parents cope with their situation as parents of children with autism than for the autism patients. It's stupid I think.

Bola17

I have celiac desease and was really thinking about this could be affecting my son (recently diagnosed Asperger, as you might know). But right now - as we see no other symptoms for him I figure he has a hard enough time being "different" that I don´t want to alienate him more by him having to have different foods. I know how much a hassel it can be living without gluten. And I´m an adult.

I have seen many children (work at a daycare), who have been dragged thru different dairyfree, sugarfree, wheat or glutenfree diets not to mention colour additives - you name it. The children´s parents do seem to find things help, but sometimes I don´t know if it is a focus thing. If you have a child eating less white bread - they have to eat something else and chances are - it´s going to be more healthy - ergo focus on more healthy foods. Some people do swear that the diets helps concentration, hyperness, awareness and so forth and I sure don´t blame anyone for wanting to give it a try. We´d do anything to help our kids

On the other hand, you have to make sure that your child IS getting the proper nutrients as many children (including ours with autism) are picky eaters. And substituting for prepacked glutenfree bread is not neccessarily a more nutritious choice. Which is why I would recommend that you have an expert to help what to exclude, what to substitute and how long it should be excluded. And where all the "hidden" things are - it´s a jungle - expecially if you´re trying to exclude more than one alergenic.

Feel free to ask more - if you need to know more about gluten!! I have done dairyfree too - the first 6 months. And still stay low on lactose.

Shrinking_Moody

Thanks for the input.

Do you have a link to the wrongplanet forums?

My son was diagnosed last August - but doesn't have a lot of the traditional symptoms. He doesn't speak well but was also diagnosed with apraxia. He visually stims on straight lines. That's basically it. At the time of diagnosis he didn't have gestures - but those are great now - however his language is still lagging. Aside from some yeast infections following antibiotics when he was in diapers and the occasional constipation - we do not seem to have any real gut issues so I figured the diets would be a waste of time - but there are still those out there that swear by diets and supplements - so it makes me curious.

restoreleanne

I have celiac desease as well. Isabella never had anything in with gluten or dairy(shes has a hard time with lactose as a baby) till she went to Pre-K ( 2 years ago) . I dont think the diet works she did not speak more than one word till she was 4 1/2. she has been in speech therapy from the time she was 2 years old. the last 6 months have been a full of progress, and we dont know why. we take it as it comes.

contingencyplan

Thanks for the input.

Do you have a link to the wrongplanet forums?

My son was diagnosed last August - but doesn't have a lot of the traditional symptoms. He doesn't speak well but was also diagnosed with apraxia. He visually stims on straight lines. That's basically it. At the time of diagnosis he didn't have gestures - but those are great now - however his language is still lagging. Aside from some yeast infections following antibiotics when he was in diapers and the occasional constipation - we do not seem to have any real gut issues so I figured the diets would be a waste of time - but there are still those out there that swear by diets and supplements - so it makes me curious.

www.wrongplanet.net

it's a community for people on the autism spectrum. its supposed to be for the autism patients themselves, not for their parents. it was created as a place for people on the spectrum after the forums on the autism speaks website were overrun by the parents who are subject to so much misinformation and spread it. things like the "autism diet" (gluten free, lactose free) are generally taboo to discuss there unless you are calling BS on it.

Booksandbeaches

We haven't seen a huge reduction in symptoms from the diet, but I have two mom friends with ASD kids on the special diets and they swear by it. Gross info ahead.. For their kids, the poop went from being unformed and diarrhea like to well formed, solid poops. One mom was able to potty train her son after putting him on the diet.
Like anything else in life, I wouldn't say the special diets work for everyone but for those kids for whom it works, it seems to really work.
My two cents.

zaithyr

The only reason I could see doing a diet like that is if you suspect food sensitivites (which can cause moodiness, ect... especially if they aren't feeling well and can't/don't know how to tell you). As far as it improving the autism symptoms and speech, I don't think that would do the trick because I am not a believer that Autism is caused by eating certain foods in the first place, so why expect food to change it? A healthier diet can improve energy and overall physical well-being though which would be beneficial, so cutting out excess sugar and stuff may be a good idea.

Melanie_RS

food will not be related to the ability to speak.

my partner is a behavior psychologist (and closeted speech therapist) who works specifically with children who cannot talk...of course she works with a gazillion parents who want to try everything and anything. in 20 years, no diet or stem cells, or hyperbaric chambers, chelation or vitamin therapy has made an ounce of difference. end of story.


try to find someone qualified in ABA/VBA that is your best bet!

the diets are good if they have health related issues but a diet will never make them "typical" or cure autism behaviors.

opuntia

I'm on the autism spectrum, and diet does affect both my digestion and my general functioning. Like many autistic people, I get a lot of digestive problems, and I also get a lot of sensory difficulties - oversensitivity to sensory input, which makes me feel overwhelmed and makes it hard to focus, and I zone out. I find if I eat junk food and processed food, both the sensory and the digestive problems are worsened. Also, if I overeat, I get overstimulated.

I don't follow a gluten-free, casein-free diet, because I tried that, and found that plenty of processed GFCF foods still gave me the same problems. So instead, I try to eat a very simple diet, based on natural, unprocessed (or minimally processed) foods - fruit, veg, rice, meat, fish, nuts, bread, plain yogurt. I am also careful to not eat too much - to eat less rather than more. Being autistic, it is hard for me to recognise when my body is telling me it's hungry or it's full, and I can go a whole day without eating, or I can eat and just keep eating and eating, so I am careful to allocate myself three meals a day, and give myself small portions.

Obviously everyone is different, including everyone on the spectrum, so it's important to experiment and see what works. Apparently lamb, rice and pears are the three 'safest' foods - those that are least likely to cause a bad reaction (for anyone - not just autistic people). So I started with those, and tried adding different things to my diet and seeing what worked and what didn't. For me, I react badly to milk, but I react well to yogurt, for instance.

I do have one day a week where I eat whatever I like, because that is supposed to be good for the metabolism, and also because, like a lot of autistic people, I absolutely love crisps (potato chips) because of the sensory aspect and the salt.

Hope that's helpful. Sorry I can't help with the not speaking aspect - I didn't have a problem with learning to speak, and it's not really understood why some autistic people can't speak. I've chatted online with nonverbal autistic adults, who are very intelligent and can type and express themselves just fine in writing, and I've asked why they can't speak, and they don't know - they say somehow the words just don't come out. But I do know for myself that, although I speak, I find it easier to write than to speak, because there is less multitasking and less sensory input. And you don't have to coordinate timing - timing is something that autistic brains have difficulty with, because our brains work differently from non-autistic brains. And this will always be the case, no matter what diet we have. When I was a child, although I could speak, I often chose not to.

Bola17

So nice to have your input!!!
What you mention about milk contra yogurt - this is the same for me. I can eat yogurt (or other processed milk products - butter, cheese, cream (not plain, but in cooked food)) without any problem, but have stomach problems as soon as I drink milk. I did have the lactose test done and cannot break down lactose on my own.

It´s very good that you have figured out some of the things that worsen your autism or trigger oversensitivity.

Cdn_Dot

I'm just glad that our girl eats! GF/CF would take away everything that she likes to eat! The only ways I would change her diet are less junk and I would really like her to eat more fruits and veggies.
I have heard several times from our pediatrician that the diets are ineffective.