Anyone have any information on treating ADHD and mild autism with diet modification as opposed to medication?

There is not a treatment because it is not a disease.

Autism is merely a different way of thinking. There is nothing wrong with it.

Are you the Autie or are you speaking on behalf of someone, such as a child?

In either case, the only “treatment” necessary is understanding.

We communicate differently. In most cases, speech is very difficult to perform in real-time. We dont easily convert our thought to english because for the most part our thought is based in feelings and pictures rather than a voice in out heads. We do tend to communicate well in writing.

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What is most important to an Autie is social interaction. This person must learn thoroughly the ideas of tact and greetings and introductions and all other aspects. They must be broken down and explained logically or with pictures and examples.

ADHD is a joke. Don’t buy into it. It is great to have energy, dont seek to dampen the high metabolism. What is needed is outlets. I built tree forts and played with legos… I rode bikes and made ramps. I experimented, I read books, I watched movies. I did everything I could get my hands on.

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Provide new material often and of every sort. Express your deep interest in things to encourage it. Keep giving things to focus on.

Martial arts or similar forms of training can disipline focus.
even video games can disipline focus, then its a matter of gaining awareness of that ability to focus and not writing it off to particular interest.

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The autie must learn to be in control of focus and interest. Must be given examples of how to rationalize things and justify reasons for action.

I can go on forever on this subject.
I am so overwhelmingly appalled by the misinformation and lack of understanding for autism.
I was treated so poorly my entire life
and only because of ignorance.
Keep seeking information of every type and think about it critically, decide for yourself what it right.

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GFCF Gluten-Free, Casein-Free Diet for Autism… Any tips? Any improvement?

I just started my 2 1/2 year old son on the Gluten-Free, Casein-Free diet. He is autistic and I was wondering if anyone has had any success with this diet. Also what kind of desserts are you using? I’m pretty limited to GFCF puddings, because my son doesn’t like baby food desserts or GFCF ice cream. Thanks!

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Desserts are pretty easy. I make GFCF cookies, cakes, etc.
Make your own fruit popsicles using an ice cube tray and popsicle sticks or try fruit sorbets. If you make fruit juice ice cubes, you can add vitamin supplements to enrich them. I give fruit smoothies as sweet treats. If you add GFCF vanilla ice cream to the smoothie, it tastes like milk shakes.

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You might also want to eliminate soy and corn out of your son’s diet also. Soy has excess amount of isoflavones and has an estrogenic effect so should not be given to boys. Most of corn is genetically modified and its hard to digest. Some moms told me that their kids improved more when corn and soy were removed from the diet. Digestive enzymes are neccessary because lots of our kids cannot break down food properly. My son mainly cannot digest protein correctly.

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Whenever he consumes gluten now, he has a terrible reaction to it. He get very hyperactive and is irritable. Digestive enzymes will make these reactions disappear but its not a substitute for a strict GFCF diet.
I suggest making your own food to control the ingredients and keep the cost down. Its cheaper to make big batches of pancakes, waffles, chicken nuggets, etc. and freeze them than buying them. Hidden sources of gluten are in many products. A friend of mine called every manufacturer of the foods her son’s eat and asked if it was gfcf. They responded by giving her coupons and answering her questions promptly.
I also rotate the foods he eats so that he will not develop food intolerances to them. Your son should also be on probiotics and omega fatty acids. Coromega is a great way to give kids their omegas because it tastes just like an orange and looks like pudding.
Good Luck

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PROS AND CONS ON GFCF DIET FOR AUTISM, DOES IT HELP?

The gfcf diet (gluten free-casein free) is used in helping with behavior and/or food allergies in autistic people, and also certain people with autism have a hard time digesting certain foods that contain gluten/casein. The GFCF diet is like any other treatment, therapy, medicine, etc. used for people with autism, it has to be done on a trial basis. Since autism is a spectrum disorder and it effects each person differently on an individual basis, some methods may work with some and may not work with others. I’ve known some who have used the diet and seen great improvements, some have seen little improvement, and some have seen no improvement at all. I do not use it with my son because his food intake is limited since he has oral aversion which is a sensory to food textures.

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The only way to truly know if it helps, is to try it. If behavior is an issue, their behavior will worsen before it improves because the body goes through withdrawal. Do your research on it, you should remove casein before gluten, and remove gluten over a period of time, casein can take up to 3 weeks and gluten up to 6 months to be completely removed from your system, you give the diet at least 6 months beacuse of the gluten. You have to learn about ingredients/hidden ingredients and reading labels, many household products such as shampoo can contain gluten and be asborbed into your system.

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Here’s some links that will be helpful to you about the diet.

Autism Network for Dietary Intervention:

http://www.autismndi.com/

Since 1995, Autism Network for Dietary Intervention (ANDI) has been helping and supporting parents using dietary and biomedical interventions for autism spectrum disorders. They provide help and support for families using a gluten & casein free diet (gfcf diet) in the treatment of autism and related developmental disabilities. The ANDI mission is simple: “To help parents understand, implement and maintain dietary intervention for their autistic children.”

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The Official GFCF Diet Support Group Website

http://www.gfcfdiet.com

Diet Intervention for Autism Spectrum Disorders, PDD-NOS, Celiac Disease, and Gluten & Dairy Allergies/Intoleran. Website includes lists of food: acceptable & unacceptable foods; list of unacceptable ingredients; extensive list of GFCF products; explanation of the GFCF diet & getting started including the stages of the GFCF diet; understanding how to read labels; hidden ingredients; information about nitrates, phenols & salicylates; gluten intolerance/celiac disease information; GFCF recipes; parent support groups including local dietary intervention support groups; GFCFKids forum; community bullentin board; GFCF diet survey; GFCF diet support; diet counselors; and much more.

New Diets

http://www.newdiets.com

Features gluten free/casein free (GFCF) recipes: basic ingredients; condiments; breads; soups & stews; vegetarian & side dishes; meat entrees; seafoods; & desserts. Information provided on: getting started; product vendors; school lunch menus; problems baking with substitutes.

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Gluten free diet for Autism?

I know this question has been asked before but I have a co-worker who really think I should try this diet for my son. (Her family is on it for digestive issues.) I just can’t find enough information to make it sound worth it. Anymore feedback would be wonderful.

My son (five years old) has great eye contact, is sweet and affectionate, but has no words! He also acts a bit “silly”. My son is in Autism specific kindergarten, as well as private speech and occupational therapy. He is so sweet that I don’t really want to “fix” him but since my co-worker is so convinced I need to do this diet I am trying to make sure I’m not shorting my kiddo by ignoring it.

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I will wait a little while before picking a best answer but I want to say to all the parents that I do respect your opinion and your anecdotes. I don’t believe that I will try the diet but I believe those who say it has helped their children

The thing about having a child with any sort of disability, autism included, is that parents are always looking for that “silver bullet” – that magical “something” that is going to cure or fix all their children’s problems. I have experienced this myself when my daughter was diagnosed with autism.

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What I have found is that many of these so-called “cures” are advocated by people who have something to gain from it – either money, because they are shilling some “wonder cure,” or maybe just in support, because if they can get more people to “buy in” to what they’re doing, it will somehow lend legitimacy to it and assuage their own doubts.

The problem is, very few of these cures actually work. I have tried diet supplements, vitamin therapy, and gluten-free/casein-free diets, and all I got out of it was more fights with my daughter (who hated the supplements and vitamins and being restricted from her favorite snacks, like cold cereal!), and more stress for me and the rest of the family. In order to be sure my daughter adhered strictly to the gf/cf diet, the whole family had to go on it, and it was really hard on all of us.

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What I eventually decided was, you have to walk a fine line between never giving up hope for a cure, and accepting what you have. As long as you spend your time searching for something that will make your son (or in my case, daughter) “different,” the less time you have to work on being grateful for what you do have in your life. My daughter, in all of her autistic glory, has taught me WAY more than I could ever hope to repay – and I’m not sure I would have ever learned those lessons she was meant to teach me, had I continually focused on changing (curing?) her instead of learning from her.

I say, your life will be better if you spend your time and money on building a happy relationship with your son, than on chasing after some rainbow cure that, odds are, will only lead to frustration and disappointment. If you read “Welcome to Holland” (link below), I guess I am advocating learning to be happy in Holland, rather than trying to find a way out to Italy.

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Hope this helps.

http://www.our-kids.org/Archives/Holland.html

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

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.

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Autism, Diet and Vaccines: Your Opinion, Please?

I’m interested in autism, and although I’ve already read a good bit on the subject, I’m curious to see what the public believes about vacines being implicated in autism. What about the glueten free, additive free, and dairly free diets? What is your opinion on their effect on autism symptoms?

No slandering, just your opinion, okay?

Vaccines completely depend/play on the immune system. That is what they are designed for. My son had a reaction to his Hep B vaccine on day 2 of life. He had sweat pouring off of his body, turned beat red and nurses had to be rushed in. It was almost like his immune system crashed or went into overdrive. He became sick week after week after week. He developed food intolerances, gut problems, bowel problems, etc. And, yes, he developed autism. His immune system is a complete wreck. We are constantly fighting yeast and bacteria in his system and he regresses during certain parts of the year like fall, when immune system is in overdrive from allergies. My son was a HUGE responder to the gfcf diet. His tantrums reduced by 75% in a matter of 2 wks. The "noises" he made were reduced by over 50% within 2 wks and he potty trained himself after 2 days. It was nothing short of amazing. I almost didn’t want this diet to work, because I thought it would be too hard. After being told by a developmental pediatrician that he didn’t "need" the diet, I put him back on gluten/casein. Within 2 days, he looked like he was in pure misery…he started to wet his pants again, was very agitated and almost appeared to be in pain. It was horrible to watch. So, I put him back on the diet and he became happy once again FYI, we later had him blood tested for food intolerances and he was astronomically intolerant to all major allergens (indicator of gut dysbiosis). My son also vomits from food dyes, especially Red Dye 40. I can assure you that in my son’s case of autism, his treatment and diet have been HUUUUGE for us. We can now leave the house and enjoy ourselves without having 50 meltdowns a day. That alone would have been worth it. There have been studies done on gluten/casein peptides being found in the urine of people with autism (leaking through the gut and into the blood). There is a HUGE number of kids with "auto-immune autism" in that there is a whole range of issues going on in the body. Please, if you are reading this, go to autism.com and find a DAN dr and do the research yourself. Not all autism is the same..you have to go by your child’s individual issues and never rule out the fact that these chidlren can and do have medical issues that need to be addressed. Jenny McCarthy had her son tested by one of the top medical dr’s in the country. He told her that her son had "the immune system of a dying AIDS patient." Oh, and vaccines are highly linked to a spike in fever along with seizures. Also, look for diarrhea that begins shortly after a vaccine. These are common signs of a vaccine reaction. When the immune system crashes, it wreaks havoc on the body and the mind. There are so many stories out there…educate yourself before making a decision for your child. All the best

Does the vegan diet help with autism somehow?

I have Aspergers and went vegan a while back, and it seems like I get slightly less aggravated. I am also cutting gluten because I have figured out I am intolerant, but I have heard that this helps as well. Any insight on this?

That’s very interesting! I’m don’t pretend to have any understanding of autism, but I can kind of see how a vegan diet would help. Veganism seems to make you feel healthier and have more positive energy in general, so perhaps this makes the negative emotions less intense?
Also, I think our thoughts are clearer when we follow a vegan diet, so this could have the effect of toning down the general aggravation?
Whatever the reason, I think it’s great that it’s helped you!
X

Autism gfcf diet acceptable food ideas?

My son has just been diagnosed with autism and the doctor wants to put him on a diet. Any acceptable food ideas would be appreciated. Thanks in advance

He loves goldfish crackers, cheese puffs, gummys, and milk
By the way he is only 2 years old.

I have identical twin boys who are 2 and we have been on the GFCF diet for 9 months now. I would love to share the acceptable foods according to them ; – )

Breakfast:
- Kinnick donuts GFCF – Hyvee healthfood freezer section
-Vans GFCF Blueberry waffles – Hyvee – wrap in papertowel microwave 45 sec.
- Namaste Waffle mix – Hyvee or Whole foods – use rice milk
- Gluntino breakfast bars
- Butter: – Regular is suppose to be okay but I use Natural Blance spread – Hyvee

Lunch:
- Kinnick white sandwich bread – microwave 2 slices 1min 20 sec.
- Peanut Butter – I heard Peter Pan is okay but sometimes I bu the organic
- jelly – organic
- Pizza – Kinniinick Pizza Crust
- Almond Cheese (Hyvee or Whole Foods) Apparently Rice Cheese still has Casien

Dinner:
- GF Chix breast/nuggets (whole foods or costco)
- Potatoes & sweet potatoes
- Fish – bread in cornmeal and rice flour (homemade fish sticks)

These are our "go to’s". When I started this diet I was overwhelmed and had to try a lot of items before I found the right ones. If you want more ideas let me know and I will look through my cupboard and write them all down.

Good luck, it isn’t as hard as you feel like it is going to be. Really, I never thought I would say that ; – )

easy recipes autism diet?

easy cakes, bread recipes glutten and casein free

http://www.ediets.com

My son has autism what diet would you try him on?

We have gone to soya instead of milk, what sort of food would you recommend? and he is two years old and we live in oxfordshire,england.

you should ask your doc everything be cause i gave my autistic child vitamins the other day cuz my child would only eat pretzels all day and it worried me well that backfired cuz u should gove autistic child certain vitamins it makes them stay up all night cuz their bodies break things down differently
i hope i helped i know i have to ask the doc bout switching to something besides milk
my child is on zantac and so far it hasnt helped the reflux so there has to be something else i can do
best of luck email me if ya ever need to talk

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