Gluten Free/Casein Free Diet (GFCF Diet) for Children with Autism

Try Googleing: Autism and Nutrition...

There are all kinds of sights that can help. I know that there is a mom/dr who successful healed her child from autism through diet - but I don'tknow her name. I think she was from England...

Hey S.,

I personally don't have any experience with this but I have two friends that go to this special bakery. It may be a little far for you but the two moms that own this special bakery started it because they have children with autism. They had a hard time finding the special food for their children. You may want to check it out and maybe you can go there and talk to them and get advice and support plus get (from what my friends say) awesome, not all that expensive, food. The website is www.libertybakeryonline.com.

Hope that helps!! Good luck.

Beth

S.,
As a nurse (Pediatric) yes I am familiar with the diet you are proposing for your child and your right, in many instances it has made a profound difference in childrens lives. I know there is a "naturalist" in the Brandon area that works with this diet. I do not however know his name. Unfortinatly, most medical doctors want to try pills before they turn to something "natural" but we as parents sometimes must guide the treatment of our children.
Additionally, if your child is not communicating you IMMEDIATLY need to start working with him using sign language. Many studies have shown that teaching children sign language can dramaticly increase their commication skills. This one I can help you with. There is an organization in tampa called Baby Bungalow. I know they have child sign language classes. Their number is ###-###-####. Go to extention 245. That is Patricia Peed. Tell her CJ gave you her number and you are interested in the Baby sign language classes. Additionally, they have lots of programs you may enjoy with your son. Good luck to you and best wishes!

Hi S., Yes, GFCF Diets often help autism. When they are younger like your son, it's also eaiser to change their diet. At one point Adah's had a certain weekend of the month that was their 'gluten free' tasting days. I'd go with my daughter and let her try everything to find out what she liked before I bought. Also you have to call a therapist in Fort Myers. Her name is Becky Avers and she works out of Health and Harmony on McGregor Blvd. She is a specialist that can treat your son using cranio sacral therapy. It's amazing. She'll even teach you some techniques to use with your son at home. Her number is ###-###-####. When my daughter was little we had to drive across the state to Palm Beach Gardens to the Upledger Institute. Now we have an expert child therapist right in town. You're lucky. Hope this info. helps. A.

i have not used the diet you are asking about. but i will tell you what i know worked for me. limit dairy and yeast products. children need a certain amount of dairy and bread, but not like my son prefers these items.

i did a lot of reading too when my son was young, and i found numerous studies that showed that an overgrowth of yeast in the body highly aggravates behavior problems. when i strictly limited them in his diet and all sugar products, i saw an immediate improvement in his temper.

i will tell you that it can't hurt to adjust his diet, but understand that what works for one, may not work for your son.

the truest statement i have ever read about the mutability of autism was written by Temple Gradin when she said, "If you have met one person with Autism, then you have met one person with Autism." (from her autobiographical book titled "Thinking in Pictures")

i will also tell you not to be afraid to try new things, but don't feel discouraged if it doesn't work.

My friend gave me a great book called "Unraveling the Mystery of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorder" by Karyn Seroussi, back when she had two Autistic children in her 1st grade class, to give her guidance on how she might teach them. Unfortunately for her, it was more about a mother's struggle at normalcy with her diagnosed son than teaching methods, so I inherited it. Chapter 11 is a complete guide of all foods that have gluten. Part two of the book is the complete Q&A of going gluten/casein/dairy-free including getting started and what to avoid and what to feed the child. I didn't go to her extremes, but I did cut dairy from my son's diet (around your son's age), as well as putting him on vitamins that increased his vitamin B intake (alot of studies have shown that kids with Autistic spectrum or ADD/ADHD benefit from more B vitamins than standard children's vitamins usually have.)and DHA supplements (fish oil). I found a brand called Liquid Health Children's Multiple that I've been using for the past couple years. It is completely free of the common allergens:corn, wheat/gluten, dairy, soy, etc.--100% vegetable derived. I get it online at Vitacost.com now, as they ship so fast, and it's way cheaper even with the shipping than you can get at a natural food store.

My impression is that while the scientific evidence for the gluten/cassein free diet as an autism treatment is lacking, some people have had success with it.

What I can help you more with is should you decide to try it. I am on a gluten free diet myself, and I can give you some tips that work for me to eat and stay on it. I can also assure you that while the diet may or may not help your son, it won't hurt him either.

You may want to simply test for celiac (gluten insensitivity) and other food allergies. They don't cause autism, but being miserable interferes with learning and behavior, so you want to be especially vigilant with a child who may not clearly show or tell you when something is wrong.

Your developmental pediatrician will likely tell you how to contact the school system (services can begin at age 3), FIDDLERS, and other groups that can help you out. Good luck, and let me know if you need gluten free advice.

E.

You should look up Jenny McCarthy. She is a huge Autism advocate & wrote a book on how she cured her son of Autism with his diet.Her book is called Louder Than Words.

I live in Wesley Chapel, New River Subdivision. I like it here. I am familiar with the subs you are looking at and those are nice.

Currently, I teach in Zephyrhills, which I feel is a really great school. I've worked at Quail Hollow ES and it is good too. A new school around those subs is Veterans. Its new this year so I am not familiar with it.

I hope this helps. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.

Jenn

Hi S.!
I also do not have any personal experience in this area but have a few freinds that use health and wellness products from this site you are welcome to view it!
www.livetotalwellness.com/R.
They are delivered right to your door so you don't even have to leave home. You will be in our prayers and I am sure everything will be fine. Many blessings!

I put my son on the GFCF diet when he was 26 months. It did seem to make a difference, mostly with speech. About 2 months after starting the diet the words started coming. The speech therapist noticed this too. I do not have an official diagnosis yet, but there were times that I suspected him possibly being on the spectrum. Try the diet, it's one of the easiest things to try. I believe in treating the inside first. It's worth trying it. Goodluck, S.

Here is a link to a yahoo group that has a lot of CFCF recipes and advice. A lot of the members have kids with autism and are always extremely helpful :)

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/GFCFrecipes/