Special Diets for Autism

As a parent of a child with Autism, I know that we are always searching for a support, resource or strategy to help our children become the best they can be. Have you. like me, considered making dietary changes to help your child? Let's dive into the research and learn more about this topic...

First of all, we must all remember that each individual with Autism is truly unique. So, what works for someone else's child may or may not work for your child. Most experts recommend a strict trial of at least three months in order to determine if a special diet will help your child. If there are no improvements after three months, you can feel secure that you have made a good effort without a major financial investment.
 
Popular diets for individuals with Autism include:

• Gluten-free diet (gluten is a protein found in many grains; this diet eliminates such grains)
• Casein-free diet (casein is a protein found in milk; this diet eliminates milk and all by-products of milk)
• Feingold diet (eliminates additives and chemicals)
• Specific Carbohydrate diet (removes specific carbohydrates including all grains, lactose and sucrose)
• Yeast-free Diet (eliminates yeast and sugar)

 
The Gluten-free diet has been studied the most for individuals with Autism. However, more research is needed to statistically confirm the benefits. It is believed that the breakdown by-products of gluten and casein (peptides) may interact with opiod receptors in the brain, either causing or significantly increasing autistic behaviors. Studies have also shown that there are increased food antibodies (IgG and anticasein antibodies) in a subset of children with Autism who have co-existing gastrointestinal issues. Although this suggests a "gut-brain" interaction, researchers can't yet confirm the direction of this interaction.
 
Surprisingly, gluten can currently be found in a myriad of products in the U.S. Examples of food products include: bread, cereal, pasta, cake and donuts. But, did you know that gluten can be found in many non-food products as well? Examples include: lipsticks, toothpaste, stickers, detergents and sunscreen. This is definitely something to consider when making the choice to trial a gluten-free diet.

The Feingold Program is also a popular diet for children with a variety of learning and behavioral differences, including Autism and ADHD. In 1965, Dr. Ben Feingold began his studies of the link between certain foods and additives and their effect on some individuals’ behavior and ability to learn. The Feingold Program is a form of elimination diet where foods containing certain harmful additives are removed and replaced with similar foods that are free of those additives. When starting the Program, certain foods and non-food items containing an aspirin-like chemical called salicylate are also eliminated, and later tested for tolerance. 
 
Recommendations
The best recommendation again is to know your child, trial changes consistently for a short time and monitor for any benefits or side effects. It is also best to work with an experienced nutritionist, dietitian, or clinician if possible with experience in Autism.

References

• Autism Research Institute (ARI)
• The Complete Guide to Asperger’s Syndrome by Tony Attwood (2015)
• Dana Laake, Registered Dietician and Nutritionist, www.danalaake.com
• The Interactive Autism Network
• TACA (Talking About Curing Autism)-tacanow.org
• Spectrum-spectrumnews.org
• The Feingold Diet-feingold.org

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