Aspergers Syndrome - Can a Gluten-Free Diet Benefit My Child?
A gluten-free, casein free diet is recommended for Aspergers Syndrome children and adults.
Often parents feel rather overwhelmed with such a restrictive diet, and only opt to embrace it as a last resort. The results produced by the diet varies markedly - but the keyword here is RESULT. You can expect some result.
Children with autistic spectrum disorders usually have gastointestinal problems as well, such as reflux, constipation, diarrhoea, vomiting and hiccups. It is known that the proteins found in wheat, rye, oats, barley and dairy products (gluten and casein) arent completely broken down in children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders. These undigested proteins can leak into the bloodstream, potentially interfering with neurological processes by having an opiate-like effect upon their systems.
Its suggested that these undigested proteins (peptides) can reach toxic levels, with the Asperger child seeming to "crave" milk and wheat products. Symptoms of gluten/casein intolerance include red cheeks and ears, dry skin, runny nose, headaches, hyperactivity, tantrums and malformed bowel movements. Does this sound familiar?
So what results can the diet produce? Parents report a variety of outcomes, including - improved sleep patterns, improved speech and communication, improved focus or attention span, improved social skills, improved personal hygiene habits, improved fine motor skills, improved intestinal function, increase in affection shown, reduction of tantrums and irritability.
So a gluten-free, casein-free diet is definitely worth considering for your Asperger child. You dont have to feel overwhelmed by the restrictive nature of the diet. I suggest simply starting slowly and eliminating one group (either gluten or casein) at a time. Once youre comfortable without wheat or dairy products, then you can tackle the next element. If you see a desirable result from eliminating one component, you may decide not to go any further.
For our family simply substituting gluten-free flour in all recipes I used was a simple but highly effective action. Im a home-baker, so in any cakes, biscuits, slices and desserts I just substituted gluten-free flour in my usual recipes. I didnt add any extras like Xantham gum, and didnt have any failures.
Finding an alternative to bread was our biggest obstacle. The gluten-free varieties just werent the same, so instead we excluded bread altogether. The gluten-free pastas on the market are excellent, but do tend to cook slightly quicker.
I suggest you email all the major distributors of snack foods, such as muesli bars and fruit slices and ask for a list of their gluten-free products. This helps with easy identification at the store.
Eating out is difficult at first, but if you mention youre gluten-free most restaurant or cafe chefs will gladly prepare something gluten-free. (Of course, this rules out the fast food chains who arent so obliging!)
For our family the diet finally eliminated all our sons known trigger foods such as peanut butter, chocolate and caffeine in sodas. We stayed on the diet strictly for 10 months before gradually reintroducing gluten. We have seen no return of the eliminated characteristics in our son (all of those mentioned above). We have continued to use gluten-free pasta and flour in our cooking.
I believe that the gluten-free diet had a detoxifying effect not only on our Asperger Syndrome child, but on all of us, and the benefits have been obvious. So be adventurous and try a gluten- free/casein-free diet for your Asperger child....you may be nicely surprised!
www.nellefrances.com/tips1.html
Nelle Frances is the mother of a 15 year old with Aspergers Syndrome, a Special Needs Educator and Author of the Ben and His Helmet series of books for Asperger children. She is also an active member of 5 Aspergers Syndrome Support and Advocacy Groups. For more information and Support Strategies visit www.nellefrances.com/tips1.html
