Many parents of children with autism have reported that a gluten-free casein-free diet helps their children. According to the theory, some children are unable to digest the protein in many grains (gluten) or in milk (casein) completely.
The partially digested proteins are called peptides and they resemble opiates and are treated this way in the brain and body of people with these sensitivites. In fact the name of these peptides reveals quite a bit: gluteomorphine (from gluten, wheat) and casomorphine (from casein, dairy). Long term exposure to these opiate peptides can have many damaging effects on the developing brain and also affects behavior, just as any narcotic.
Parents report that removing casein and gluten from their child's diet increases eye contact, attention span, and general mood while decreasing problems like tantrums, stimming and aggression. Many find that providing a diet free of casein and gluten aids children in successfully learning daily living skills like dressing, using the toliet as well as improving coordination and imaginative play activities.
Beginning the diet can be difficult but not impossible. One of the biggest obstacles parents face is that individuals needing gluten-free, casein-free (GFCF) diets often crave these foods much the same as an addict. In fact, parents often report withdrawal symptoms when gluten and casein are eliminated that are similar to addicts experiencing withdrawal from narcotic drugs.
Many parents worry about removing wheat and dairy because these foods are the only ones their child will eat. However, children who self-limiting their foods like this often show remarkable improvement once a GFCF diet is underway. Many families have found from experience that their children's menu options actually increase after the effects of eating gluten and casein have subsided.
Some people experience immediate improvement although it may take as long as six months for gluten to clear out of the system and one month for casein to clear. Advocates of the diet recommend trying it for at least a year as it can take this long for some children to show improvement. The diet affects changes in the body at a cellular level and promotes healing of the stomach and intestinal lining, both of which can take time.
Although this diet has been questioned by the medical community, many doctors and university research centers are advocating the use of this intervention for autistic children, especially after seeing results first-hand. Doctors who work with DAN! (Defeat Autism Now) are supportive of interventions such as the GFCF diet.
Although food sensitivites have been known about for decades they are rarely given consideration in diagnosis, therapy and recovery efforts. The specifics of the GFCF diet were introduced to the general public through the combined publications of two women who researched interventions and crusaded for autism recovery. Information about the GFCF diet has since spread around the world and has helped thousands of families cope with this puzzling disorder.
Some report this diet as beneficial to sufferers of Schizophrenia, Tourette's Syndrome, and Attention Deficit Disorder. In addition, those suffering from celiac disease are instructed to avoid all forms of gluten.
Also see Biomedical intervention for autism
