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LizK

GF/CF dietary dilemma

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Not sure whether to go ahead with the Sunderland urine testing or not with a view to the special diet. DS is 3, main problem is speech delay but also borderline ASD/DAMP or thereabouts. Most of the info I've read regarding the effects of the gf/cf diet has related to more severe degrees of ASD not the milder end.

 

I am in two minds about what to do. I want to do the best for my son to maximise his potential and quality of life and wonder if this would help. Also it's been suggested that some of my son's manic behaviour which can be tricky to manage may be dietary related though I suspect it's more related to lack of structure or social anxiety. However the thought of putting him on such a restrictive diet daunts me as he loves cheese, yogurts, bread, pasta etc. Am concerned about the effects on his nutrition too in terms of vits and calcium intake. The biggest factor though is my H. He grew up with similar though less severe difficulties to my son largely outgrowing them by his teens. I asked him last night whether he would have preferred the diet as a child if it meant he didn't have to struggle with some of the problems he did and surprisingly he said no, he prefers the life he had and would have been miserable on a restricted diet. He feels that despite the difficulties he suffered he is happy as he is and feels he has developed other skills, interests and ways of thinking that otherwise wouldn't have had.

 

So my dilemma is do I

 

a) do nothing. After talking to my husband am concerned that the net benefit to my son may not be that great especially as I knwo the diet will be hard to stick to

 

B) go ahead for urine testing and decide then when I have more info. The only thing it most children seem to test positive for at least one substance from reading the archives. Out of those who test positive does anyone know the % who benefit from the diet?

 

c) try the diet anyway and not bother with urine testing? Is there good evidence that the diet is beneficial for children on the higher functioning end of the ASD

 

Any thoughts or experiences would be gratefully received

 

Liz x

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He he

 

Liz I spent a year or more thinking about it before doing it. It is not a case of going without. Your child will not be deprived of anything except 'junk'. Yes his diet will be different, but all my children love our home made dinners and are thriving. If I put my daughter under the microscope she has definite AS traits. She benefits from this diet greatly - no more mood swings. At all. No eczema, no asthma. Better attention span. It's a healthy way to live.

 

I would do the urine test.

 

I also use ATEC scoring to find out if and what areas of development have changed when trying out anything new:

 

http://www.autismwebsite.com/ari/treatment/atec.htm

 

If you scroll all the way down here there are some parent ratings of effectiveness of GFCF. Out of 1,400 parents 65% said they got better behaviour. Interesting that Ritalin only gets a 29% 'improvement' ratings.

 

http://www.autismwebsite.com/ari/treatment/form34q.htm

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I agree with Jaded that it can be a very healthy diet.

 

It is possible in some cases to restrict the diet to rest the gut, allow any gut problems etc to heal and then gradually reintroduce things again in small amounts if you want to. It might help get you started if you decide to go the gf/cf route knowing that it needn?t be for life.

 

I avoid soya products because there are health concerns now being realised. (I'll post a link to an article if you are interested). I got a nutrition book for the basics and for alternative sources for calcium etc. It doesn?t seem so daunting when you get started.

 

To heal any gut problems quicker you could perhaps look to working with a nutritionist at possibly supplementing with vits, minerals, repopulating the gut with beneficial bacteria, digestive enzymes etc. Each case is different, and how long it takes will be different, but when doing this the aim is to normalise gut function, so that eventually the occasional unexpected diet lapse won?t lead to major problems.

 

Anyway good luck whatever your decision.

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Thanks for your replies :). Sorry for the latest of my reply but PC gone kaput :angry: .

 

Am probalby going to go ahead with the urine testing. Still undecided about following the diet but at least with the urine test results can be able to make (or feel pressured maybe!) a decision

 

Liz x

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Liz

 

Have you looked at digestive enzymes? Houston Neutriceutical do them specifically for ASD. Quite a few families I know do this instead of the diet.

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