I've been reading that cutting out certain grains and dairy products can have some pretty amazing results for kids with ASD. Have any of you had any experience with this?

Sadly, my son's favorite foods are cheese, milk, cottage cheese, yogurt, ice cream, and really just about any other dairy product. :(

Hi Mrs. Black,

Yes, I have had experience with GFCF diets. They have helped many kids, but not all respond.

The diet is quite intensive. It involves a LOT of label-reading as gluten & dairy are found in many, many processed foods, one form or another. GFCF diet is time-intensive: learning the ropes, reading labels, shopping at different stores, ordering off the internet, cooking from scratch (not everything but likely more than in past).

The GFCF diet isn't like a weightloss diet, where you can cheat occasionally & make things up by being stricter tomorrow. If the child is still occasionally getting some gluten/casein, progress won't be made.

Incompletely digested gluten & casein fragments have opiate properties in the brain, and they are addictive. What you tell me about your son & dairy is pretty common in autism. Because of this addictive property, GFCF diet also has potential for withdrawal symptoms -- sometimes pretty quick, some times not for many weeks, as it has been found that it takes about 6 weeks for casomorphins, esp., to totally degrade in the brain.

Beyond tracking down & cutting out gluten & casein, there is a whole other learning curve on this diet -- how to provide acceptable substitutes. Running the GFCF diet like an Atkins diet is a recipe for failure, and borders on child abuse! Kids need carbs --- whatcha gonna do when they ask for chicken nuggets, breakfast cereal, pizza, cookies'n cream ice cream ...

Older kids tend to be fussier & have well-developed preferences that make adapting to the diet a challenge. Social occasions, school lunches, their need to fit in, be normal, and their demands to get good stuff just like every other kid! Really young kids will usually accept the new diet, but they may struggle more w/sensory issues, as some of the food textures on GFCF are different from what they may have been accustomed to. Despite these obstacles, the diet IS DOABLE & there are many families out there who can attest.

One of the best resources I've seen is a book series by Lisa Lewis, Special Diets for Special Kids, Vol. 1 & 2. I was able to find them at the public library. Local support groups for GFCF diet are also helpful. They can guide you to shopping & other resources.

It's possible to start the diet removing either gluten or casein first. You'll know sooner if the diet is going to help by taking out both G & C, but it's more reasonable/easier, to start with one or the other, and then say after 6 weeks, start working on removing the other one.

Best wishes.