Anyone heard good or bad about a Gluten-Free Diet for Autistic kids?

When I type up Autism in search engines a 'gluten-free diet' comes up everywhere. Is there something I am missing? Have you ever heard of this good or bad would be helpful. Thank you

I took this right from the asa web site. I hope it helps also I have a 6 year old autism child. B6 has helped a lot. I also included some links I refer to constantly to help me understand his disorder. I hope it helps you.

Individuals with ASD may exhibit low tolerance or allergies to certain foods or chemicals. While not a specific cause of autism, these food intolerances or allergies may contribute to behavioral issues. Many parents and professionals have reported significant changes when specific substances are eliminated from the child's diet.

Individuals on the autism spectrum may have trouble digesting proteins such as gluten. Research in the U.S. and England has found elevated levels of certain peptides in the urine of children with ASD, suggesting the incomplete breakdown of peptides from foods that contain gluten and casein. Gluten is found in wheat, oats and rye, and casein in dairy products. The incomplete breakdown and the excessive absorption of peptides may cause disruption in biochemical and neuroregulatory processes in the brain, affecting brain functions. Until there is more information as to why these proteins are not broken down, the removal of the proteins from the diet is the only way to prevent further neurological and gastrointestinal damage.

It is important not to withdraw gluten/casein food products at once from a child's diet, as there can be withdrawal symptoms. Parents wishing to pursue a gluten/casein free diet should consult a gastroenterologist or nutritionist, who can help ensure proper nutrition. For information about implementing a gluten/casein free diet, go to http://www.gfcfdiet.com/ additional information about gluten-free foods can be found at http://www.celiacsociety.org/. The Autism Society of America鈥檚 magazine, Autism Advocate, also has a regular feature of recipes for those with special dietary needs.

Some hypothesize that children with ASD have what is referred to as a "leaky gut" -- tiny holes in their intestinal tract that may be caused by an overgrowth of yeast. Some believe that this overgrowth may contribute to behavioral and medical problems in individuals on the spectrum, such as confusion, hyperactivity, stomach problems, and fatigue. The use of nutritional supplements, anti-fungal drugs and/or a yeast-free diet may reduce the behavioral problems. However, caution should be paid to the fact that just as antibiotics can lead to bacterial resistance, antifungals can lead to fungal resistance.

Both of my sons have shown terrific improvement on the casein glut ten-free diet. They both do not want casein or glut ten products now that they are feeling better without them. Every autistic child has their own sensitivities. But we are convinced that this diet helps. Report It

There are many studies that state that this may be good for people with autism.

There is also studies that indicate removing milk and milk protein may help.

Do your research. There is no harm in trying.
Good luck.

Best thing we ever did,that and bunch of other things. Do read everything, tons of nutritional/vitamin help that really does help and make a difference.

A very common diet is gluten-free casein-free (GFCF) which is widely advocated to help kids with Autism reduce some of their negative behaviors. While they may be helpful, this, and other special diets can be time consuming and expensive. A family I recently talked to said it made their child stand out from other kids because he couldn't most foods at restaurants, birthday parties, etc. and it was kind of hard on the family because he could never eat what they were eating. Some people truly see a difference while others don't... good luck with whatever you choose!

We tried the Gluten Free/Casein Free diet with my son (6) with Aspergers/PDD-NOS. Our son responded right away to no casein (dairy). He started having better eye contact and he always spoke but he rarely held conversations - now he can reciprocate conversation (with prompting - sometimes, depends on the subject). We limit his Gluten intake and his Soy intake - but I can't say enough about the Dairy change. We are not stimming as much and he is a lot less hyper. The best thing I can tell you is to try it. I first made a food diary for my son and noted behaviors that were not desirable and when they appeared (how long after eating, what did he eat/drink) We were able to notate a lot about how he ate and what he ate and how that affected his behavior. There is a book by Karen Serousi (sorry can't remember the title) but it was extrememly helpful in starting the diet. I will warn you, it's expensive, requires planning on your part and it's trial and error. I know some kids who haven't seen a difference and I know some who it has really helped. Be informed before jumping into it and look for a local support group with parents of kids on the diet. Good luck, I hope that this helped you a little bit.

We decided to do GF/CF with our daughter after it was mentioned by the people at the Son-Rise Program http://www.autismtreatmentcenter.org/ She has been doing great! Also, we decided that if she had to be on a special diet, we would do it too. I have kidney disease and chronic fatigue and I'm feeling better doing GF/CF. In fact, yesterday, I gave in to temptation and had some garlic bread with cheese...big mistake! Within an hour, I felt dazed like somebody hit me over the head with something. As to the one person's concern that a child would stand out from their friends being on this diet. If they walk around like zombie because they can't tolarate Gluten and Casien but ate it anyway, they WILL stand out from their friends. Also, my daughter is deathly allergic to eggs...if she ate an egg just to please her friends, she would die! There are just certain things you don't mess with just to please other people. Here's a GF/CF book to check out: A User Guide to the GF/CF Diet for Autism, Asperger Syndrome and AD/HD (Paperback)
by Luke Jackson
ISBN-10: 184310055X
also for a great general book about Autism that has a chapter on dietary issues including GF/CF read: What You Can Do Right Now to Help Your Child with Autism (NOTE: The name has changed) (Paperback) by Jonathan Levy (who has worked one-on-one with over 800 children with diagnosis ranging from severely autistic to mild Asperger's syndrome, trained parents individually and in seminars since 1994.) ISBN-10: 1402209185