Special Diets

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Special Diets

Description: Alteration of the participant's food intake for the

purpose of changing behavior. Many diets involve eliminating

substances from the participant's food intake.

Examples: Gluten-Free (wheat), Casein-Free (dairy), Sugar Free,

Removal of food dyes, Foods thought to produce maladaptive behavior

Research Summary: One well-designed but small study on the gluten-

free casein-free diet found no improvement in cognitive, language, or

motor skills with the diet; however, there may have been a reduction

in autistic behaviors such as repetitive statements (Knivsberg,

Reichelt, Hoien, & Nodland, 2002). A second well-designed but small

study found no evidence of benefit (Elder et al., 2006).

Additional study of the theoretical basis and efficacy of the GfCf

diet is warranted (Millward, Ferriter, Calver, & Connell-,

2004). There is a risk that removing gluten and casein from an

individial's diet will lead to inadequate nutrition, therefore,

dietary counseling is important for families who place their children

on the diet (Hyman & Levy, 2003).

There are no scientific studies on other dietary interventions for

children with autism spectrum disorders.

Recommendations: An important area for research is to conduct studies

with strong scientific designs to evaluate the GfCf diet and other

dietary interventions for individuals with autism spectrum disorders.

Professionals should present diets as untested as a treatment for

autism spectrum disorders, recommend dietary counseling to ensure

adequate nutritional intake, and encourage families who are

considering this intervention to evaluate its effects and side-

effects carefully.

Selected References:

Selected scientific studies:

Knivsberg, A-M., Reichelt, K. L., Hoien, T., & Nodland, M. (2002). A

randomised, controlled study of dietary intervention in autistic

syndromes. Nutritional Neuroscience, 5, 251-261.

Elder, J. H., Shankar, M., Shuster, J., Theriaque, D., Burns, S., &

Sherrill, L. (2006). The gluten-free, casein-free diet in autism:

Results of a preliminary double blind clinical trial. Journal of

Autism and Developmental Disorders. Accessed April 6, 2006, on-line

at www.springerlink.com

Systematic reviews of scientific studies:

Levy, S. E., & Hyman, S. L. (2003). Use of complementary and

alternative treatments for children with autism spectrum disorders is

increasing. Pediatric ls, 32, 685-691.

Millward, C., Ferriter, M., Calver, S., & Connell-, G. (2004).

Gluten- and casein-free diets for autistic spectrum disorder. The

Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 3.