Re: New and need support.

[Guest guest]

I had my kids tested for the antigen for the peptides of gluten and

casein. I was told if you have a problem with casein, you almost

always have a problem with gluten. So, you're right in moving

forward with gluten free. Good place to start is www.gfcfdiet.com

> Hi everyone. I just found this board with some help from a friend

of

> mine. I am not new to the diet as my son has been casien free

> now for 18 months. I have, however been slower to take away gluten

> because he is an extremely picky eater.I guess the real reason is

> because I have been skeptical about the role gluten plays in his

> autism. Taking milk away made an almost immediate difference in his

> behavior and eye contact. I have removed most of the gluten, and

> because he has been doing so well, haven't until very recently gone

> 100% gluten free. So here is my question: It's been two weeks now

> without any gluten and he is more spaced out and unfocused, not to

> mention stimmy, than he has been in a long time. Then, last week,

he

> woke up at 4:00 am laughing in his bed. This really struck me as

> strange because he has not done this since before I took the milk

> away. So the obvious question is, is this the withdrawal I have

heard

> about. The amount of gluten he had been getting was very small in

> comparison to what he was getting a year ago, mainly in chicken

> nuggets. If it is withdrawal, does it normally appear this fast? I

> thought things were supposed to get better, then worse. I don't

know

> anyone else who is using the diet and so I sometimes feel like I am

> alone against the world. My family doesn't understand why I am

doing

> this. Even my husband is skeptical. Please tell me I am on the

right

> track and that what I am seeing has been seen before. I would

> appreciate any input. Thanks in advance and it's great to be here.

>

[Guest guest]

> Even my husband is skeptical. Please tell me I am on the right

> track and that what I am seeing has been seen before. I would

> appreciate any input. Thanks in advance and it's great to be here.

>

, what you are seeing is definately withdrawl. It takes longer for

the gluten to leave the system. As far as being skeptical, don't be. Yes,

its true the diet doesn't work for every child, but you are already seeing

the results with the removal of casein.

My son has been on the diet, as of this month, for 2 years. He is 5.2 years

of age, and I wouldn't make the family suffer like this, if it wasn't worth

it. Just to give you an example of what I've seen. Recently, I discovered

that for 5 weeks I had been feeding my son Kinnikinnick's non Alta line

bread. How I screwed that up, I don't know. Anyway, we began seeing

distraction, decrease in verbalization, lack of focus, and very agitated

behavior. It was very noticeable, because his in home therapists were

knocking their heads on walls trying to figure out what was going on. He

was so noncompliant, it was unbelievable. Anyway, I pulled out the last

loaf a week a go and discovered me error. I threw it away, and immediately

bought some gfcf bread. Well, I'm happy to report he's back to his old,

loving and very compliant self. I hadn't even noticed that he was

interacting less with his siblings until yesterday. My oldest son ran into

the kitchen and shouted, " 's playing with us again! " I said, " Did he

stop? " , and Alec said, " Yeah, he wasn't interested for a couple of weeks. "

Anyway, stick with it, and give it a good 6 months. I also want to mention

that my son was recently evaluated again, and the doctor felt there was no

signs of any autistic characteristics. She was so amazed she told me that

he obviously never was, and that she couldn't (at this point), qualify him

for the DSM-IV criteria, not even Asperger's! If that isn't worth living

without dairy and wheat, than I don't know what is. Yes, his behavioral

therapy and speech helped make the difference, but I still feel the diet was

the key to complete success.

Good luck, and welcome!

a - Madison WI mom to Alec 7, 5.2 (ASD), 3.4