Gluten

[Guest guest]

Gluten is a protein that is found in wheat, rye and barley, for the

most part. In those who are sensitive to it and don't digest it

properly, it can lead to damage to the small intestine and other

digestive difficulties. The most well-known disease associated with

gluten is Celiac Sprue. This does NOT mean that a gluten

intolerance is Celiac Disease, however. I'm just saying that this

is one form of it.

I am not too informed on the workings of the gluten-free diet and

its association with autism, however. I just know many families who

have tried it, some who have seen improvement in their autistic

children's performance. It is a controversial theory, but, as I

said in an earlier post, one worth trying if you are committed to

it. And it does take a tremendous amount of commitment. There is

gluten in many foods that we eat and while there are substitutes for

those foods, they don't always taste that great to the kids. Add

that to the lack of appetite our kids have and the limited foods

many will eat, and you can really go crazy trying to find

substitutes that supply calories and nutrition that RSS/SGA kids

need. It's easier with young children, but it gets much harder as

they get older and more aware.

If you want to know more, do a Google search. There is a lot of

info out there.

Jodi Z