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Nutritionists,
4000 Civic Center Dr, Ste 10,San Rafael (8.6 mi)
Ages Served: From birth to age 21.
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Over 70% of autistic children have gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, such as diarrhea, constipation, and abdominal pain. It can be difficult for children with autism and language delays to show their discomfort and communicate symptoms. They might act out or have problems sleeping instead.
To make things even more challenging, children with autism often have feeding problems such as selective eating (see A parent’s guide for picky and selective eaters). Children with a limited diet can experience issues such as constipation and intestinal microbiota (more on microbiota later in the article)!
The gluten-free and casein-free (GFCF) diet is one of the more commonly implemented diets by parents. Gluten is a mixture of proteins found in wheat and related grains such as barley and rye as well as in many processed and prepackaged food products. Foods that contain gluten can also be used to alter the taste and texture of foods. Gluten-free diets are often combined with a casein-free diet. Casein is a protein found in dairy products.
This being said, for most children, gluten is completely harmless. Despite the wide-spread use of GFCF as an alternative diet in autistic children, research does not support it as an effective treatment of autistic related-symptoms.
Here are a few risks you need to consider: