Expert: Trey McGowan - 8/14/2009

Question
What is your opinion of a gluten free casein free, diet as treatment for autism disorders?  My daughter is 32 years old now, could this be helpful at her stage of life?

Answer
Hi there, Liz!

The removal of gluten and potentially casein is not used to treat the autism itself. Rather, it is a common situation that these two items (or at least gluten; casein sensitivity seems to be related, but not universal from what I can find) is not being properly processed by the autistic individual. It will not necessarily treat and 'repair' the autism, but it can aid them in keeping further damage from happening if the individual is sensitive. At 32, if she has had issues with it, a lot of the damage has been done. However, by removing the food from her diet, her body will have a chance to keep further from happening, and overall her health should improve. However, this is only if she has an issue; if her body is proccessing these things normally, then removing them will do nothing except rob her of a lot of common favorites!

Before going cold turkey on a diet like this, I strongly suggest that you want to talk to your doctor or dietician about getting your daughter tested for this issue with digestion. If there are signs that indeed, she's having issue with gluten and/or casein, your doctor can help out with a diet that will slowly reduce the gluten and casein, thus minimizing the effects of the withdrawal (yes, there can be withdrawal symptoms from removing parts of the diet).

Whatever you do, *DO NOT* embark on this without the aid of a doctor. Even if you skip the tests and your daughter wants to go with the diet, I strongly, strongly recommend that it is done with the help of a dietician or doctor, as this is a very extreme shift in diet.

Questions, comments, feedback, follow-ups, always are welcome!

Trey