Has anyone tried gluten free diets?

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Ok, so nothing probably screams "newbie" like the parent that asks all the questions about treatment possibilities , but I just had a woman tell me that I needed to seriously consider this for my child. The problem is that my child eats a very small selection of foods, most of which contain gluten and I am not sure we will be very successful with this. Has anyone tried this and had a lot of success or none at all?

Just to clarify, you're asking whether going gluten free will make someone more neurotypical?

No, I just noticed that when I have serached for information, such as books about autism, every other search talks about gluten free diets and it seems that there must be some reason that there is so much info about that out there. As far as making my son more NT, I understand that isn't going to happen and now I realize why it seemed hokey to me in the first place....

Hi pragmaticmom. I have an almost-7 year old son very recently diagnosed as Aspergers. When he was a baby, he was gluten intolerant, but his pediatrician felt he'd outgrown that by age 2. However, I also have a 1 year old who is extremely intolerant to dairy, soy AND gluten (yeesh) so we have kind of had our hand forced on this one. We were considering going gluten-free for the same reasons you are, but kept putting it off - for the same reasons you are (my son is oral seeking and has a healthy but limited diet). But now, since the baby needs to be off all of these major ingredients anyway, we may take this opportunity to take both the boys off of them.

To clarify, I believe the purpose of removing gluten from a child's diet, when that child is on the spectrum, is more an attempt to stabilize their sensitivities and behaviours that result from sensitivities, than to make them more NT. There may be parents who do feel a diet can 'cure' their kids, but a lot of us just want our autistic kids to be as healthy and comfortable as possible, and to remove as many unneccesary roadblocks as possible from their path in life. Food intolerances are definitely an unneccesary roadblock

I just did a post a few days ago on my blog about gluten free (and soy and dairy free) recipes and I have a few on my sidebar as well if you'd like to check them out pragmaticmom. My blog address is in my signature below.

I've put myself on a modified gluten free diet, back in July, August and September, last year. I became so hungry and miserable, that my depression came back.

Is your son experiencing any gastro-intestinal issues?? If not, there is no reason to place him on a gluten free diet.
However, many kids with autism do experience gastro-intestinal issues and I believe that it is due to the pain and discomfort they are in that cause their autism to appear worse then it really is.
When this pain is removed via a special diet, their autism appears to get better. This leads people to think that it is the diet that is helping their autism when really it is the stopping of their gastro pain. A normal NT kid would act out if he was in discomfort all the time due to a dietary issue, just the same with kids with autism.

Thanks for asking, pragmaticmom, I've been wondering about this for awhile

I agree with:

...a lot of us just want our autistic kids to be as healthy and comfortable as possible, and to remove as many unneccesary roadblocks as possible from their path in life. Food intolerances are definitely an unneccesary roadblock

pragmaticmom, I have had good experiences with one gluten free diet, specifically the paleolithic diet. The paleo diet is limited to fresh whole meat, fruit, and vegetables, prohibiting all grains, dairy, and legumes.

That diet does appear to improve brain function. I would not say that it makes my thinking "more neurotypical", but I do think it makes my thinking clearer and more accurate, and helps mental flexibility as well as focus. As an aspie, the mental flexibility is perhaps most useful; for a neurotypical, the focus might be a bigger benefit.

To be honest, I think the main advantage of the diet from the standpoint of brain function is the improved ratio of omega 3 and omega 6 essential fatty acids. The brain functions best on an omega 3 to omega 6 ratio in the range of 1:1 or 1:2; however, in a modern diet where most of the fats are provided in the form of vegetable oil, ratios are often closer to 1:10 or 1:20. There is clinical evidence of brain function improvement with omega 3 supplements to improve the ratio. Those studies have mostly been with respect to depression and bipolar, but it seems likely to me that a better ratio could improve all aspects of brain function.

However, there are also specific indications that certain plant proteins like gluten could also interfere with brain function. Plant proteins sometimes break down into protein fragments which are then absorbed into the bloodstream. Some of these fragments are thought to block receptors in certain brain cells. Given that, even a less restrictive gluten free diet could be beneficial.

I'd also like to note that these benefits are not restricted to people with digestive issues. The foods one eats can affect other parts of one's body, including the brain, even if they have no negative effects on the digestive tract.

I have heard that the gluten free diet works to alleviate gastrointestinal issues so if your children do have these problems, you may want to give the gluten free diet a try. I will warn you that gluten free food (in the US) is very expensive and your children might not like the taste. If they do not like the taste, I would not force them to eat it. I speak from experience since my little brother was on a gluten free diet for about 2 weeks. He did not have GI problems so the diet did little to change his behavior. He actually refused to eat some of the food since he did not like the taste. My mom asked the doctor about the diet and he told her that they did not work, but I'm not sure if he meant that they didn't work as a treatment for autism or as a treatment for GI problems (probably autism since my brother doesn't have GI problems.) See if your children's GI problems improve (some autistic behaviors may improve if they are not experiencing intestinal discomfort) with the gluten free diet. If they do not improve, I would discontinue the diet, especially if they do not like the taste of the food. Hope this helps!

I have thought about trying the gluten free diet several times. Every time I buy a gluten free product and offer it to my son to try, he rejects it. He really does have a pretty good diet overall, and doesn't seem to have bowel issues, so I really don't think I am going to do it. The food is pretty expensive, and tastes gross IMO. I am so thankful my son eats a lot of fruits and some veggies. I just try to limit some of the junky foods. I have wondered if going gluten free would increase his attention span, but I am afraid he would starve if I try to eliminate it completely.

Going gluten free is tough. In my case I really have no choice as the immune response of my body has caused damage that over many years have accumulated to the point where it is life threatening. Without that level of insentive I would not have bothered myself. So if there is no strong imperative to go that route it might not be worth it.