HELP PLEASE! - Pediatric Allergists? Testing for Food Sensitivities!

[TRACYW]

My oldest son, Alex is 4 years old and just diagnosed with "looks most like Aspergers, but mild." My yougest, Jake appears to be doing well at this time. We've seen a pediatric neurophsychologist who has helped us with an action plan...Alex is enrolled in an ECE class in the district where receives OT and Speech and Language therapy. We are also working on obtaining extra OT therapy outside the school. I have read much about heavy metal toxicity, the effects of too much yeast and digestive issues/allergic reactions to foods. It sounds like many autistic individuals have benefited from chelation and elimination diets...has anyone had experience with the mail-order mineral test kits (using hair sample) for metals testing? Can anyone share an experience with chelation? Where can I find a certified (Pediatric) allergist who will test (blood, stool) for gluten or casein sensitivity (so that I don't have to unnecessarily remove my son's favorite foods from his diet)? Is there a network where I can find an allergist who specializes in allergy extract therapy? And here's a goofy one...does anyone else's child act perfectly normal when they have a fever? Every time Alex is sick it's like he's a different child (inquisitive, conversational, polite, considerate-sweet)! Thank you for listening...and responding!

Alex and Jake's Momma

[DSCARR5]

TracyW, I have a 7 year old with Asperger's or HFA. I also noticed that he was so much better if he was sick and had a fever. I have discovered that he needs to be gluton-free and caisen-free.We have been on this diet since last winter. His improvement has been remarkable. We are seeing the behavior that we saw when he was sick. I have figured that he was better because he was not eating. He still has other food sensitivities that we are trying to figure out. This summer we added enzymes (these help with digestion)to try and catch foods that were not identified. That was followed by a huge jump in language and socialness. At the Dan conference( Defeat Autism Now)in San Diago this weekend one thing they are recommending for these children are the enzymes. I can't wait to get the whole update from this conference. I just know the greatest that happened for my son was when a special ed teacher recommended a book on the GFCF diet. Let me know if you would like any web addresses or have any more questions. A lot of progress is being made helping these children so keep searching for what helps your child!!! Each child is different and the parent is the best one for figuring it out(hopefully with the help of a good doctor). Sincerely , Donna C

[TRACYW]

Donna C:

Thank you so much for replying to my post...I wasn't sure if I did it right! I am encouraged by your experience with the GFCF Diet...I have just read Doris Rapp's "Is This Your Child?" and feel I need to implement the multiple food elimination diet to determine where Alex's sensitivities lie. Did you do a food elimination diet to determine that your son had trouble with gluten and casein? Have you had stool or blood tests done? Do you have any tips on implementing the diet (it seems like it would be very hard on the child - my son loves starches and dairy - which I am certain is an idicator)! Tell me about your success in implementing the GFCF diet - you must have found a source for good substitutes? Thank you again for responding!! I look forward to chatting with you!

[DSCARR5]

Tracy, I know all about being overwhelmed with this computor stuff. It took me about 6 months into the diet to venture into these message boards . They are so helpful. I commend the moderators. I also wondered how to begin to find the foods that affected my son. Then I read "Unraveling the mystery of Autism and PDD-A Mother's Story of Research and Discovery" by Karen Serousii. It was there I learned that because of the way they are broken down- Caisen and gluton are big problems. I started with dairy. I knew that my son had had a problem to dairy when he was little. I saw an immediate improvement. That was so good that in a few weeks I ventured into gluton. The improvements with gluton came more slowly but they keep coming!!I have read that it can take a year to get gluton out of their bodies. I know I didn't do the diet very well at first but it does get easier!!
There is a GFCF diet message board. It's URL is
http://www.autismdiet.com/ It is also a very helpful board.
The site url is www.GFCFDIET.com. It is loaded with info.
The site for ANDI -Autism Network for Dietary Intervention is
http://www.autismndi.com/

At the Dan Defeat Autism Now)conference last weekend in San Diago there was a lot of discussion on enzymes. There is a good site to learn about that at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/enzymesandautism
Read their files.They are amazing.

I am sorry for the length of this. I am just so thankful for the progress my son has made but I didn't find these sites for a while and they are very helpful. My son really didn't resist much because he felt a lot better. We did eat homemade french fries for about a month LOL. Once he got good and hungry he was willing to try different breads and things. Feel free to e-mail me at DSCCARR5@aol.com. We are still working on the total picture but I will take this year over last year anyday. Most sincerely, DonnaC

PS. "Special Diets for Special kids" by Lisa Lewis was where I started with the diet. It is very helpful.

[TRACYW]

Donna:

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! Great sites, Great Info, Great place to start! I just ordered Special Diets for Special Kids and plan to remove dairy right away. I am saving your email address to use during our GFCF journey...you will be hearing from me...thanks again!

Tracy

[DSCARR5]

Tracy, I am so glad the sites were helpful to you!! I hope you have success. If a problem crops up post it because someone has probably had it before. I was hoping someone would address your metals question because I have been wondering about that also. I do know I have seen posts that say the hair test would only show things that were pretty recent and might not reflect what was in the body. Good luck and I'll look forward to hearing from you!!
DonnaC