Can celiac disease be mistaken as autism?

[aklap]

http://www.examiner.com/x-17835-Philadelphia-Gluten-Free-Examiner~y2009m8d6-Can-celiac-disease-be-mistaken-as-autism-One-boy-whose-autism-was-cured

[Home-Based-Mom]

I've seen articles and anecdotal forum posts that people all along the ADD - Autism spectrum have improved on the gluten free diet. Not all of them, unfortunately, but enough that all should be tested and the diet should be tried, IMHO.

Wouldn't it be cool if so much heartache and struggle could be made less so by a dietary adjustment?
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Sandi ~ learning to live in a world obsessed and infested with wheat.
"If it wasn't food 100 years ago, it isn't food now." Mike Huckabee
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[nancw]

We know an autistic boy in my son's class. I asked his mom if they had considered trying GF/CF diet. She said it was too hard to do so didn't want to try. A few weeks later I saw her son completely melt down at a brithday party immediately after eating pizza and cake. Yes, it could have been the sugar, or he was tired, or many other things, but how can you rule out the effects if you don't at least try to abstain from the food?So sad to think that many could be potentially helped, but the experiment is viewed as too hard to do. If I had an autistic child, you can bet I'd do anything I could to at least try to alleviate symptoms.

Same thoughts apply to people with depression, anxiety, and the myriad other illnesses and conditions that we (as a group on this forum) have seen as a result of food intols and CD. I know I felt like I was on another planet (and thought I was dying) when I was in the throes of gluten poisoning and didn't know it.
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Nance

gluten, dairy, soy, rice, yeast and 99% grain-free

[teacherpat]

I'm sure everyone remembers this article on celiac and atypical dementia. Its not like the effect would be exclusive to older adults.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-10/mc-mcd100906.php
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Pat

[smalltownslackermom]

I have been cheered to find Doctors either writing about this as a treatment to at least try or recommending more research. There is a lot of "anecdotal evidence" that the GF/CF diet helps some potion of kids with autism spectrum disorders and ADHD.
My son's pediatrician was willing to entertain the idea that while a teacher and counselor were recommending ADHD eval (tho I've always noticed his aspie tendencies), we should rule out the possibility of allergies and celiac esp since auto-immune disease runs in our family and I had already had a strong positive response to going gluten-free. This was a more progressive attitude than I had expected to run into and I was greatly relieved.
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son - high ttg - 4/09, pos. biopsy 5/09
self - negative blodwork 5/09, pos. biopsy 11/09
sister - gf for 2 years and is a new person

[aklap]

If you're looking for some more ASD/ADHD info you can hop over to GlutenFreeAndBeyond. We've got a collection of articles there...

http://glutenfreeandbeyond.org/forum/viewforum.php?f=40
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Al

“We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” Mother Teresa

[Gus's Mama]

We've had some experience with this very thing. Gus has been struggling with Sensory Processing Dysfunction, developmental delays, speech delays, along with extremely sensitive skin, horrible diaper rash that nothing seemed to cure (being in cloth diapers helped to an extent), seb. dermatitis, and a number of other smaller maladies that couldn't be cured.

My mother pestered me and pestered me to read Mother Warriors by Jenny McCarthy. I didn't think I was going to find any help in this book. I just didn't take her seriously, and didn't think it would be worth my time. I finally read it just to appease my mother, and discovered that many of the children she wrote about had the same or similar problems as Gus. Gus's problems didn't fall into the autism spectrum, but he had so many of the same physical maladies as these children that I decided to give GF/CF a try.

I was astounded by the results. Suddenly, within three days of going GF/CF he had formed poops. That had never ever happened before in his 2 years of solid foods. He no longer had blood in his poops. His skin issues cleared up. His diaper rash went away.

His cognitive problems seemed to melt away...he was answering questions instead of parroting them back to me, and he began ASKING questions as well. Up until this point, he had NEVER asked a question. He was understanding me when I asked him to complete simple tasks; the confusion he frequently displayed was going away. He was able to focus and stay on task. He started speaking in real sentences, and was making sense. His sensory issues are nearly gone as well. We still have some work to do with safety awareness and motor planning, but these two areas have also improved dramatically.

Ultimately, my 2-year-old little boy began acting, speaking, and developing like a normal toddler. When he has been accidentally exposed to gluten, it is heartbreaking. Along with all the physical symptoms of being glutened, he loses all the progress he's made since going gluten free, and it takes up to two weeks for him to get back to his regular little self (cognitively and developmentally).

I absolutely think there is a link to autism for some kids.
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Deb
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SPD Little Boy, Gus: Getting better by the day! Improved digestion, skin issues clearing, able to focus and follow instructions, talking (the boy is TALKING!!!)

[aklap]

GM,

I think that it's so great that you & Gus are seeing such improvements!!
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Al

“We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” Mother Teresa