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Writer's pictureAnna Rathbun, NC

Which Food Therapy Helps Autism?



Amy’s mother called me in a panic when her darling baby girl was diagnosed with autism. Amy had cried a lot as a baby and tended to throw fits as a 2-year-old. Her parents started looking for answers when Amy’s language skills weren’t progressing normally.

When I met with Amy’s mother I wanted to know which foods the child likes to eat and how much time her mother has to prepare foods. With that we arranged a hypoallergenic diet with the same flavors and textures Amy was used to eating and that her mother could prepare as a busy working mom.

Within one week of adjusting her diet Amy began putting words together to form sentences.

The Autism Research Institute has collected data from parents about which treatments improved their child’s symptoms the best. Of the 27,000 parent interviews regarding medications, supplements and diet change– the diet always comes up as the most effective treatment with the least side effects.

Certain foods create inflammation in the gut and in the brain of some children, causing learning and behavior problems. The first step is to remove these inflammatory foods and see what happens. The next step is to add foods and supplements that help to heal and normalize gut and brain function.

After a certain supplement Amy slept through the night for the first time and with certain foods her stimming behaviors decreased.

It’s a long road ahead for Amy and her parents. Support is available with physical and educational therapies, diet change, nutritional supplements and medications. Have you seen a child’s behavior and symptoms improve with a diet change? What was the food and how did it work?

https://www.autism.com/pdf/providers/ParentRatings2009.pdf

This information and nutrition consulting is not a replacement for medical care. Please continue to see your medical doctor.


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