Modern medical science is yet to give us the exact reason that causes autism and it is yet to give a cure. However, many associations, parents and voluntary organisations are collecting information in order to understand the disorder better and for finding an effective cure for autism. When the science depends on the fact and figures of the research findings, many of the parents who have autistic children started trying the autism diet.
A very prolonged study and the try have in fact resulted in emergence of important and major dietary treatments such as casein and gluten-free diet, supplements of vitamins A, D, C and B-12, and cod liver oil.
How a Diet can Help
If your child has been diagnosed for autism and if the reason is not from physical causes, then an autism diet can be of certain help. There is a popular belief that there is a link or relation between autism symptoms and food allergies or sensitiveness. It was observed that autism as a neurological condition often combined with few physical and mental abnormalities. Few autistic children have even developed gastrointestinal problems including irritable bowel syndrome.
Further, there is a high incidence of children suffering from food allergies and may interfere with the symptoms of autism. As the autistic children have some impairment in communicating, parents should take necessary care and precaution to take the food allergy into account and should act fast in case of doubtful symptoms.
When it comes to autism diet, the most sought after and the recommended one is the casein and gluten-free diet. You can find casein in milk products and oats, rye, barley and wheat are rich in gluten compound.
Children very often develop sensitiveness to both the above foods. Casein and gluten being high protein food items and are hard to be broken by the digestive system, they trigger neurotransmitter receptors in the brain and act as a sedative.
You can find casein and gluten in many foods such as breads, cakes, cereals used for breakfast, ice creams, pizzas, milk and milk products, cheese, wheat, rye, oats, and barley. Hence it is advised to keep away such food items from the autistic child’s regular diet to avoid any possible complications.
If your child is below five years, then your child will normally be put on autism diet for three months and the outcome will be monitored closely. Despite the confusing normal improvements that is far from any judgement and in enforcing the diet, certain parents still swear by the results and continue to go ahead with such diets.
Effectiveness Vitamin Supplements
Though the medical world has not yet approved the use of vitamin B, many parents of autistic children have laid faith on vitamin B supplements. The B complex vitamin group is useful in brain functioning and the vitamin B-12 has a specific direct effect on the nervous system.
In fact, many families have reported that their autistic children have made eye contact and have shown improvement in behaviour after a continuous administration of vitamin B in their regular diet.
Further, Vitamin C also lends a helping hand in improving one’s brain functioning. Few studies have also revealed that after administering vitamin C to the autistic children, they have shown better eye contacts and positively responded to the communication attempts.
Maintaining a favourable vitamin supplement in easier than maintaining the autism diet. Besides vitamin C and B, Vitamins A and D are also found to be very effective in brain functioning and bone growth and you can have a lot of vitamin D in cod liver oils.
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