With Mayo Clinic nutritionists Jennifer Nelson, M.S., R.D. and Katherine Zeratsky, R.D.

Autism has been in the news again — bringing to mind the many questions of why has it increased in prevalence and what can be done to prevent or treat it.

As a parent, family member or friend of a family who has a child with some degree of autism spectrum disorder, you know the reality of living with this disorder. And as someone who cares for the affected child, the inherent thought is to find a treatment to improve the life of the child.

There are a range of therapies around the topic of autism diet that have been proposed to improve or even cure the disorder. Several autism diet strategies have been suggested as possible treatments, including: restriction of food allergens; probiotics; yeast-free diet; gluten free casein free diet, and dietary supplements such as vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin B6 and magnesium, folic acid, vitamin B12, omega-3 fatty acids, various minerals among others.

Unfortunately, there is no scientific evidence to conclusively support or deny the claims that these autism diet interventions can or will make a significant improvement in the functioning of the child. However, it is recognized that some parents report improvements when dietary therapies are used. Among the most popular of dietary therapies is the gluten free casein free diet.

As a dietitian, I feel my place in this debate is to inform an interested parent or family member of the complexities of the gluten free casein free diet. It is neither easily introduced nor easily followed long term. In fact, as any diet that is restrictive in nature, I worry that a child may be limited in food selection and miss substitutions that would ensure appropriate nutrient intake. Another important consideration — any child who has food texture and/or color aversion(s), selective eating or other behavior issues will likely have a difficult adjustment with changes to their diet.

If you wish to try such a diet with your child, please keep the following in mind:

• Discuss a plan of care with your child's doctor.
• Meet with a qualified, registered dietitian.
• Expect that you will need routine appointments with your dietitian to work through the challenges of introducing and following a specialized diet.
• Work with other qualified healthcare professionals to assist in behavior and social issues. Employ the assistance of a speech or occupational therapist who specializes in eating behaviors.
• You may or may not see any improvement in your child's condition.

The good news is ongoing research, some of which includes research to sort out the details relating to dietary practices and autism spectrum disorders.

To your health and that of your children,

Katherine

MORE ON THIS TOPIC

• Gluten free diet: How to go gluten free

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