Autism Diet Help
The Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) has helped my autistic son for over three years now. He is six and a half years old and is now free of his gastrointestinal problems.. and also many behavioral symptoms of autism which had bothered him –and those around him–prior to the diet.
Diet and its effect on autistic children has been in the news lately. But when I put my little boy on this diet just after his third birthday, diets were not very popular for these kids. And certainly not one as challenging as the SCD. (You can learn all about the Specific Carbohydrate Diet in Elaine Gottschall’s book, “Breaking the Vicious Cycle”.) The woman is my hero.
Basically, the diet is free of not only dairy and gluten, but it’s free of all grains. (In a gluten free diet, you may eat grains like potato, rice and corn, but not on the SCD). It is free of all sugars and sweeteners except for honey. There can be no artificial colors, dyes, flavors, preservatives, additives. Most fruits and vegetables are allowed as are most meats. Nuts and eggs are allowed if there is no allergy. Some people do a limited dairy version of this diet, though many autistic children do not tolerate that version–at least initially. These are just some highlights of the diet. Please see the “BTVC” book for complete details and recipes.
ANYONE CONSIDERING ANY DIET FOR THEIR CHILD SHOULD SPEAK TO THEIR CHILD’S DOCTOR BEFORE STARTING AND GET THE DOCTOR’S APPROVAL AND SUPERVISION. This blog is not meant to give medical advice and the moderator is not responsible for any injuries or damages claimed by anyone reading this blog. Your posting on this blog constitutes your understanding and acceptance of this disclaimer.
(Don’t you just hate that lawyer language?) But it is necessary these days…
Seriously, you need a doctor on board for this journey. Look for a DAN (Defeat Autism Now) doctor or a chiropractor who specializes in treating children with autism, as most pediatricians will not be supportive or knowledgeable about dietary interventions. Properly supervised vitamin supplementation is necessary.
At first, it seemed the only thing on the “acceptable food” list was freakin’ cardboard. But I took a leap of faith and committed to a 4 week trial. Change was noticeable within only days. And I really saw a dramatic change within the first 30 days. That is where the motivation to continue came from. That, and the realization that foods that may be digestible by other children are like poison to mine because his body converts them into dangerous and harmful compounds.
As a woman who has “fat” clothes and “thin” clothes that go back as far as the 80’s, I’ll be honest with you…diets suck. And the only thing worse than being on one yourself, is putting your child on one. Especially one that is so restrictive, so expensive, so time-consuming…and makes your child stand out from his peers in yet another way.
No, it’s not easy. But, God, is it rewarding.
So, in an effort to encourage dialogue and support for parents of children on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, I offer this “Autism Diet Help” section of StimTalk.
If you have any questions or comments about healing your child through diet, please post them in the comments right here on this page and I’ll try to help you. So will others. (SCD moms are hard to find. We’re a tight-knit group of generous souls, because our diet is harder to implement … due to its restrictiveness… than the other more popular GFCF diet.)
Hi, I’ve just found your blog and it’s great. My son is 17 months and somewhere on the spectrum. We have a DAN! doctor and have been GFCF for almost 3 months. We’re on numerous supplements and about to implement the Methyl B-12 shots. My son does not have any words and BARELY any babble. I’m dying for him to say Momma! He had four words and lost them at about 13 months. He’s never really been the same since. Anyway, we’re going to start the SCD at the first of the year. I’m waiting because we’ll be travelling for the holidays…which should be a *joy* all by itself! I’d love to know where you find recipes and what type of lunches you make for your child. I’ve ordered the book BTVC and should get it next week. But, I’m really looking for more advice, support, etc. Thank you so much and keep posting! You can find me at http://kylerthetoddler.wordpress.com/
Take care!
Hi Kyler’s mom!
First, congratulations on being so far ahead of the game! You have an early diagnosis and have already started dietary interventions! I am very impressed and you should be very proud. Your son’s future will be brighter simply because you are taking early action.
I won’t pull any punches here. SCD is serious. It takes a major commitment on your part in terms of time spent planning and making everything your son eats. As you will see when you read the “Bible”, BTVC, the diet must be adhered to “fanatically”, in order for it to work. It takes the most dedicated person to implement this diet. You don’t give in on holidays and birthday parties. You find SCD legal substitutions instead. You view the illegal foods as poison because if your child can’t digest it, it harms him.
The earlier you start a diet like this, the better. You wil have fewer or no bad habits to break. Your son will not know what McDonalds tastes like, so his heart will not break. You will have less resistance initially, but as he ages, he will be curious about the foods of his peers in school.
It is hard at first, but it does get easier. Then it becomes second nature. Tell yourself you are going to try it for 30 days. Its easier to get through the first 30 days if you do that. If you tell yourself its forever, you may not make it through that first month at all. You will know by then whether it’s working. Having a child on the spectrum is always stressful, but try to implement this diet at a time when you can focus on it without many additional stresses or demand on your time. And if someone else is a caretaker for your child, insist on their compliance with the diet when he’s in their care.
It is so rewarding when you see the difference it makes in your child. And that is where you get your strength to go on.
There are recipes to get you started right in the book BTVC. I recommend following them initially until you are comfortable with the program. There are also many resources in that book for sources of recipes and bulk order nut flours. Read BTVC. Then read it again. My copy has fallen apart over the years. Go slowly through the parts that are scientific, as they are important, too. And ask your DAN doc to rule out any egg allergies so you know whether you need to use egg substitutes.
Since my son’s been on SCD for over 3 years, I have gotten comfortable adapting some of my own family recipes so that they comply with SCD. Maybe I’ll put out a cookbook of my own next year!
But I am getting ahead of you. Keep things simple for the start of the program. Everything you need is in BTVC for now…except the support and some reassurance, which you can get here. One of the earliest foods I gave my son on SCD was a homemade chicken soup. Its still his favorite. It has no grain (no noodles or rice), but he loves the chicken and veggies, and its so soothing.
I make chicken cutlets/nuggets using a ‘breadcrumb” of nut flour seasoned with sea salt, pepper, and parsley flakes. He likes grilled chicken or baked too. Hamburgers, no bun. Homemade bread with nut butters instead of grain. Turkey sandwiches. Fake fluff with peanut butter–his favorite lunch.
I highly recommend you keep a food journal too. And track behaviors in it too. That way you can see what foods he may be reacting negatively to…sometimes the reaction doesn’t show itself until the next day…or later.
Also, sometimes a food may be legal on SCD, but still not agree with your son. For instance, my son does not tolerate foods high in salicylates/phenols such as blueberries, strawberries, peppers, almonds, etc. Those are all legal on SCD (though not initially). It took me a long time to realize that too much of those foods made a big difference in behavior. Once eliminated…BINGO…big gains.
So I don’t want to overwhelm you and as you can see, I can talk forever about it. Read the book. Enjoy the holidays. Check in with any questions…anytime. That’s why I am here. Good luck.
Thank you SOOOO much for the info and advice! I will follow BTVC because I am determined to help my son. I don’t know if it is the answer but I’ll never know until I try. We did the food allergy test with his DAN! doctor and surprisingly, the only two foods to show any intolerance were soy and gluten. I’m suspicious though of a few others such as certain nuts, eggs, and corn. His cheeks turn red from something and I’m trying my hardest to figure it out!
So, your son reacts to almonds? How did you figure that out? I give Kyler almond milk about every other day. I’m trying to decide which nut is the least offensive for him.
Thanks again, I really appreciate it!
I’m smiling because you sound like me about three years ago! I love your determination to try this to see if it’ll help your son. I hope it does.
The way I figured out the almond thing with my son was after I’d had him on SCD for quite awhile. I felt like we were in a rut and I wanted to get more inventive with his foods, but stay SCD. I’d had the phenol/salicylate worry knocking around in the back of my mind for awhile, but didn’t want to acknowledge it because it’d mean taking away so much of what my son loved.
Then one day, I really looked into the list of the high P/S foods and it hit me. Some of the top offenders were things he ate daily. When I removed them all, I saw better behaviors. I took them all away for about a year before reintroducing any…and then only sparingly. They are reserved for special occasion treats mostly…and I give them with an enzyme designed specifically to help digest p/s foods. (Note: BTVC does not require enzymes because the foods are easily digestable by most people.) Some people use them, some don’t. Others, like me, only with p/s foods.
If I had to recommend a nut, I’d recommend pecan flour or, if no reaction to p/s, then almond. Or cashew. Hate to break it to you, but the almond milk you’re buying will have to go when you start SCD…I’ll let the book explain why.
You’re smart to watch for the red cheeks…they are a major red flag for an allergy of some sort (food or environmental). So are dark eye circles.