No evidence shows that children with autism have more digestive problems than other children or that special diets help them, says an expert panel report released Monday.
The panel said medical treatment is recommended for children with autism who experience painful digestive problems that can cause behavior problems, the Associated Press reported.
The consensus report was written by more than 25 experts who reviewed medical research. The effort was funded by the Autism Society and other autism groups.
The experts called for more rigorous research into the prevalence of digestive problems among children with autism and whether special diets might prove beneficial in some cases.
This is interesting. Yet there is a book entitled “Breaking the Vicious Cycle” by Elaine Gottschall which I know a few with autistic children have used with success. The book is all about the digestive tract and autism, written by a chemist and scientist. I wonder if this book was considered in the study or if the study was conducted because of the book?
@Keli – Very interesting about the book by Elaine Gottschall, have no idea if her book was used in this stud but I’ll try to find out.
Interesting post.
.-= Laoch´s last blog ..Word For The Day =-.
Hey Elaine! What about kids with ADD/ADHD? My MIL was speaking about the benefits of “special diets” for them.. Do you know if this is true or not?
@Mystiquetur – There’s a lot of information and books available on special diets for ADD/ADHD children. Some simple things are eliminate sugar and processed foods. You may also want to check out the book by Dr. Ben F. Feingold who was an eminent pediatrician and allergist who came up with the KP diet which is effective in treating kids with ADD.
http://www.adhdnews.com/adhd-diet.htm
http://www.healing-arts.org/children/ADHD/nutritional.htm
http://www.oneaddplace.com/adhd-diet.php
http://school.familyeducation.com/add-and-adhd/nutrition-and-diet/42770.html