Telling link between diet and autism
The Autism News | English
DUBAI // The role of food in causing and treating autism is one of the main topics of discussion by experts on the disorder in Dubai this week.
While much about autism is a mystery, some are certain food lies at the centre of it.
“Diet plays a very important part in treating autism,” said Dr William Shaw, the director of The Great Plains Laboratory in the US and a board member of the National Academy for Child Development.
Dr Shaw said more than 90 per cent of children with autism suffer milk and wheat allergy. If not diagnosed it could hamper their treatment and lead to stunted growth and development.
He will be giving workshops to parents during the Autism Around the World conference, which ends tomorrow at Zayed University.
Cutting out problem foods can help in key areas such as speech and self-harming tendencies, Dr Shaw said. “Parents who have made these dietary changes have seen those autism-related issues reduce considerably,” he said.
But a small, intensive study in the US published last year found removing wheat and dairy from an autistic child’s diet did not help.
The adjusted diet “did not demonstrate a change in sleep habits, bowel habits, activity or core symptoms of autism”, said the lead researcher, Dr Susan Hyman of the University of Rochester.
For many parents solutions remain elusive and they are left with hunches and hopes.
Lara Mouawad, whose son Ryan, 4, has mild autism, could not understand why he was a picky eater.
“He hates pasta, does not like anything that is sticky and sometimes has meat,” Mrs Mouawad said. “It’s worrying because when he returns from school his lunchbox is untouched.” That apparent fussiness could be a sign of a zinc deficiency.
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