The Evidence Behind a Gluten-Free, Casein-Free Diet
Let’s get to the results of all my research, shall we?
AUTISM DIAGNOSTIC OBSERVATION SCHEDULE.
ADOS is an assessment tool that’s used to evaluate language capability, communication, repetitive behaviors, & social interaction. Kids with ASD who are placed on a GFCF diet for 24-months have shown significant improvementsin communication, with the most drastic improvements happening between day 1 & month 8. In comparison, participants of the same study who were placed on a regular diet, continued to experience worsening communication skills throughout the 24-month trial.
GILLIAM AUTISM RATING SCALE.
GARS is a scale questionnaire with 56 questions. It evaluates core ASD symptoms, such as social interaction, communication, developmental disturbances, & stereotyped behaviors. Results of numerous studieshave shown significant improvements for kids with ASD in all sub-categories of the assessment tool over 24 months. Such categories include: stereotyped behaviors & social interaction; reductions in staring episodes, the desire to smell objects, spinning or sudden movements, and food aversions; while improvements were seen in eye contact, defiance, aggression, & repetitive behaviors.
VINELAND ADAPTIVE BEHAVIOR SCALE.
VABS is a parent-report questionnaire that evaluates developmental ability based on socialization, communication, & daily living skills. According to the VABS analysis tool, kiddos placed on a GFCF diet for 12-24 months have shownsteady improvements in socialization, communication skills, & daily living domains as compared to children on a regular diet. More specifically, there have been advancements in writing skills, interpersonal relationships, coping skills, expressive skills, receptive skills, community skill, & gross motor and fine motor skills.
ATTENTION-DEFICIT/HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER-IV.
ADHD-IV is a tool that assesses inattention & hyperactivity of kids via a rating scale. Studiesthat utilized this assessment tool concluded kids with ASD who were placed on a GFCF diet for 12-24 months showed vast improvements in inattention & hyperactivity as compared to kids on regular diets.
CHILDHOOD AUTISM RATING SCALE.
CARS is a tool used to evaluate & assess behavior & symptom severity in many domains affected by ASD. Kids with ASD who were placed on a GFCF diet for 6-12 months, have shownmarked improvements in overall CARS scores.
AUTISM TREATMENT EVALUATION TEST QUESTIONNAIRE.
ATEC evaluates how efficient treatment is for kids with ASD. Four subgroups are evaluated:
After using a GFCF diet, kids with ASD have been shown to improve in all of the major ATEC parameters.
I’m not done.
Through direct observation & questionnaires, it’s also been shownthat kids with ASD put on a GFCF diet for 2-12 months have experienced: reduced need for sameness (routine); reduced hyperactivity, compulsivity, anxiety, fearfulness, or inappropriate speech; improved narrow interests and nonverbal IQ; and improvements in aggression towards self or others, focus, attention, sleep pattern, & the willingness to initiate socialization. Parents who’ve eliminated gluten & casein from their kid’s diet have also reported greater reductions in ASD behaviors, social impairments, & physiological symptoms.
Parents have also reportedseeing improvements in mood, behavior, & focus among children with ASD over the course of 1 year on a GFCF diet.AND. By the end of a 12-month study, kids on a GFCF diet have experienced 5 times the development (based on IQ points) compared to kids on a regular diet.
When kids with ASD follow a GFCF diet, their parents also reportreductions in physical symptoms, including gut-related symptoms (i.e., diarrhea, constipation, bloating, belly pain, foul-smelling stool, digestion issues), allergies (sneezing, itchy/red/watery eyes, congestion), food allergy symptoms (hives, rashes), fatigue, & irritability.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST: SENSORY SENSITIVITIES
My never ending research also showed reductions in sensory issues for kids with ASD when a GFCF diet is implemented. Including:
PHEW.
WHAT IS MY POINT IN ALL THIS?
I have many. But to wrap it up… (lol, wrap it up- was I the only one?).
All of our bodies are different. Our genetics are different. Our immune systems are different. Our triggers are different.
What hinders our health is different.
What improves our health is different.
But at the end of the day, the food we eat can 110% impact our well-being. Our body is interconnected. I find it to be such a shame thatmostconventional medicine doctors, despite the laundry list of evidence & literature, fail to make the connection between our gut and the rest of our body – particularly the brain.
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The Discovery Doc – Dr. CeCe Brooks – Atlanta Holistic NP
Dr. CeCe
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