Review of Dietary Interventions in Autism Spectrum Disorders: Why They Work When They Do, Why They Don't When They Don't (Hardcover)

There is a considerable amount of research available showing scientific evidence for the effects of various diets on people with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs).The problem is, much of this is scattered across various journals and research magazines, and few people have the time or energy to search through the library for these sources.This book provides a good, solid review of which diets have science supporting them, and which ones have yet to have any research studies done, but have been reported to have beneficial effects by parents and/or make sense to those who know biochemistry.
This said, be prepared to wade through more biochemistry thanyou will have been exposed to, unless that was your major in college.Also a minor problem for the American reader will be the use of some British colloquial language, such as crisps and biscuits.
Aitken's book is NOT a "how to" book for diets.It is a "why to try it, and why it makes sense" book, and does not contain much detailed information on how to actually do the diets, what needs to be removed (in many cases), and contains no recipes.This said, if you have tried diets with your child or yourself, or would like to, this may be a good place to start looking for WHICH of the diets available is most likely to provide benefits.
All in all, the major errors were those of omission: while on p. 187, he mentions that it can take more than 6 months for all gluten to be released from the diet, he fails to follow up with a definitive timetable.Dependentupon the person, tests show that gluten can take 3-9 months completely leave the body of a person.Casein takes between 3 and 5 days for total clearing, which is never mentioned.This means that for a true trial rotation of a gluten and casein free diet, trial period of at least 6 months and more likely one year will be required.Also not mentioned is that besides dietary sources, gluten and casein are likely to be found in personal care products such as lotion and shampoo, and that gluten can be absorbed through the skin during use of Play-doh and other common play products.Parents should also know that, due to the levels of toxin released in some children, it is best not to do the GF/CF diet in one fell swoop, but to remove and reduce levels in the body first.Otherwise, major behavior problems, cravings, and possibly even hospitalization may sabotage the diet from the start.
The other MAJOR omission is the complete lack of reference to soy, unfortunately, this is common in most works on the GF/CF diet.Toquote another source, "Soy is known to be a highly allergenic food, and although it is a legume, its protein is structurally similar to that of milk.Soy allergy is common in babies and children with milk allergy."(The Encyclopedia of Dietary Interventions for the Treatment of Autism and Related Disorders, Seroussi & Lewis, 2008)It should also be mentioned that while the pathway for damage by gluten in Autism appears dissimilar to those with Celiac Disease, people with either disorder (or with both, as the case may be) can have an intolerance to gluten, casein, and soy proteins due to the similar nature of these proteins on a chemical level.
This is a particular concern, because Soy milk is usually the first source of a milk replacement parents seek, and often the most easily available.Parents need to know BEFORE they start the diet that replacing casein with soy is a bad idea, and that they should search for gluten-free rice, almond, or potato milk depending upon the needs of the child.
The last error of omission is that the author fails to mention that a child put on a diet may get worse before s/he gets better.This is usually due to toxin release.A major source of diet "failure" is that the child gets as far as the toxin-release phase and has a major melt-down, or develops lesions on the skins and the parents panic and return the child to his or her prior diet.When I went through my gluten release, the toxin release was major and readily apparent - approximately 3 1/2 months after I removed gluten from my diet, I broke out in huge, red, open sores all over my body for a week and a half.Reintroduction of gluten to see what the effects were after a year on the diet brought them back, and minor exposures to gluten since have resulted in the appearance of smaller, scattered red sores on my body.
I do advocate taking supplements and vitamins, however, when it comes to digestive enzymes, it is best to stick to the diet and take the supplements to help with accidental exposures, such as when your child gets hold of a regular cookie at a party.Otherwise, it is similar to taking a poison and an antidote for it at the same time - it probably won't kill you, but it may make you very ill.Avoid the problem by sticking to the diet that benefits you or your child as much aspossible, and save the digestive enzymes for when you eat out and get exposed to crumbs.
I should, perhaps, mention that I am diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome as an adult, and work with children on the autism spectrum, many of whom are on special diets.I have seen beneficial results from diet in both myself and my clients.It is worth mentioning that the Feingold Diet, the simplest of the diets that Aitkin covers, seems of benefit to almost every child, regardless of diagnosis or lack thereof.
I may alter my diet further in response to this book and other sources I have read, however, it is unlikely that I will go as far as the full "Simple Restriction Diet" in the long term, although I may try it for a period of weeks to remove remaining toxins as part of my yearly program.

Product Description
Following the increasing amount of scientific research relating to autism, various dietary approaches are being advocated to help those with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs). This book provides an introduction to the clinical conditions that can cause autistic behaviour and what can be done to significantly improve many of them.

The book explores the known genetic conditions linked to autism and describes various dietary interventions. For each approach, the author explores the potential benefits; evidence for and against the diet; and information, where available, on relevant publications, web resources and support groups. The author also looks at the Simple Restriction Diet (SRD) in detail, describing how to implement this approach and how to evaluate its effects.

This book will be a valuable resource for families, individuals and professionals wishing to understand and explore the possibilities of dietary interventions and the benefits they can have for those on the autism spectrum.

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