Does diet help?

I have been speaking to a friend at work who has said that 'diet' can help people on the autistic spectrum. That by omitting certain food types doesn't 'cure' the problem but can reduce the symptoms and help them.

Also, she said that people with ASD regularly get dodgy bowels and that an Actimel a day can sort this out.

The last thing (cos I do have a tendancy to go on at times) is to give them cod liver oil and vitamin supplements to improve concentration and make sure they are getting everything they need.

I am prepared to give anything a try to improve things for both Josh and us but don't want to waste our time or get Josh's hopes up - do others have an opinion on this? Does anyone know of any literature or research about this?

Josh already takes Omega 3 tablets and initially there was a huge improvement in his concentration, but over the years this has levelled off.

All comments are much appreciated!

Michelle

Hi Michelle

I must admit I know nothing about diets. If you decide to give it a go let us know how it goes.

I must admit as a child Sophie was so fussy that I was pleased with anything new she tried, I think trying to get her to follow a diet would have been impossible and she's never been able to swallow tablets so those are out too!

I hope someone else can advise you a bit better!

Sarah

I have tried different food ideas and none of them seem to make a difference, but i did try fish oils a while ago because i seen on tv program about aspergers that it was suppose to help AS children focus more it made my son worse so i stopped that and will not try again with fish oil

Hello Michelle,

I haven't really researched into diets either. On the whole Alex does pretty well on the eating side, consuming quite a wide variety of fruits.

His weight is steady but I think his Aspergers eats a lot of his energy so we do have to watch it a little.

As far as vitamins, we do supplement him with Bassetts Soft & Chewy vitamins with Omega-3 DHA. There is blackcurrant, Alex's favourite and orange - they are quite palatable.

I've also found an interesting website dealing with diets & ASD, have a look, it may help you further. [img]https://2img.net/i/fa/i/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]
[url=http://www.yourlittleprofessor.com/nutrition.html]http://www.yourlittleprofessor.com/nutrition.html[/url]

Hi guys,

First, can I say a HUGE THANK YOU to you all. We have received more support and positive reaction from the forums here than we have had in the past 13 1/2 years. It is such a relief to know there are people out there (1) in the same position as us (parents) and (2) people out there who aren't there to judge.

I have looked at the first page of the site you highlighted and it is really interesting. I'll look further into it and post any ideas I have on here to share with you.

Thanks

Michelle

Aaww that's a lovely thing to say, thank you. We are aiming for a helpful, non-judgemental site so it's good to hear that.

I look forward to hearing how you get on.

[url=http://www.mysmiley.net][img]http://www.mysmiley.net.nyud.net/imgs/smile/love/love0028.gif[/img][/url]

we are all in the same boat here so we all have an idea on what you are going though

Hi Michelle!

Very kind words, thank you!! [img]https://2img.net/i/fa/i/smiles/icon_redface.gif[/img]

To reiterate Lee and Sarah's words, we are indeed all in the same boat and absolutely, the whole idea of the forum is to learn from everyone's experiences - I like to think of it as us all hanging out in the living room, coffee, biscuits and having a good natter about the one subject that we are all involved in!

Some ideas work for some people but some might not work for others but we are all here to try, test and learn from it all - no judgements here!

I didn't start this forum because I knew everything, far from it! I have learnt and understood so much in the past few weeks than I ever could from others and I'm so glad that it can be such a positive place for everyone!
There's no obligation to visit regularly, people can pop in whenever, catch up and contribute as they wish - we all have busy lives after all!

My hats off to everyone!
[url=http://www.smileys.me.uk/][img]http://www.smileys.me.uk/smileys/Happy/happy0030.gif[/img][/url]

Well, I've made a very small start on the diet....Josh and I bought a large pack of ACTIMEL for him. I explained they were especially for him and no one else as he is always getting a poorly tummy. He has had one a day for a week now, and hopefully the effects will show soon. I also make sure he is taking his omega 3 tablets and multi vitamins are on the shopping list.
As for a complete diet, I am looking at bits on the internet, but to date haven't had the time (due to work) or energy to go for one yet.

Fingers crossed for the Actimel then [img]https://2img.net/i/fa/i/smiles/icon_biggrin.png[/img] . Don't fret yourself about doing everything straight away, one thing at a time otherwise you'll frazel yourself out!

Good luck

[img]https://2img.net/i/fa/i/smiles/icon_flower.png[/img]

This is a real eye-opener for me. I had no idea about this! Thank you - I hope your trial goes well.

i read somewhere that there is something named Allergy Induced Autism...might be worth googling?? Thats all about different foods reacting to the chemicals in the brain causing Autistic type behaviours...and when studies were carried out the children improved dramatically once the diet was changed.

Dont really know much more about it but it might be worth a look ! [img]https://2img.net/i/fa/i/smiles/icon_idea.png[/img]