THE ROLE OF DIET IN ALLEVIATING GASTROINTESTINAL AND BEHAVIORAL SYMPTOMS IN CHILDREN WITH AUTISM

Abstract

Six mothers of children with autism were interviewed and asked to complete an Aberrant Behaviors Checklist (ABC) to analyze their child’s diet, gastrointestinal symptoms, and behavioral symptoms. The results showed the children on a gluten-free, casein-free (GFCF) diet had fewer behavioral symptoms and symptoms of less severity (average behavioral score of 22.35) than the children who were either on a casein-free, egg-free diet (CFEF) (average behavioral score of 80), or not adhering to any exclusionary diet (average behavioral score of 69.5). Behavioral symptoms decreased with age, the youngest participant of age 4 had an average score of 72 while the oldest participants of age 7 had an average score of 35. Based on this data, GFCF dieting seems to improve ASD children’s GI and behavioral symptoms, however the mechanism and effectiveness is still under debate. Parents should be aware of the nutritional detriment that this diet may have on their child before excluding gluten and casein.