For my family, autism has been a mirror - urging us to take a close look at ourselves in the areas of patience, compassion, health and persistence.
Despite our constant inquiries regarding our son, Justin's delayed development, we followed our pediatrician's advice that Justin was developing normally and that his lack of speech and social interaction were personality traits. Nearly two years following our initial suspicions, we finally received a diagnosos of autism from a neurologist.
Wanting to do all we could to help our son, we immediately plunged into physical therapy and speech therapy and enrolled him into special needs preschool. I also started to research information about the connection between diet and autism and implemented a gluten-free and casein-free diet for my son - not an easy task, but made easier due to the fact that he was already diagnosed with allergies to nine food items. After removing additional items from his diet and adding nutritional supplements to help his brain and digestion, we noticed a stunning turnaround within a few months. However, we were advised by a medical professional that the nutritional risk in doing this was high and that the improvements we noticed were "Just in our imagination.."
Diet, nutrition and sound physical health do have an impact on children with autism - we and countless other families are living proof of this fact. We have combined the use of GFCF diet, detoxification and vitamin supplementation and have noticed steady improvements in Justin's speech, focus, attetion, energy levels, sleep and digestion. I have published an easy to use resource guide and cookbook called Balancing the Bowl that helps other famiies prepare easy and nutritious GFCF meals.
Parents deserve access to unbiased information about all treatment options, without the fear of rejection from professionals. Autism awareness and action are efforts that are highly driven by parents who are following their instincts, acting on them and sharing with other parents. My hope is that the cycle of giving will continue to flow.
Susan Delaine, Author of Balancing the Bowl
www.susandelaine.com