'Autistic diet' getting a closer look.

[Guest guest]

Saturday, February 3, 2007

'Autistic diet' getting a closer look

Wheat-, dairy-free plan proving successful for some

By CHERIE BLACK

P-I REPORTER

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/302360_olympichouse03.html

When he was 3 years old, Matthew Sebastian was diagnosed with autism.

Four years later, he began having seizures, which are much more common in

autistic children than in the broader population. Doctors told his parents that

by the time their son reached puberty, his seizures would get worse and he would

have to wear a helmet to protect his head.

 

High doses of two prescription anti-seizure medications controlled the

attacks, but the effects of his autism still kept the small boy in constant

motion. He slept poorly and displayed multiple violent daily outbursts, which

eventually made him too dangerous to himself and his family to live at home.

 

Sebastian moved from Federal Way to a home in Seattle, which cared for

autistic children in a residential setting. It was there, at the age of 10, that

he received what his mother calls the treatment that saved her son's life.

 

Dubbed by some as the " autism diet, " it is a gluten- and casein-free way of

eating, often used by people diagnosed with the digestive disorder celiac

disease. Gluten products such as wheat, rye and barley are eliminated, as are

dairy products, which contain the protein casein.

 

For eight weeks, Sebastian was weaned off of his anti-seizure medication and

placed on the diet. Now 20, he has been seizure-free and drug-free for the past

10 years. His violent behavior stopped.

 

" Matthew is the complete opposite of what he was before, " said his mother

Janet Sebastian. " That's why the diet works. His behaviors decreased

dramatically over the years and now he's positive and happy. "

 

Why the diet seems to work isn't completely understood. One theory involves

the " leaky gut syndrome, " in which the autistic child's body isn't able to

process proteins found in wheat and dairy products, said Gary Stobbe, medical

director of Seattle's Autism Spectrum Treatment and Research Center, a

non-profit organization that diagnoses, treats and manages people with autism.

The undigested chunks of protein get into the bloodstream and affect the brain.

Another theory is the body's immune system is reacting to the proteins in the

body.

 

" Nothing is determined for certain, and there is no set approach with the

diet, " he said. " In my practice, it is something we encourage in younger kids or

if we see a kid not making progress with more conventional therapies. "

 

 

document.write('');

 

Stobbe said for some children, especially the more severe autism cases and those

with physical complaints, the diet works well. They are calmer, have better

attention spans and have less severe behavioral disturbances.

Still no one knows whether this will work in the long term. So far, only

anecdotal evidence from parents is available.

 

One study under way at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York

looks at the effects of the diet in autistic children between the ages of 2 1/2

and 4 1/2. Sponsored by the National Institute of Mental Health, it began in

2004 and should be completed in 2008.

 

Dr. Geraldine Dawson, director of the University of Washington's Autism

Center, is waiting for data from more studies before she'll recommend the diet

to her patients, but tells parents who have decided to try it to make sure a

nutritionist is involved. She said about half the children seen at the center

are on the diet, which has worked for some, and not others.

" While we wait to find out more, parents should watch their children, " she

said. " You end up restricting what they're eating and some children are

suffering nutritionally. "

 

But Sebastian and his family have no doubts. Sebastian now lives at Olympic

House, opened in June in North Seattle for those with autism or celiac disease

who are on the diet. The house is a part of Alpha Supported Living Services in

Seattle, which has 16 homes for disabled adults.

 

Sebastian was joined by Jacob Al-Hakim, 24, who is also autistic and has

celiac disease. Since being put on the diet, his mother, Cheryl Gere, said he is

calm and making eye contact with people. Although he doesn't talk much, if at

all, he interacts with people and is more aware, she said.

 

" Simply what they're eating could change their lives, " she said.

 

A nutritionist helped create a rotating meal plan involving a main dish of

pork, chicken, beef or fish accompanied by rice, fruit and vegetables. The main

dishes are served for both lunch and dinner and changed each day. A rotating

staff of at least two people is at the house 24 hours a day and has been trained

on what and how to prepare the limited diet.

 

Gere buys groceries for the house once a week at Central Market in Shoreline

and spends about $150 to $200, using money both men receive from the state and

their part-time jobs that is allocated for food.

 

At the grocery store, she can't buy citrus, apples, potatoes, avocados,

peppers or tomatoes. She stocks up on rice and rice cakes, yams, bananas and

meat. They need special deodorant and shampoo. The tiniest cheat on the diet can

cause behavioral problems.

 

" At one point on his medication, he never left the floor of his room; he was

almost comatose, " she said of her son. " He sings with us now. He's awake. "

 

Sebastian and Al-Hakim's families say the diet brought back to them sons they

thought were lost to the behavioral effects of autism. Sebastian, never without

his dog, Holly, is a gold medalist in the Special Olympics and works part-time

at a toy store. Al-Hakim recently ice skated for the first time.

 

" When he was born I wondered what he would become, " Janet Sebastian said.

" Look at him now. "

ABOUT AUTISM

Autism, and the broader category of Autism Spectrum Disorders, is a lifelong

neuro-developmental disorder initially affecting people in the first few years

of life. Autism is defined by significant impairments in social interaction and

communication and the presence of unusual behaviors and/or restricted interests.

Autism occurs in all racial, ethnic and socioeconomic groups and is four times

more likely to occur in boys than girls.

 

 

Source: Autism Spectrum Treatment and Research Center

 

 

P-I reporter Cherie Black can be reached at 206-448-8180 or

cherieblack.

 

 

" When we were kids our parents taught us not to lie. But today our Health

Minister is trying to punish those who dare to speak the truth. God help that

unfortunate fellow. It seems he has not received any education at home. " - An

Indian Monk.