This is true. My gene was turned on at age 22, when my first daughter was born.. That's when my rashes started and my weight issues (I'm underweight) as well as my panic disorder. (you can be overweight and still have Celiac though) One thing to keep in mind though, is when you have a silent Celiac gene that has not yet been triggered, you might still have a gluten intolerance.. My friend has the gene for it, but it has not yet been turned on.. she considers herself to be gluten intolerant and does not eat gluten at all. Her husband has the gene for it too and his has been turned on. Their daughter has had full blown Celiac since birth as well as a wheat allergy, though this wasn't diagnosed until age 4.. This child can't so much as smell gluten or she breaks out in rashes and starts running in circles, won't sleep, etc. Someone mentioned that mainstream doctors don't believe in IgG allergies.. This is starting to change, slowly.. There is more and more evidence that these things are affecting people so they are starting to sit up and take notice.. Mainstream doesn't heal people though.. They stick band-aids (pills) on everything.. So I tend to listen to those who actually heal, which would be the naturopaths and homeopaths and/or functional medicine doctors and integrative medicine doctors.. These are all great doctors who really know how to treat issues from a functional, whole body viewpoint. Not just prescribing this cream for that rash, this pill for that headache, this pill for those sleep issues, etc. etc.. A good doctor will figure out why you have all these problems, and treat the cause, not just put patches all over you and send you on your way until you need another patch. Ridiculous medicine, IMO.

Yes, my Aspies are all gluten free and it has made a world of difference for us.. We also do the fish oil and flax seed daily.

Aww... thanks.. I needed to hear that today as we just received another diagnosis today.. Asperger's in my oldest daughter.. That makes three daughters with Asperger's.. :001_huh: Not really a shock though as we have known for some time.. We were just making it official like. :D

She wouldn't miss it! And she just corrected me.. It was 30,000 words she did.. Not 35.. :tongue_smilie: Now if I can just get her to let me read it!! :D Last time I read one of her books, I overdid it with the highlighter (she asked me to edit!!).. Not sure if she'll let me touch this one.. :D

Awesome! My daughter also just finished her NaNoWriMo goal.. 35,000 words!! Congrats on all your successes!

So sorry to hear.. My oldest was evaluated by our psychologist again just before Thanksgiving.. I went back today to get the report and she now has an official diagnosis of Asperger's. Not a surprise here as we have always thought so. My daughter has amazing talents.. I'm sure your dd's talents will be uncovered in time.. Also, I would definitely pursue the DAN route.. We had huge success with biomedical for my younger ones. Just carefully research each and every option presented to you. Some are considered controversial.. But there is still so much that a DAN can offer even without the controversial treatments. Good luck!

I should also mention that 97% of Celiacs are walking around undiagnosed in this country. That's HUGE.. Most people have no idea that they have it. I didn't know until I went on a gluten free diet (because my kids had to) and suddenly everything that was wrong with me went away.

This is a different type of allergy I'm talking about.. Their called cyclic, or delayed onset.. Or if she has Celiac disease, then that's not going to show up on allergy testing either. My daughter has sensitivity to gluten, casein, and soy.. None of these showed up on her traditional allergy test that they do at an allergy clinic. Doctors are still learning about these "delayed onset" allergies and they are also still learning about how gluten intolerance is way more prevalent than previously thought. Bottom line.. You most likely won't find answers at an allergy clinic. We tested through Great Plains Labs http://www.greatplainslaboratory.com , but you can also test through Alletess http://www.foodallergy.com . You want the IgG food allergy blood serum test.. Or you can just do an elimination diet and skip the testing. Yes! It matters.. In fact, Lupus is often times just Celiac disease in disguise! Same with thyroid issues.. The thyroid issues are real, but it's the gluten intolerance that caused the thyroid issues.. Know what I mean? Google "lupus + Celiac" and "thyroid + Celiac" and "MG autoimmune + Celiac" and you'll have enough reading material to last the end of this year. It sounds like your family has a gluten issue that has gone undetected.. That's exactly what happened in my family.. So many issues running rampant in my family.. Fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, migraines, anxiety, skin rashes, etc.. We finally learned we are all just a bunch of Celiacs.. :tongue_smilie:

Oh dear Lord.. Another clueless pediatrician.. You've just solved the mystery as far as I'm concerned.. Gluten intolerance.. If you have a heavy family history of autoimmune disease, plus she has all those symptoms, along with deterioration in skills.. This points directly at a gluten intolerance, possibly full blown Celiac disease, but not necessarily.. I could be way off base, but in my experience.. And I've been researching the effects of gluten for a while now.. Your daughter has all the symptoms of a classic case of "under the radar" gluten intolerance. I would do a gluten-free trial and see if anything improves. If you want information on blood testing, I can provide that.. Just keep in mind that Celiac testing is not 100% accurate.. Lots of false negatives. A CBC will shed light on none of this. If your doctor will not run some simple allergy tests and do a Celiac blood test on her, then you need a new doctor. Just PLEASE keep in mind that Celiac testing is not 100% accurate..Especially for those who have a non-Celiac gluten intolerance. An elimination diet could shed some light.. Put her on a strict gluten-free diet for a minimum of 3 months and see what happens.. If she improves, then you have your answer.. Please let me know if you have any questions. Some helpful articles by Dr. Mark Hyman.. On gluten: http://drhyman.com/gluten-what-you-dont-know-might-kill-you-11/ On autoimmune disease: http://drhyman.com/how-to-stop-attacking-yourself-9-steps-to-heal-autoimmune-disease-1778/

Does she have any other symptoms like headaches, skin rashes, frequently sick, fatigue, bowel issues, constipation, etc? There could be an autoimmune issue going on. There are several autoimmune diseases common in children that affect the brain.. PANDAS is one.. Celiac Disease is another. Celiac disease is what caused deterioration in skills here.. My daughter was doing mental multiplication and reading at age 4. She was very advanced. She suddenly deteriorated a few years ago and began working at grade level, despite an IQ in the 140's. We didn't catch her Celiac disease until age 8. She's 10 now. Lyme disease is another thing to consider.

:iagree: Definitely. Although my kids never had reoccurring ear infections for some reason.. That is one thing we did not have to deal with.. But they do have the food allergies, etc. that is so common with ASD. To the OP.. Are you giving probiotics along with the antibiotics to be sure there is not further gut damage with all of the antibiotics?.. We always treat with natural antibiotics here... But when they have an ear infection related to a virus, we usually just let it run its course with some ear oil drops (found at any health food store). Rarely are antibiotics truly needed for a viral ear infection anyway. Knowing what I know now about gut health and ASD, I do not ever give my kids antibiotics unless their lives depend on it. There are plenty of natural alternatives that work just as well without compromising gut health. One other thought.. my mother had reoccurring ear infections as a child.. She has food allergies out the wazoo... She had multiple ear surgeries as a child and ended up 75% deaf in one ear. She has other issues like ADHD, etc. Anyway, a few years ago, she saw a sign hanging outside of a chiropractor's office about ear infections and how they could help.. I guess she was still suffering from some sinus infections, ear infections, etc. at that point. She decided to give it a try and to her surprise, it really did help. And she is not one to subscribe to "alternative treatments". So you might see if a chiropractor could possibly help.

I get these Asperger's newsletters from Dave Angel. This week's topic is Schooling Options and he included an excerpt from a recent interview with Dr. Richard Horowitz. I can't believe the "experts" are still preaching this crap about not being prepared for "the real world" if you homeschool your child (or in this case, your Aspie).. :banghead: Are they really still THAT clueless about what we do? And THAT clueless about how extremely toxic the public school setting is for these kids? And what it does to their self esteem, which further complicates their social issues in the long run? Man, I'm glad I don't listen to the "experts"!! **************** Hi there, Welcome to today’s Aspergers Education Tip, and if you are in the USA then a Happy Thanks Giving to you… This tip covers advice on picking the right school for a child with Aspergers. It’s an extract from a recent interview that I carried out with Dr. Richard Horowitz who holds a Doctorate in Education from Rutgers University and for over 40 years has worked with families and children in a variety of educational, home and institutional settings. He is also the author of Peaceful Parenting: Parent Empowerment & Child Empowerment and Family Centered Parenting – Your Guide For Growing Great Families. Here’s what he had to say on schooling: Picking a school DA: As a parent, if you're faced with that situation [of school exclusion], is it best to fight the school exclusion for your child or is it better to kind of accept and look for a maybe a more appropriate placement? RH: I think the parent tends to not be philosophical or ideological about it because they only have one child, and they don't want their child to be a guinea pig. So they really have to have a good assessment of what the school, the mainstream facility is offering. Are they truly going to protect their child? Are the teachers they're going to be with are they trained and understand a child with Asperger's and will they be confident? Or if they have the feeling that the setting is just not appropriate and their child will not thrive in it, then accept an exclusive setting. But not do it on a philosophical level, do it on a very pragmatic, what they think would work and the local conditions are. DA: Okay, okay so basically no generalizations. It's going to be a case by case, individual thing for the parent. RH: Right. And how well their regular setting is equipped and will deal with it rather than just pushing the issue. "Well, you have to educate my child with everyone else because that's law and the way it should be." Well that might be true but you only have one child with one school experience and if thats school is not up to it, then you don't want to put your child through it for the sake of making your point… Schooling options DA: Okay. And could you give me some pointers for parents who are confused as to what may be the best type of education for their child? Between mainstream schools, special needs schools, or some even think around home schooling. RH: Again... Well, I'm not a fan of home schooling, simply because of the skill set. We're not as worried about the academic process. Most of the kids with Asperger's have normal or above normal intelligence. So we know that academically they could always catch up. But we know in our world, and it's become even more crucial, that having social intelligence or an emotional... What we call an EQ, a social intelligence, is equally important to success. So if you keep the child home and just do academics at home, they'll do fine academically, but they'll be prepared for absolutely nothing in the real world. And if our goal is to have our children be self-sufficient and be able to navigate the real world, we have to put them in environments where they could begin to develop and learn those social skills that are getting in the way. So I'm very much opposed to home schooling, that even though at times I understand, parents are so frustrated in trying to protect their kids, that that might be the instinct. But in the long run they're going to hurt them. DA: Okay. And what about the sort of mainstream school, special needs school debate? RH: Once you train a person, it's not so much training, it's compassionate educators who look... They want to make sure that the people who are going to be around their child are the ones who understand their needs and can respond appropriately….

Wow, that is unbelievable.. What a jerk!! Someone above him needs to know what a jerk he is. I hate people like that.. :ack2:

Confirmed genetic by a doctor? How do they do that? (geniunely curious). I used to think a lot of things in my family was just genetics (OCD, ADHD, prone to pain, headaches, being thin, etc.) until we all found out we had a gluten issue in our family. So it's actually the gluten intolerance that was genetic.. Not the conditions that it caused (in our case).

I would seriously consider a gluten free trial if you haven't already.. I used to have bad headaches all the time.. I was miserable.. I don't have them now since going gluten free.. My neck and shoulder muscles stopped being so inflamed. My 10yr old had headaches more often than I did.. She had to see a neurologist for her headaches and one time she ended up in the ER having an MRI because she woke up with a severe headache and vomited. The very week that we went gluten free, her headaches stopped. I had never been so relieved in my life! One time she actually told me, "Mamma, remember that day that I didn't have a headache?" I said, "Do you mean the day you did have a headache?" and she said, "No, the day I didn't have a headache". I couldn't believe my ears! Her headaches were so bad and so persistent that she actually remembered a day when she didn't have one.. Ugh. Makes me sick to think how much she suffered. She almost never has headaches now, thank God.

We don't have any food allergies either.. Not the immediate onset, anaphylactic type. Well, except for my oldest daughter.. she breaks out in hives if she eats blueberries..But that's it! Immediate onset allergies call on IgE antibodies. These are food sensitivities and intolerances we are dealing with. IgG antibodies. They are what you call cyclic or delayed onset allergies. This means it can take 2 days or more to see a reaction. And the reaction can be anything from behavioral to eczema to inflammation (muscles, etc.) to headaches, etc. It's a good idea to keep a food diary. We also have the Celiac disease, which is autoimmune. I think all the antibodies are called out when I eat gluten because all sorts of crazy happens to me after eating it.. :lol: Including a burning, itchy rash on my right hand within 1 hour. Two days later I start with headaches, muscle pain, joint pain, fatigue, anxiety, etc. I end up in bed for days because of my headaches and muscle pain (mostly my shoulders, neck, and back). I can't stand it. I don't get GI issues except for constipation/irregularity.. But one of my daughters gets bad diarrhea from gluten. Everyone reacts differently. Keep in mind that you can be sensitive to gluten without having Celiac disease.

:iagree: We aren't paying extra for the integrating of the moro reflex.. It's just extra exercises we have to do at home. So what would the motive be for a doctor to fabricate or diagnose this unnecessarily? It is an accepted medical fact that if primitive reflexes are retained, there will be neurological dysfunction. Additionally, not all kids who need vision therapy have retained reflexes.. So I hope your dubiety over such an insignificant issue isn't preventing you from getting your child the help he may need. My niece was just evaluated by our VT and she found only a convergence issue.. No retained reflexes. And I'm not really understanding your concern about a COVD optometrist giving therapy for a neurological disorder.. OT's do it every day and they aren't neurologists... The reason VT's integrate reflexes is because vision therapy isn't successful until they get that reflex out first (for those kids who have them).

My daughter has a retained moro reflex that we are currently trying to integrate with the VT. She has to do the duck and pigeon walk daily. She started out holding a stick down in front of her with two hands. Then she went to two sticks (one on each side).. Now she does the walks without any sticks at all (hands down at her sides). She is not supposed to bend anything (back, legs, arms). I can't wait until she is done with all of this because that reflex drives me nuts!!!! She can't be still for 2 seconds.. Can't keep her arms down when she walks, extremely clumsy.. she's the "tornado" child of the house. I'm hoping it helps her anxiety too once she is rid of this reflex. My dd had bad car sickness when she was younger.. She would puke anytime we drove more than 30 minutes.. That is one of the signs of a retained moro reflex.

Ooooohhh.. GAPS.. Now that is the way to go.. I'm jealous! I would totally do GAPS if I thought my kids could handle a bone broth.. I think my 14yr old and my 8yr old would implode if I put any sort of broth before them. :D

http://www.tacanow.org/tag/gfcf/ is the place to start! :) Whole grain is fine as long as it's not wheat, barley, or rye! Rice, amaranth, quinoa, millet.. Those are all acceptable grains. Most oats are contaminated with gluten at the farm. So if you are going to do oats, look for gluten-free oats. I use Bob's Red Mill brand for oats.

HA! Well, he's right.. You can't believe everything on the internet.. Once your kiddos improve, he will come around. When we need chips, we eat Lays plain potato chips. They say gluten-free on the back. It's just potatoes fried in palm oil and salt. We also like the organic corn chips at Target. They are nicely priced, organic, AND they have a ziplock top!! I love them! They don't say gluten free on the bag, but I eat them and do not have any reactions.. And I always know if I eat gluten because my hands will break out in a rash within an hour of eating it. Chex cereals are now gluten free (most of them). You would be surprised how much stuff is gluten free these days. Not necessarily. We barely eat any red meat here. I usually make tacos and such with ground turkey and I add some blackstrap molasses to the meat to get some iron in.

I can't stand stevia either!:D The coconut sugar is fantastic though. I highly recommend it.

Not all my kids take all of these.. Generally it's just my oldest daughter and my 3rd daughter who have to take the most supplements. They are the ones who have the OCD, attention issues, impulse control issues, motor tics, and gut issues the most. 5HTP (precursor for neurotransmitter serotonin production) Tyrosine (precursor for neurotransmitter dopamine production) Probiotic (for gut health/candida elimination) Cod Liver Oil Digestive enzymes P-5-P (b6) (this is just as effective as Ritalin in some kids.. Also a co-factor for 5HTP & Tyrosine).. Given in the evening. Needs magnesium & zinc to be effective. Some P-5-P's come with magnesium in it.. We use this Kirkman product.. http://kirkmanlabs.com/ProductKirkman/211/1/Product%20Details/ B12 (brain vitamin. Given at noon because it can contribute to sleep issues) Multi-vitamin Grapefruit Seed Extract (to help with candida elimination) Vitamin D3 (especially important during the winter months!) Biotin (co-factor for 5HTP & Tyrosine.. Also good for treating candida) Calcium/Magnesium (because we are dairy free. Given at bedtime because the magnesium has a relaxing effect). Melatonin for the ones who have trouble with sleep. We also eat very low sugar (I use coconut sugar.. works just like sugar, but doesn't feed candida. Stevia is another good sugar alternative). Low sugar is important for gut health. The gut can't heal if yeast is overfed and thriving. Yeast thrives on sugar and starches. We also do not eat any dyes, preservatives, etc. except for occasional treats (birthdays, holidays). We also eat mostly organic when we can, but it took us a while to get to that point. Organic meats and dairy are especially very important!! I like to share this link about why kids have so many food allergies these days.. And for more about gut health and autism, watch Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride here.. . She is a neurologist and a nutritionist with a son who used to have autism, but he is now recovered. She is the creator of the GAPS diet. GAPS stands for Gut & Psychology Syndrome. This diet is different from the GFCF diet and I think probably better. But we haven't done it. It's important to note that a lot of neurotransmitter (seratonin and dopamine) production happens in the gut.. when gut health is compromised, the brain is compromised. This is where the 5-HTP and Tyrosine comes in. These are temporary measures until the gut is functioning again properly. The diet helps to heal the gut, but you must also treat for yeast/candida to restore gut health completely.

This will depend on the kid. If you are dealing with Celiac disease or other gluten intolerance, then gluten free for life is your only option. If you just have gut dysbiosis (leaky gut) that you are trying to heal by going gluten free, then you may be able to tolerate gluten again someday with enzymes. We like TriEnza.. It has DPP-IV.. http://www.houston-enzymes.com/store/product.php?c=1&p=4 . We only take it when we eat out (just in case of cross contamination of gluten) or if I let them have a little dairy, like at birthday parties, etc. But we never intentionally eat gluten. Many people do okay with just taking enzymes each day instead of going on the GFCF diet.. My kids were quite severe though (including Celiac) so I wasn't okay with that for us. We had to do the diet. However, one of my daughters (and my son) can now tolerate dairy.. But we still don't keep milk in the house. My oldest daughter and my 3rd daughter still cannot have dairy even after two years on diet. Anyway, some families will do the diet for a year or so and then just go to enzymes.. It depends on the kid, how severe the situation is, and how old the child is (a younger child will improve faster). Another good Enzyme would be Enzymetica Digest Gold.

I just told my kids that all kids have to do these sort of tests from time to time.. Which is true.. All kids take tests! Just not necessarily with a psych doc!