Those with dc who have food allergies and/or intolerances . . .

[rafiki]

.

[CoastalGal]

Could the immune system just be immature or not fully developed in these kids?

 

These kids are often hypersensitive to noise, textures, temperature, etc. does that hypersensitivity carry over to the way their body responds to food?

 

Is there a connection?

 

I'm not sure...but I just heard Dianne Craft speak last week on the TOS Homeschool Expo and it was like a lightbulb came on...it was like she was talking about my son.

 

I just ordered her DVD "The Biology of Behavior", which talks about the two sides of the brain and how diet can effect behavior.

 

My son has dyslexia and dysgraphia...he is also intolerant of artificial red food dyes. He has some sensory tendencies...doesn't like socks & stiff jeans, is severely sensitive to noise and change in temperature.

 

Sorry this is so disjointed...I'm just now doing this research and I'm completely overhauling the curriculum to accomodate his learning struggles. My brain is fried...

[Guest momk2000]

My dd (9yrs) has PDD and also has a peanut allergy. As a baby she was lactose intolerant. We don't generally buy foods with artificial colors/flavors, but during certain times of the year when they might creep their way into the house (halloween) I notice a significant difference in her behavior (for the worse) so we try to limit these as much as possible.

[sbgrace]

Would you please share whether or not they also have other "qwirks"?

 

My boys all have food allergies (anaphylactic) and mutliple food intolerances. They also all have hypotonia, Dyslexia, one has ADD, two have Dysgraphia, and one is also suspected with Aspergers.

 

Could the immune system just be immature or not fully developed in these kids?

 

These kids are often hypersensitive to noise, textures, temperature, etc. does that hypersensitivity carry over to the way their body responds to food?

 

Those I know IRL with food allergies/intolerances also have qwirks.

 

Is there a connection?

 

No, my anaphylactic food allergy child is typical in other ways. His twin doesn't have allergies but does have hypotonia, learning issues galore, and a PDD-NOS dx. which in his case is atypical autism spectrum--fits but doesn't fit kind of kid so quirky is a good word.

 

Our geneticist told me that he believes hypotonia is always indicative of an underlying metabolic condition if there is not a clear chromosomal type cause (which would have physical characteristics as well). He's well respected and I agree with his thoughts. That said, the medical knowledge in that field is still advancing so sometimes the conditions aren't yet identified. Sometimes it doesn't matter if a child is otherwise healthy. Mine wasn't. His condition affects mitochondrial function and in that area of metabolics the hallmark is at least three different body systems affected. In his case it was muscle (hypotonia), brain (the pdd-nos and learning junk), fatigue/energy (a hallmark of mitochondrial stuff), and GI system. He's developed (or perhaps always had and things have progressed) immune deficiency issues. But any organ or body system can be affected except I think red blood cells so the range of presentation is wide. I know in the mitochondrial area there appears to some propensity toward certain severe allergic things like EOS disease in some forms but the connection is anecdotal at this time. My son was just tested for a newly discovered specific condition that has mitochondrial, muscle, and an immune deficiency component to see if it was his specific condition (it wasn't). So I guess I'm saying if something metabolic is underlying your children's hypotonia the "whatever" might carry an allergy component as well. Of course allergies are pretty common even in the general population so it may be unrelated.

Edited October 17, 2010 by sbgrace

[CoastalGal]

I just reread my post and realized that I failed to say that my son's intolerance to artificial red food dye involves a sudden onset of vomiting. (usually within 2 hours after consumption) He will vomit every 10 - 15 minutes until his stomach is completely empty then he "sleeps it off".

[KuniMom]

My youngest daughter has multiple food intolerance, but otherwise she is pretty normal. The only odd thing about her is that she can be very intense, and can have major meltdowns, which can get violent and last hours. It is totally related to her diet, though. If she eats the right food, she is a happy girl.

[amyable]

It's a mixed bag here.

 

My oldest (soon to be 13) is severely allergic to eggs and peanuts, and also has alopecia areata, eczema, dyslexia, ADD, and some other LD 'quirks'.

 

My 7yo is also severely allergic - to eggs and dairy. Other than being very small for her age and very occasional asthma attacks, she is normal in every way and advanced in many - smart as a whip, excellent memory, great in sports for her age, etc. Hmmmm, I just realized she may be a bit ADD, definitely innatentive type, as she gets totally sidetracked all the time.

 

5yo is allergic to eggs and has some asthma but is average in other ways...smart too. She's a fireball, but it seems much more personality than a behavior "quirk" IYKWIM.

[rafiki]

.

[Murmer]

My dd is milk allergic and we believe she has SPD, I don't know if it is connected though.

[Luckymama]

Not here. Dd15 is the one with multiple food allergies (soy, bunch o' fruits) and intolerances (MSG, provolone cheese (headaches), and suspected yeast in fresh bread), exercise-induced asthma and seasonal allergies. She's quite intelligent, never tested though, very social, intuitive, danced classical ballet until this past year, loves to sing and write poetry. She has never had a problem with hypersensitivity.

[hsbaby]

No connection for us. Dd (3) has anaphylactic peanut/tree nut allergies, but is otherwise fine. Dd (13) is dx with PDD-NOS. P

[blessedmom3]

I have one with milk, wheat , eggs and beef intolerance (not allergy) . He has speech & language delay , social anxiety , stuttering ,hypersensitive to noise and some autistic behaviors, but he is not in the spectrum. He is advanced in reading & spelling , normal in math and behind in speech ( his age at 6yo is like a 4yo).

 

I have another one , 7yo, with intolerance to milk&eggs, gifted with language&math , perfect academically and socially but his weakness was in the throat ! He needed a tonsils surgery .Who knows what else he will need later in life .

 

I believe there is a connection and there are many books talking about that.

The immune response is different for each child , but the main thing is that the protein from the food is not digested properly so the immunity responds by making antibodies since it sees that protein as an enemy . Also it can create a "leaky gut" which can lead to vitamin deficiency and proteins that can go to the brain ...

 

The sad thing is that we cannot afford a complete gluten free or milk free diet ...and it's just too hard not to give the kids a pizza , a piece of cheese , yogurt , chocolate or bread ...I'm mentally and financially not ready to do that (yet) .

 

What I noticed has helped my kids is Cod Liver Oil ( Norvegian Carlson) , colostrum bovine , quality vitamins , raw milk and kefir.

 

Edited to add:

I also have two girls and we decided NOT to vaccinate them after our experience with the boys above . Not sure if there is a connection with the vaccines who supposedly might create an overactive immune response in the intestines, especialy when given 4 at a time, but it's interesting that both unvaccinated girls are 100% healthy , intolerance or allergy free with no LD's or other problems , the contrary , very smart (4yo reading at 1st grade level) and sociable.

Edited October 17, 2010 by blessedmom3

[Jyniffrec]

My lactose intolerant kids have other stuff going on - ADHD and a metabolic disorder. The latter was just tested for immune deficiencies as well.

 

Our geneticist told me that he believes hypotonia is always indicative of an underlying metabolic condition if there is not a clear chromosomal type cause (which would have physical characteristics as well). He's well respected and I agree with his thoughts. That said, the medical knowledge in that field is still advancing so sometimes the conditions aren't yet identified. Sometimes it doesn't matter if a child is otherwise healthy. Mine wasn't. His condition affects mitochondrial function and in that area of metabolics the hallmark is at least three different body systems affected. In his case it was muscle (hypotonia), brain (the pdd-nos and learning junk), fatigue/energy (a hallmark of mitochondrial stuff), and GI system. He's developed (or perhaps always had and things have progressed) immune deficiency issues. But any organ or body system can be affected except I think red blood cells so the range of presentation is wide. I know in the mitochondrial area there appears to some propensity toward certain severe allergic things like EOS disease in some forms but the connection is anecdotal at this time. My son was just tested for a newly discovered specific condition that has mitochondrial, muscle, and an immune deficiency component to see if it was his specific condition (it wasn't). So I guess I'm saying if something metabolic is underlying your children's hypotonia the "whatever" might carry an allergy component as well. Of course allergies are pretty common even in the general population so it may be unrelated.

 

I'm curious, what was the name of the metabolic condition that your son was tested for? My daughter has a metabolic disorder (MCAD), but she also has some other problems (including something like hypotonia) that don't seem to be related to MCAD.

[Quad Shot Academy]

I read a book called the Einstein Syndrome that poses the theory that very bright children have brains that give more structural room to abilities (cognitive, musical, . . . ) and less to the parts that control the immune system, eyes and speech among other things. I would guess there could be something similar with quirky children too.

[Denisemomof4]

it certainly sounds like some sensory issues are going on along with other things.

 

Have you researched a yahoo group? I once joined a group called "Adopt Biomed" and it spoke of many issues, helps for them, natural treatments, etc.

 

My youngest has a dairy intolerance and is allergic to oysters, but that's all I know of. She has no other issues, other than her RAD, but I'm sure they're not related. At least I don't think so............

 

(she's doing extremely well right now, I hate to mention RAD!)

[Amy in KS]

My son has a primary immune deficiency problem. We found out that he has no IgA antibodies when we were trying to figure out if he had celiac (when he completely stopped growing). Primarily, it makes him more susceptible to mucous based infections but it can also cause him bad diarrhea, etc.

 

Anyway, kids with IgA deficiencies are far more likely to have food allergies/intolerances and celiac disease. Two of my children and I have food allergy issues.

 

Kids with IgA deficiencies are also much more likely to be on the autism spectrum. I'm not entirely sure why this is the case. I will admit that I was very worried about this child because of his complete aversion to anything sticky/sandy/anything on his hands or feet just a year ago. Does it make you feel better to know this child is coping much better with sensory issues than he was a year ago?

 

This child has other issues as well. He has asthma, febrile seizures (usually a first sign of strep), very low growth hormone (he has fallen off the growth chart in the past), an eye condition which caused him to develop very high eye pressures (and be put on glaucoma drops). He also has had severe hearing loss which have been corrected with special tubes.

 

I believe in our family a lot of this is genetic. I was always very sick as a kid, bad food allergies, had febrile seizures, etc. My daughter does as well but not to the extreme as my son.

 

This is a very interesting article on food intolerances and IgA:

http://foodsmatter.com/allergy_intolerance/miscellaneous/articles/iga_deficiency_food_allergy.html

[Lisa in Jax]

DS-11 is intolerant of gluten, dairy and food colors. He does poorly with anything too processed, too, so we avoid corn syrup, msg and preservatives.

 

He had ADHD and sensory issues before we went gfcf, etc. When he eats food colors (especially blue), he acts like a kid with autism -- spinning, stimming, etc.

 

In our case, the quirks and the intolerances go together. When we removed the offending foods, most of the quirks disappeared, but he's still a little different. It's not as noticeable as it was before, but we still see evidence of the quirks from time to time.

 

Lisa

[Food4Thought]

DS-11 is intolerant of gluten, dairy and food colors. He does poorly with anything too processed, too, so we avoid corn syrup, msg and preservatives.

 

He had ADHD and sensory issues before we went gfcf, etc. When he eats food colors (especially blue), he acts like a kid with autism -- spinning, stimming, etc.

 

In our case, the quirks and the intolerances go together. When we removed the offending foods, most of the quirks disappeared, but he's still a little different. It's not as noticeable as it was before, but we still see evidence of the quirks from time to time.

 

Lisa

 

I could have written this. We have suspected DS of having SPD and Aspergers, but a vast majority of his symptoms have diminished since taking out gluten (all grains at this point), dairy, and sugar. He gets all sorts of wacky when he's had a food that doesn't work with him. I have wondered if his quirks are caused by his poorly functioning digestive system - however I have the same food issues and am fairly neurotypical.

[homemama]

My son is peanut/tree nut allergic and is hyper most of the time. We don't have an ADHD official diagnosis,but I suspect he has the ADHD. I feel like there is some connection with this and his allergies. He also is allergic to several things outdoors.

 

homemama

[dangermom]

My daughter has severe food allergies--all nuts, legumes, plus some others (now with banana and kiwi!). She is pretty ordinary in all other ways--very healthy, reasonably bright and no behavioral quirks.

[Misty]

Yes, there is definitely a connection.. Search YouTube for Dr. Natasha McBride's "Gut & Psychology Syndrome" videos.

 

I believe gluten intolerance actually *caused* Asperger's, ADHD, OCD, dysgraphia, dyslexia, etc. etc. in my children.

[Soror]

Son is celiac and dairy intolerant. He was soy intolerant, not sure if it is still an issue as I haven't had a desire to test him with it. He seems to be doing better w/ the dairy as well last he was checked. He displays some symptoms of dyslexia but *seems* to be normal otherwise. He did have massive behavior issues until we took out the gluten. We went totally Feingold(no dye, preservatives, salicylate low) for a while but dyes and preservatives really don't seem to trigger him. Of course as most everything he eats is homemade he generally doesn't get it anyway.

 

DD is dairy and soy intolerant and seems to be very normal. She is my drama queen but I think it is a normal personality thing. She doesn't seem to whine anymore than any other 3.5 y.o. little girl. I don't know if she tolerates gluten or not as I have never fed it to her- seems like a bad idea considering the genetics, plus we keep a gf house.

[jplain]

My younger daughter has multiple food intolerances, and she is completely typical as far as I can tell. She's a sunny, happy kid as long as she doesn't eat foods that make her feel bad.

 

My older daughter has no food issues that I'm aware of, other than a mostly outgrown reaction (crying jags) to dark chocolate. She seemed to have some really mild sensory issues when she was a toddler/preschooler, but those have disappeared. I do think she's a little quirky, but I think that's partly lack of classroom socialization and partly her introvert personality. Both her dad and I are introverts, so this isn't any big surprise.

[Lisa in Jax]

I could have written this. We have suspected DS of having SPD and Aspergers, but a vast majority of his symptoms have diminished since taking out gluten (all grains at this point), dairy, and sugar. He gets all sorts of wacky when he's had a food that doesn't work with him. I have wondered if his quirks are caused by his poorly functioning digestive system - however I have the same food issues and am fairly neurotypical.

 

Not to highjack the thread, but... ;-) Your comment that sugar is an issue makes me wonder if he's dealing with a lot of yeast issues, too. Ds does fine on sugar, but corn syrup (or anything over-processed) is problematic for him,

 

Did your ds have several rounds of antibiotics as a baby/toddler? In my son's case, he was in an orphanage where he was double vaccinated (and the second round of vaccines -- all of the ones required for early childhood -- were administered in 42 days!). He had a poor diet, he was malnourished, and he was on multiple rounds of antibiotics. IMHO, those factors, along with the stress of being an orphan, were major factors in the acquisition of food intolerances. I think his gut was just slammed by all the stressors (physical and emotional) and the intolerances surfaced.

 

Assuming that your son is a biological child, I do wonder if he had lots of ear infections as a younger child. In my experience, kids who have multiple rounds of antibiotics as babies seem more likely to develop food issues b/c the gut flora imbalance caused by multiple rounds of antibiotics is the "last straw" in a kid who has a tendency (genetically) to react to foods. Given that you are sensitive to some of the same foods, is it possible that his additional reactions (Aspie-like behaviors, etc.) came about b/c he's also dealing with an imbalance of gut flora due to antibiotics as a baby/toddler?

 

My amateur theory about all the "new" intolerances we're seeing in kids is this: In the last 20-30 years, I think that there's been a "perfect storm" -- a combination of negative factors that lead to food allergies/intolerance issues. Kids get twice as many vaccinations as we did in the 60s/70s. A typical kid eats more processed foods than we did. Corn syrup began to be added to numerous foods in the 80s, and more foods are artificially flavored, colored or preserved, as well. Wheat is now harvested in a way that increases mold (it's not allowed to dry before processing, etc.), and higher-gluten wheats are being grown, so store-bought bread isn't the same as it was 20 years ago.

 

In the last 20 years or so, we began to eat many more processed foods/drinks, full of artificial colors, aspartame, preservatives, soy, MSG, etc. We might be able to deal with one or two of those things at a time, but combined with all of the other factors, it's too much for some kids' bodies to process, and we see behavioral changes.

 

IMHO, it's not a surprise that so many kids have food issues now. We've altered the typical diet in the last 20-30 years and added a lot of "junk." At some point there's too much junk, and the balance tips from neurotypical to quirky, and kids with a genetic tendency (or stressful early life) will exhibit food sensitivities.

 

Take care,

 

Lisa

[Food4Thought]

Actually, my DS didn't have any antibiotics, and I did try to limit/spread out vaccinations on him. We had usually blamed his issues on his extremely violent birth (many hours of pushing before a c-section - he came out with a huge bruise on his head). The fact that he is almost normalized with the diet changes makes me believe that theory to be false as well.

 

My theory is that *I* had all the food issues and deficiencies when I was pregnant with him, and that imbalance of microflora was given to him at birth. He has never been a good eater, and used to projectile vomit constantly as a baby. However, it doesn't explain why my DD is perfectly neurotypical with no known food sensitivities (except that we had already altered our diet somewhat after the boy was born). I think the boy just inherited the digestive issues from me (my mom with celiac, my dad with candida issues), plus a round of extra food sensitivities (all colorings & additives) from his dad's side.

 

I do agree with you, however, that the prevalence of junk, the surplus of corn syrup, and the higher gluten content makes these issues SO much worse for those who are even remotely sensitive to them.

[CoastalGal]

Not to highjack the thread, but... ;-) Your comment that sugar is an issue makes me wonder if he's dealing with a lot of yeast issues, too.

 

Did your ds have several rounds of antibiotics as a baby/toddler?

 

Assuming that your son is a biological child, I do wonder if he had lots of ear infections as a younger child. In my experience, kids who have multiple rounds of antibiotics as babies seem more likely to develop food issues b/c the gut flora imbalance caused by multiple rounds of antibiotics is the "last straw" in a kid who has a tendency (genetically) to react to foods. Given that you are sensitive to some of the same foods, is it possible that his additional reactions (Aspie-like behaviors, etc.) came about b/c he's also dealing with an imbalance of gut flora due to antibiotics as a baby/toddler?

 

My amateur theory about all the "new" intolerances we're seeing in kids is this: In the last 20-30 years, I think that there's been a "perfect storm" -- a combination of negative factors that lead to food allergies/intolerance issues. Kids get twice as many vaccinations as we did in the 60s/70s. A typical kid eats more processed foods than we did. Corn syrup began to be added to numerous foods in the 80s, and more foods are artificially flavored, colored or preserved, as well. Wheat is now harvested in a way that increases mold (it's not allowed to dry before processing, etc.), and higher-gluten wheats are being grown, so store-bought bread isn't the same as it was 20 years ago.

 

In the last 20 years or so, we began to eat many more processed foods/drinks, full of artificial colors, aspartame, preservatives, soy, MSG, etc. We might be able to deal with one or two of those things at a time, but combined with all of the other factors, it's too much for some kids' bodies to process, and we see behavioral changes.

 

IMHO, it's not a surprise that so many kids have food issues now. We've altered the typical diet in the last 20-30 years and added a lot of "junk." At some point there's too much junk, and the balance tips from neurotypical to quirky, and kids with a genetic tendency (or stressful early life) will exhibit food sensitivities.

 

Take care,

 

Lisa

 

I'm not the person you were addressing, but I will "pipe up" and say that my son had repeated ear infections from the time he was about 4 months old until he stopped cutting teeth. (somewhere around 18 months, I think)

 

He would barely get off a round of antibiotics and he would develop another ear infection. (Sometimes he would start antibiotics and start to get better, then get worse. The doctor would "switch up" the antibiotic and he would get better.)

 

Of my 3 children, my son definitely has more digestive and food issues than the other two who did not have repeated ear infections. (and he is the only one that has been labeled a struggling learner)