Celiac and learning disabilities??

[asmall]

Hi,

We just found out my daughter has celiac disease and I was wondering if anyone knows if this can cause learning disabilities.

AL

[Lyrical]

I do not have any known celiac disease in my family, although we did try a GF diet for my ASD child. I have read that when a person with celiac has gluten, that this can cause an ADD-like brain fog. I've also read that since celiac can cause neurological symptoms, it is theorized that this could cause LDs. I am quite sure, however, that if you ask the mainstream medical community they will say there's no link. It is a very interesting question though.

[Misty]

My kids have both celiac and LD's, Asperger's, etc. It is my opinion that it definitely contributes to these issues.

[Mom0012]

Hi,

We just found out my daughter has celiac disease and I was wondering if anyone knows if this can cause learning disabilities.

AL

 

My son never got the official celiac diagnosis with a biopsy, but he had high antibodies to gluten (even though he'd been gluten free for 8 weeks by the time bloodwork was done) and he responded dramatically to a gluten free diet. I believe he was suffering from malabsorption from the time he was a little over one until he was 3 when he went on the gluten free diet. He made such huge developmental leaps almost immediately once he went gluten free that I definitely believe his language issues can be attributed to malnourishment during the most important developmental years of his life.

 

He's actually doing great now, but there are some language issues I think he will always struggle with.

 

Lisa

 

ETA: If you google expressive/receptive language disorder (which is my son's official diagnosis), the cause is unknown but thought to be caused by malnutrition.

Edited August 19, 2011 by LisaTheresa

[peacefully]

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[onaclairadeluna]

I am on SCD, my son is gluten free and has expressive language issues. I have never connected any of these or thought that they might have any connection. So I am intrigued.

 

When my son eats gluten he gets cranky. He decided to go gluten free himself. I convinced him to try GF for two weeks and he noticed a difference.

[amazzie]

yllek-

The SCD really helped my dd who was very late to walk and talk. She was also tiny and skinny and just not growing or developing on track. (GAPS is the SCD plus more, which I read about but found too hard to do...we do add things from GAPS like broths when we feel like it.)

I'd say try it! I am so happy to have my dd. Before SCD she was a shadow of herself...not talking, not laughing, etc. We've been doing SCD as a family for over a year, and are no longer totally strict, but it is our staple diet. It's really helped the whole family. And, it's not that hard once you've done it for a few months. For us, once we figured out how to make the yogurt, things were pretty easy.

[Mom0012]

LisaTheresa, my son carries a diagnosis of an expressive language processing disorder. (He also has a serious food allergy to walnuts, which may or may not be relevant to this discussion at all). I'm not finding anything on Google about the connection between language disorders and nutrition. Would you be willing to post specific links?

 

I ask, because I've long harbored the idea that there is a relationship between some of ds's learning issues, nutrition/malabsorption, and allergies. I've been saying for months that I think that we should try an SCD or GAPS diet (some info here: http://gapsdiet.com/uploads/Probiotics.pdf), but I haven't worked up the energy to overhaul our diet just yet. My dh, in particular, wants to see more proof, or at least more than one opinion, before he is willing to make major dietary changes.

 

Here's a quote from the article that may be relevant to the current discussion:

 

 

The person who developed the GAPS diet is a neurologist whose son is autistic, but currently, she claims, symptom-free.

http://www.autism.com/fam_sample_campbellmcbride.asp

 

I did some quick searches and didn't come up with anything for you right away, but I will look some more. It has been years since I researched this. When I did, I am positive that there were numerous reliable sources that stated that while the cause was unknown, it was thought to be linked with malnourishment during the developmental years.

 

I remember very clearly that the main therapies that were recommended were speech/language therapy and social skills classes because we followed through and did both. I remember reading that many children with this diagnosis can wind up with major behavioral issues because they feel left out socially and overall frustrated. Social skills classes did wonders for my son when he was about 7. He needed to be explicitly taught conversation skills.

 

My son also benefitted tremendously from Lindamood-Bell's Visualizing and Verbalizing program. He really has no problems at all with receptive language at this point. His comprehension is actually very high. He still struggles with expressive language, though. I wish I could afford to take him back to LMB because they say they can help him with that as well.

 

My son did SCD for a year or more when he was 4. It was a very difficult diet and I honestly can't say whether he benefitted from it or not. I will say that if you do try it, your child may need a magnesium supplement. My son was soaking himself multiple times day and night after being fully potty trained when I finally realized that he was not getting the magnesium he needed on that diet. Supplementing quickly resolved the problem.

 

I haven't heard of the GAPS diet. I'll have to take a look at it.

 

Lisa

[Mom0012]

http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/expressive-language-disorder-developmental/overview.html

Causes

Approximately 3 - 10% of all school-age children have expressive language disorder. It is a pretty common issue in children.

 

The causes of this disorder are not well understood. Damage to the cerebrum of the brain and malnutrition may cause some cases. Genetic factors may also be involved.

 

http://www.naset.org/speechandlanguage2.0.html

Expressive Language Disorder

Expressive language disorder – developmental - Approximately 3 to 10% of all school-age children have expressive language disorder. The causes of this disorder may vary, or may be unknown. Cerebral damage and malnutrition may cause some cases -- perhaps in combination with genetic factors.

 

If you google "expressive language disorder" AND "malnutrition", I think you will have more luck finding the information you are looking for.

 

This may not be an issue for any of you, but I also wanted to share that I think my son really improved after being treated for environmental allergies as well. He had non-typical symptoms that I did not believe were environmental allergies (dizzyness and fatigue), but he tested allergic to everything and feels so much better on his allergy meds (Nasonex and/or Astepro depending on the season) that he has really improved academically and become much more consistent in his school performance. Just one more thing to think about.

 

Lisa

[Goldberryhill]

My oldest dd has celiac and it damaged her nervous system. I guess the immune system can attack other parts of the body, not just the intestines. She has tremors, and has issues with spacial intelligence. She also showed many aspergers/autistic symptoms as a youngster which went away completely, soon after going gluten and dairy free. However we did not just go GFCF. Like those who use the SCD and GAPS diets, we went on the offensive, trying to rebuild a good gut lining with healing broths, probiotics, omega 3 fish oil, coconut oil, veggies, etc., etc... and the Maker's Diet (GFCF altered). Her abillity to sleep at night came after her gut became healthy again. She basically became a different person. She's been GFCF for a decade and will graduate valedictorian this coming year. Her sister did not show the same sort of symptoms, but had the most tremendous fits (the eyes rolling back kind), so I focused on her gut as well. She's never been diagnosed as celiac, but lives like she is because, wow, her personality changed so dramatically. Whew! My youngest never had the chance. She's the one who has the most severe LD's (perhaps dyslexia, but we are going in for our VT consultation after testing this week), and she's been gluten free since birth, go figure! However, she has not shown any of the sensory issues the two oldest showed. Being gluten free was difficult to begin with, but it's second nature now. Our food is so much more yummy and healthy, we'd never want it different.

[asmall]

Thanks for all the replies everyone. My two daughters both have learning issues, and we just found out that they both have Celiacs. All these years we had been treating my oldest for ADD, and I am hoping that we will see a difference with a change in her diet. It seems to me that a lot of people that eat gluten free also go dairy free. Is that common? I was thinking of cutting out milk, but my youngest just loves milk. I think she would drink a gallon a day if I let her.:lol:

AL

[Goldberryhill]

One thing I've learned with three kids with celiac is that it can affect kids in different ways. My oldest dd cannot do dairy; my middle became truly allergic to corn (which is the worst food of them all to try to avoid). My youngest has a lot of ADHD like symptoms, and they are extremely magnified when she eats food with artificial coloring. We have managed to make the best of all these food issues with practice and research. The most helpful thing of all, however, has been focusing on repairing their gut ecology. Many food sensitivities the girls had in the past (probably because of damage from celiac) have just gone away as we've poured in the probiotics, kefir, yogurt (oldest can't do those, so we've had her do kombucha and bought probiotics from various companies), limited sugary foods, etc. We changed to become healthier and healthier over time so it wasn't a shock. The website from the Weston Price Foundation has been helpful. Also, the internet is my cookbook/resource; any kind of substitute I'm looking for is out there. My kids feel so much better and cooperate graciously, but it's been an educational adventure for us all. They have even learned to cook, esp. since if they want to have goodies they have to make them. Cutting dairy has been a lifesaver for my oldest. She almost has similiar reactions to it as when she accidently gets gluten (lack of sleep, eczema, etc.). I also cut it for my other two when they were young for about two years. I reintroduced it to them, but only raw goat milk and organic cheeses, yogurt, and ice-cream. The oldest can't even do that, but the other two do great with those! I have heard that many who can't do regular milk do fine with raw milk because it has natural probiotics that help its digestion. My allergist said if I suspect a food for food sensitivity (this wouldn't be safe for a true allergy to something dangerous like peanut butter), then have the child avoid it (and all derivitives) for two weeks, then pig out on it for a day and note the results. That is how I knew to cut gluten and dairy for my two younger children without ever taking them in. No fits, calm house for two weeks, then worst fit of the century after eating dairy again. (We did that for the artificial colors, too.) Hope this helps!

[peacefully]

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[Guest Momma Ruthies]

I'm new here and was doing a search and this thread came up.

 

Our 7 year old has both expressive and receptive delays caused by celiac disease. We have seen Dr. Camarata at Vanderbilt (one of the leading docs in the country for late talkers) twice with our son, and he said that our son's delays are from celiac. We figure that our son started to be affected around 16 months, and we didn't know until he was 3 1/2. He had such severe anemia we had to supplement for 18 months. When he accidentally gets gluten, he will have BM issues, then his speech will regress for about eight weeks. The last time he got it, he stopped feeding himself (fine motor).

 

He has made terrific gains in his expressive and receptive language the last year and a half, as well as so many other areas! At about 3, we took him to the allergist for bad environmental allergies. He tested positive for everything, all foods tested and everything environmental. This was a clue that something was wrong. Eventually, we found out he had celiac (and I was feeding him wheat bread---he loved any kind of bread!). At almost 5, we ended up having to have his adenoids out because of sleep apnea. Once he was healthy, his speech/learning kicked it!!

 

I have met online a number of other parents of children who have speech delays caused by celiac. Our son didn't show any of the typical symptoms. Another gal I met has a son who had so many dental problems they had to put him under to do work---did a blood draw to check everything, and his numbers showed celiac. He later reacted to gluten that was coming from flour that was in the school carpet.

 

I know without a doubt that gluten is a poison to our son and definitely affects his thinking and speaking ability. He was in a fog for years (the gal above described the time when he son went gluten free as the time the "veil was lifted").

 

I would encourage anyone to consider the diet---it can't hurt and trying the diet is the best test (just make sure you are careful---a little bit can have an affect).

 

We are so thankful we found out when we did and that our son didn't have any other autoimmune issues. He still has ground to make up, but we're thrilled with the progress he made.