Message from a child to parents about being patient with their kids trying new foods. 

 I thought that I would post this link below, as I myself have tried diet for my child with autism.  It is good for some kids and not for others.  It is a trial and error type of diet.  Really having a lot of key things in place is important when doing something like this.  It is imperative that you use supplements as well.  Plus a load of of information for this diet is needed.  There are not a lot of supermarkets where you can do a one stop shop for this diet.  However, I have found one in my area that does and it is great!  The key really to doing the diet is not giving up!  Don't give in to the tantrums that follow either!  I know, I have been there, it is like a child coming off of drugs when attempting this diet, but you CAN and will survive and your child will thank you in the long run!  The last link in this blog is the very first diet site I used.  It has a lot of informative stuff on it and print outs.

Cheers,

Renee 

http://www.autismweb.com/diet.htm

http://www.gf-cf.com/

http://www.gfcfdiet.com/

I knew the invitation said snacks, but they usually serve grapes and vegetables.  To the delight of all there were cupcakes, danishes, apples with caramel dip, and sandwhich rolls.  That is a delight to everyone but me.  I froze and before I could move Chase was yelling "MUPPINS!!!".  To keep peace and not to drag my son screaming from the gym (which we all know amplifies children's sounds) and then to the car because we would have had to leave.  Forgive me, but I let him indulge.  I wanted to see my daughters in their program.  Well, as you quessed it I had to leave anyway.  Not even 15 minutes into the program Chase was pushing himself across the floor on the slick gym surface and foaming at the mouth.  Happy as could be, but quite the distraction.  Gotta love it.

A Marietta College student and Warren High School graduate is attempting to cover new ground in autism research, exploring an area of the disorder mostly ignored until now.

Heather Haught, 20, of Tunnel, a junior at the college, is entering the second phase of a research project aimed to form a better picture of what foods those with autism spectrum disorders prefer and how a diet can be made to cater to their needs and address eating problems associated with autism.

Often, children with autism are underweight, while many adults with autism are overweight or obese.

"I want to try to determine how we can get these people into a healthy weight range and have it be based in science," Haught said.

Haught had little background on autism when she learned a bit about it in a developmental psychology course at the college. She took that interest to assistant psychology professor Alicia Doerflinger, who had a background in the research of development of feeding behaviors, and the study was born.

The two found they would be virtual pioneers in their experiment, titled "The Effect of Food Preferences, Food Intake and Taster Status on Body Weight in Children with Autism."

"When we started to look at the literature, there was obviously not a lot of work done in that area," said Doerflinger. "Even though it's pretty well known that parents of children with autism have feeding issues on a daily basis, there didn't seem to be investigation into that in any depth. It was a little niche we could move into."

The lack of previous studies may be due to the difficulty of working with young children who are autistic or simply because with all the functionality issues related to the disorder, it may not have been a high priority, she said.  read more »

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) - Research on a new device - a version of which is now available to consumers -  that measures young children's language-learning environment and holds promise for use in the screening, assessment and treatment of  young children with autism, will be the topic of the first 2009-2010 UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute Distinguished Lecturer address on Wednesday, Oct. 14.

The address will be presented by Steven Warren, a senior scientist, professor of applied behavioral science and vice provost for research and graduate studies at the University of Kansas, at 4:30 p.m. in the UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute auditorium, 2850 50th St., Sacramento.

Warren is internationally recognized for his contributions to understanding language development in children and his leadership in the field of developmental disabilities. He has conducted extensive research on early communication and language-intervention approaches and has published more than 120 papers, chapters, and books on these and related topics.

Warren’s major research interests are early communication and language development and intervention and the prevention of mental retardation. His Distinguished Lecturer address focuses on his research using a new device that is an extension of the LENA (Language ENvironment Analysis) system, which Warren calls a “breakthrough technology.”  read more »

(NaturalNews) According to a U.S. government survey just published, rates of autism in children have doubled since 2003. Today, an estimated 1 in 91 children are being diagnosed with autism, making this the highest rate in any population in the history of human civilization. Meanwhile, the vaccination push in America continues, specifically targeting children with not just seasonal flu vaccines (which may contain thimerosal), but also the H1N1 swine flu vaccine.

It all begs the question: Is there a link between vaccines and autism?

In defending vaccines, many doctors have blamed autism on a genetic cause. But if it's genetic, why are rates skyrocketing so quickly? The gene pool obviously isn't changing that dramatically. There's no such thing as a "genetic epidemic." If genes caused autism, the rate of autism diagnosis should be holding steady year after year. Clearly, something else is at work, causing the sharp increase in autism.  read more »

So, we have been contacted by Baylor University and our date is set for August 26th  I am eager and surprisingly optimistic at the thought of my autistic son being able to sit down and eat a regular meal.  We took him for an evaluation on July 31 and they thought that his eating habits were so severe he needed inpatient intensive help.  I'll go into more later on his current eating habits, just trying to get started with this blog. 

We will start school Monday and go for a week and then travel to Texas, pending the insurance covers everything.  Prayers to God. 

I am new to this site and found it through Facebook.   My son is 8 years old and has terrible eating habits....  Most of the time it seems to be ok but sometimes he just throws up out of the blue.  Not because he ate too much just "because"....  is this typical of other children??  It is the most horrible thing ever... especially since he can't tell me before it happens. 

Invitation to Families – Autism Risk Assessment Survey

Dear Parents,

My name is Parth Desai, a Florida resident at St. Pete High.  Many states are grossly underrepresented in the studies and birth registries that track childhood outcomes of prenatal exposure to medication and folate.  For example, regions such as the  Midwest, Southeast, and Southwest have low representation in the National Children's Study; the National Pregnancy Registry for Atypical Antipsychotics; The North American Antiepileptic Drug Pregnancy Registry, and no representation in the CHARGE Study of environmental exposures; the prospective NEAD Study (Neurodevelopmental Effects of Antiepileptic Drugs); or the national EARLI  Study (Early Autism Risk Longitudinal Investigation).

This summer,  I am working on this issue as an intern for the national FEND-Folate Study sponsored by Georgetown University Medical Center (IRB # 2009-162).  “FEND” stands for Fetal Exposure to Neuroactive Drugs.   Please help us expand awareness and accelerate understanding of fetal exposure to neuroactive medications and folate by participating in this 5-minute, anonymous and encrypted survey.  The FEND Study would like you to be our collaborator and help us disseminate this online, national risk assessment survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=qY4du_2bdtYao2HumBxcYjRA_3d_3d.

Would you please read the following information and forward the survey to parents within your organization? Thank you for your cooperation! Please call the principal investigator Dr. McVearry (202-687-4966 or fendstudy@georgetown.edu) if you have any questions.

Knowledge Gap:  Human Studies of Prenatal Exposure to Neuroactive Medications and Folate  read more »