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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]OP,
 
I could have written your post.  My 4yo has ASD with language delays/deficits and chronic constipation, and I, too, don't expect to "cure" him with a dairy-free, gluten-free diet but have gone down that path to see if it will make a difference as I think that there are many factors at play in helping him live the best life he can with autism.  We have been doing a pretty strict gluten-free and dairy-free diet over the summer, and for whatever it's worth, it has made a significant difference in his language (speaks more and more clearly), overall behavior (less fussiness, hyperactivity) and much less constipated.  It sadly has had no effect on certain things like repetitive behaviors, social awkwardness, etc.  He accidentally had gluten at a camp event in the morning which I found out about later, and his OT noticed he was much more hyper and not as attentive. I know it's all anecdotal, but really there's been no bad effects from avoiding gluten and dairy so we are sticking with it.  By the way, I do the diet with him and feel great - my skin is glowing - seriously!

I started going dairy-free first and then added the gluten-free component.  We use UDI's brand bread - it's OK.  My son has gotten used to it.  We do Follow Your Heart cheese - it's the best nondairy cheese I've tried.  We do coconut or almond milk and ice cream from So Delicious company.    We do almond flour tortillas - sold by Siete Foods - which also makes no grain chips that are yummy too.  Eating at home is easy - honestly there are so many products available for all the usual foods, plus it forces me to cook super healthy like lots of fish and chicken and veggies which my son has gotten a lot better about eating since being on the diet.  Eating out is a bit tricky, but we just order him things like plain fish and steamed veggies -if he's hungry enough, he surprisingly just eats it!  There are plenty of restaurants that have gluten-free or gluten-sensitive menus and then we just order off those and ask them to make sure there's no dairy ace well. As for bday parties - I just feed him well before the party, he stays for the activity and watches the bday cake part and then I give him his own treat on the way out if there's a pizza lunch, etc.

It 's not easy, but it's really not that hard either thanks to all the products out there and stores like WF that carry those products.  Giant has a great GF section too.  Also, my son just started understanding and accepting that he can't eat gluten and dairy.  He has cried that he wants a cupcake when seeing everyone else eat one, but I quickly remove him from the situation and explain very simply that he can't eat gluten or dairy because it hurts his tummy: "those cupcakes have gluten and dairy; they hurt your tummy.  We'll get another treat later".  He gets it now.  Recently, he saw something at the grocery store he wanted and asked me if it had dairy or gluten.

Good luck to you!
[/quote]

Thanks - this is super helpful!  How strict are you in terms of things like breadcrumbs in meatballs?  My son is a very picky eater with protein (despite literal years of trying to expand his palate) and that's one of the only meat products he will eat.  Truly only 1 brand of them.

As for a dairy free milk, we use Ripple.  It's pea protein based and has an excellent nutritional profile, although actually can be a little constipating for some reason.  But no allergens and it's pretty tasty.[/quote]

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