Jenny McCarthy & Son(Evan Asher)

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I realize it isn't an autism cure, but it has been shown to help several children who are autistic. I can see the logic behind it, that a child who feels like crap and is autistic is more likely to retreat than one who is medically healthy, making the appearance of the autism far more severe. It makes perfect sense to me, and since many kids on the spectrum do turn out to have some sort of digestive issue, I don't see any harm in trying a special diet. Something like a third of those who try it see improvement, if I've got the stat's right. Not great odds, but not bad, and truly a "no harm done" alternative.

We're actually going to start reducing glutton (or maybe just wheat) in my son's diet. In an effort to reduce his exposure to overly processed foods and chemicals, he started eating more wheat and oatmeal. And guess what? He has developed the worst case of gas. He feels that the recent changes took things down a notch, and is willing to try something else.
So, I'm thinking, time to see what happens when we take the wheat (and maybe oatmeal) out. He is, fortunately, old enough to participate in these decisions. I like that, because I don't feel like I'm imposing bad science on him; he knows the science is kind of iffy, but that some kids seem to feel better with such changes, and he figures it can't possibly take his great imagination away, just maybe make him feel better.

Celiac disease can be medically tested for, and the plural of anecdote is not data. Autism is a developmental delay, not developmental stasis, and it's quite possible that many of the kids who were "helped" by the diet would have made progress anyway. That's why we need some actual double-blind tests for this, and as far as I know none currently exist. I personally find the GF/CF diet rather faddish, and it's pseudo-scientific to believe that it should be the first course of action when digestive problems arise. My NT sister has rather severe gastrointestinal issues, and being on the diet for an extended period of time didn't do a thing. It did cost my family time, money, and convenience, though, in addition to making her even more stressed out and unhappy. And for her, the diet was actually suggested by a mainstream physician, though her test results were quite borderline. If anyone seriously suspects that they or their kid has celiac disease, they should absolutely seek medical attention and the proper bloodwork rather than rely on guesswork. After all, the problem could well be something else entirely. Jenny may think that she should get a PhD from Google University, but more reasonable people disagree. A lot of different conditions can have similar symptoms, and differential diagnosis should not be left to laymen.

I feel like the discussion of autism and gastro problems often obscure the issues. First, those kinds of problems are quite common in the general population. Second, stress is a known contributor to stomach problems, and autistic people certainly experience more stress. Third, autistic people may not be as good as communicating distress in a way which is understood, which may lead to problems becoming worse. When I was four I couldn't communicate to my parents about a serious physical problem. Fortunately it manifested externally, so they noticed fairly quickly, but I can see why more internal problems can go unnoticed among autistics.

This is the problem, DW. Someone jumps on something that helps - squeals "CURE!" and everyone jumps onto the false hope such a yelp provides.

The thing is - such efforts help only because one is treating a symptom. That's fine as a placebo to the root condition, but the root condition isn't touched. That's what idiots like McCarthy don't understand.

I'm new to all this but...is there anyone out there championing for those of us who don't want a 'cure'?

Me, myself, and Jenny topic

Lekiwi, that picture is Jim Carrey, her ex-hubby, in drag and makeup.

I thought she and Carey were never married, just boyfriend-girlfriend now. Her son is not Carey's son, AFAIK. Her ex-husband is not Carey.

/correct me if I'm wrong

Wrong relationship, right person topic

That picture of Jenny is really Jim Carrey in drag and makeup. I kid you not!

I think this is where the use of the word cure comes in again... when most people use the word 'cure' they don't mean an actual cure, they simply mean a lessening or total disappearance of symptoms. Which is clearly what Jenny is meaning in this case.

Well now Jenny isn't saying her son is cured. Now she's saying he's "recovered". Whatever that means.

The whole idea of "cure" or "recovery" doesn't take the whole spectrum into account, though. If a kid can't speak at age 2 and acts like a HFA at age 12, apparently they've been cured. The whole idea ignores the fact that it's not unusual for autistic kids to make significant gains, though it's most likely that some autistic traits will remain with them their entire lives. Temple Grandin's parents were told to institutionalize her because there wasn't any hope for her. Jim Sinclair, one of the first autistic advocates, couldn't speak until age 12 and is now written off by many as "too high-functioning" to speak as an autistic. My own partner was diagnosed with PDD-NOS as a kid (during a time when very few people received that kind of diagnosis). He wasn't given a bunch of "alternative" treatments, and guess what? He attended mainstream school for his entire education, and he wasn't even given an IEP or anything. He still had problems and autistic traits, but I think his parents may have considered him "cured." They never told him about it. He was diagnosed with AS at the age of 20. So I guess he wasn't completely "cured" of autism after all. Frankly, I do think that's what a lot of the "recovery testimonial" people are seeing--improvement within the spectrum.

That's a really good point. I think it's the same way people often don't consider adults with Asperger's to even HAVE Asperger's because they've usually figured out how to cover it up and cope with things, so because they might have a partner or a social life or a full-time job or a family or can make eye contact or whatever, suddenly they "don't have it anymore" or they're "cured" or whatever. It drives me mad.

She went off the deep end goes off at Autism on Larry King.

I don't have cable and didn't see the show. What did she say that was so outrageous? Just curious.

She probably doesn't realize that in most cases the most obvious symptoms of Autism tend to fade as they grow older. That is why the average autistic adult tests as almost twice as intelligent as the average autistic child (even after it's controlled for age). It's not that autistic people somehow double in intelligence as they age, it's just that autistic adults have had more time to learn how to communicate the answer in a way that can be understood by others. Communication skills have doubled, not overall intelligence.

LeKiwi, your interesting redefinition of the word "cure" has come up before. For your reference, from Webster's Unabridged:

What you mean is a palliative. Referring to something that merely lessens symptoms as a "cure" is akin to claiming that a good shot of morphine will "cure" advanced cancer, because the patient is no longer in debilitating pain.

If we could all agree on a common language, and not go redefining terms used by others, it might go a long way toward helping this discussion reach some kind of conclusion...

My 8 year old Aspie son has had various allergies. He is always sniffing, puffy around his face and black shadows under his eyes.

I recently sacked out GP because he wouldn't take his allergies seriously. I have a fabulous new GP!

Anyway, my 8 year old had skin tests and blood tests for allergies. Skin tests are more accurate than blood tests but the blood tests do help.

My 8 year old son was found the be highly reactive (but not anaphalytic) to egg, house dustmites and every type of grass they tested for. He had milder reaction to peanut, wheat and dairy.

When they took his blood they took extra vials that they stored. The GP was able to order more specific tests to sort out which food is causing him problems.

We have a referral to an allergist, but won't get to see her until September 08.

Anyway, we've altered his diet and see the GP next week to find out the results of the more specific tests she took.

My son is extremely fussy in what he eats anyway, so I didn't want to try cutting out any more food without objective evidence.

Helen