Autism / Autism Spectrum Support Group
Autism is classified as a neurodevelopmental disorder which manifests itself in markedly abnormal social interaction, communication ability, patterns of interests, and patterns of behavior. Although the specific etiology of autism is unknown, many researchers suspect that autism results from genetically mediated vulnerabilities to environmental triggers.
My son is on a gluten-free, casein-free diet, and this has made improvements in both his digestion and speech/eye contact. The milk substitute I use is Rice Dreams rice milk (which is now gluten-free). Another option for this diet is soy milk, but I've heard that soy milk can be "bad" for a gfcf diet. I've heard that the protein in soy milk is very close in molecular structure to casein protein, sometimes almost mimicking it. I've also heard that long-term use of soy milk in young children may lead to mild erosion of the esophagus and upper g.i. tract. I can't remember where I read this research, so if anybody does know where this information is printed or information to the opposite, I would greatly appreciate it.
The only thing I ever heard about soy is that for infant boys using a complete soy or mostly soy formula diet, was not good for the hormone, in that the soy gives or makes estrogen that would adverly affect a boy's development. It was so long ago I barly remember, except it made me know to not use soy formula