Was this diet a "cure" for my son's autism or problems with attention?  I give you an emphatic "NO" in our case.  But it did help to decrease some of his more pronounced behaviors.  He didn't tantrum or scream as he did before we implemented the diet.  I felt he was able to focus more and subsequently had an easier time learning.  He wasn't so out of it and in a fog.  It makes all the sense in the world to me.  If a child isn't feeling well then he or she is not going to be able to pay attention, learn, or connect with others as easily as when they are feeling more healthy. 

And later I found that other relatives in our family were being diagnosed with celiac disease.  What was especially ironic is that some of these relatives were the very ones to "pooh pooh" this whole gluten free diet thing. 

After this experience, I do believe in a brain-gut connection.

Is such a diet right for you or for your child?  I cannot answer that.  Some people report that this diet helps both physical and behavioral symptoms and others say it made no difference whatsoever.  I think for those children who are on the autism spectrum or have ADHD it may be worth a try to see if it helps.  It isn't always an easy diet to follow but there are so many resources out there to help and also support groups.  It could be just one more tool in your arsenal to assist in managing the symptoms of ADHD or an autism spectrum disorder.

I will leave you with a link to a list of Gluten-free Casein-free diet resources.  Just follow this link.

Now I would like to hear from you.  Have you or your child tried the GFCF diet?  Do you believe this is all a bunch of bologna?  Whatever your thoughts are we want to hear them.  Please share your stories and experiences here.