Pilot Study of Diet and Behavior in Children With Autism

PILOT STUDY: The Physiological Basis for Dietary Protein Intolerance in Children With Autism

We hypothesize that in children with autism dietary antigens can change the intestine, making it "leaky" and then affecting the brain changing their behavior.

Subjects in 2 different diets (gluten/dairy and placebo) will be monitored for changes in intestinal permeability (urine lactulose mannitol ratio) and behavior (psychometric testing).

Inclusion Criteria:

• Children between the ages of 3 and 12 years,
• DSM-IV (APA, 2000) diagnosis of Autistic Disorder (DSM-IV 299.90),
• willingness to follow and maintain a gluten-free-dairy-free-diet for 4 weeks.

Exclusion Criteria:

• food allergies,
• celiac disease,
• inflammatory bowel disease,
• infectious gastrointestinal,
• seizure disorder,
• neurological problems with behavioral changes,
• unwillingness to undertake the dietary challenge with milk and gluten or to maintain a gluten-free-dairy-free-diet during the study were excluded