Hi,
I have a 12 year old boy who is autistic and I suspect he is a B like me (his father is an O and my other son is an O) since autism is neurological and B's have a tendency to develop such disorders.
I was wondering if anyone here is a parent of an autistic child and has tried putting them on the BTD? did they show improvements? any feedback much appreciated ..thanks

HI BtypeAus yes, autism is often linked with a low secretine, an hormone, status, so the diet cold help a lot of A type autistic, search for Asperger syndrome or secreti e in Ask Dr D'Adamo or in Live Right , the book. I bet it may help very well also types B. Best wishes for great results !

I don't have anyone.. but I am certain more than anything BTD/GENO will help!!!!

if you email me I will forward your name to soemone who is on BTD .. as far as I know with her children .. she is a great advocate..

The movie : Autism Speaks should be a medicine school must see before graduating as Doctor.. BTD/geno would be the next best step!!!!  actually BTD would be better as the geno groups are not ready for interpretaion in children.. and BLOOD TYPE  does not change..

all the best..

Give it a try and let us know how it goes. Healing his intestines will have an effect on his brain.

I have a grandson with Aspergers who is also celiac. I wonder if gluten intolerance is a 'spectrum' rather like autism as some people have gluten intolerance without testing as celiac - me, included  . My grandson is much improved since gluten was removed from his diet so I do wonder if there is a connection between diet and autism?
I'd say that you have nothing to lose by trying it.

PatMac, gluten intolerance does have a wide variability (celiac does as well). Gluten free diet is very common in the autistic community from what I've seen on the net with promising results.

I don't think there is enough out there to say diet causes autism (and one cause is probably the wrong approach), but in my view, I would think it would be safe to say that the wrong diet aggravates it and gets in the way of optimum function. Could be said about so many things.

Again, I'm not a doctor. Just my observations of other people's experiences and my own.

So many people on here have said, heal the gut, heal the body. Well, it may well also be heal the gut, heal the brain.

I have a child with ADD who improved on BTD, and some people think that ADD is on the lightest end of the autism spectrum.

I know I've seen a lot of literature about gluten free/dairy free diets for autistic individuals, but I personally wonder if a B would need to cut out dairy to see results.

I found this last year and Ms. Silberberg had phenominal results.  Not quite like Eat Right but heading in the same direction.  I hope this helps!

http://www.puttingyourkidsfirst.com/

Wow, Tom.  That's really powerful!

My sister has a son who has autism with an auditory processing disorder. She doesn't know his blood type but she is a B and her husband an AB.  Using the elimination diet, they discovered he has celiac and a casein, egg yolk and dairy allergy.  He's been on his diet now for about 6 months and my sister says it's "helped" his focus in the classroom and at home.  Oh, and NO sugar in his diet!!  He is in the 2nd grade (should be in 3rd) and they are considering taking him out and...... homeschooling? Or ????  Although my sister knows about the BTD, she doesn't follow it, they eat chicken and tomatoes.  I've mentioned the elimination of those two things but she's got alot going on now.  

Looking back now, she knows her husband is somewhere on the autism spectrum.  He's done very well for himself.  With the guidance of my sister and her husband, I know my nephew will find his way in life.  It will be a struggle for him but he'll do it.

Our 12-yo DD was diagnosed with autism at age 4, 9 years before I heard about the BTD (almost to the day).  We tried several things.  It turned out that mega-doses of B6 with magnesium, per the Bernard Rimland study from the 1980s, had the most remarkable effect.  Within one week, she was more connected to us, and her meltdowns from OCD / rigid thinking melted away.

There are a few dietary approaches to dealing with austim: enzymes, GFCF, Feingold, supplementation.  It may be that Dr. D's GT4 diet, or perhaps a SWAMI version, would be helpful.

I know GFCF helps me, and that's a big part of GT4 and the BTD for Type O.

Good luck!  You might find the message boards at the O.A.S.I.S. Guide to Aspergers Syndrome to be very helpful.

GFCF=gluten free casein free

Ok, rewatching lecture by Dr. Fasano. He mentioned autism in talking about gluten sensitivity and the brain. I rewatched this snippet three times-- Celiac/gluten sensitivity may lead to the development of autism (and a host of other things that weren't previously thought to be related)-- amazing stuff they are learning.  I'm so glad I am making this project because I am learning so much. Wow.
He mentioned that this is a controversial area that the center is working on.

He's also doing studies for preventive strategies in infants and children.

Test before going gluten free to confirm diagnosis. TTG-A test. Need to emphasize because his point is that CD diagnosis is a lifelong commitment to avoid even small amounts of contaminants. He mentioned this in his lecture and his assistant was extremely passionate about this point in her interview.

Also, it just popped into my head that knowing risks for other associated issues for CD confirmed diagnosis would be beneficial.

Thank you all so much for your feedback...I am glad there are people here who are knowledgable in this area ....I have basically put my son on a gluten-free diet although he doesnt eat much gluten anyway (just a slice of bread a day) ..I know some kids with autism do really well on a GFDF diet but my sons dr did some tests on him when he was 4 or 5 and said he won't really benefit much from a GFCF diet..I feel the BTD would help a lot ..the problem is he eats chicken a lot which is the major problem for us now. Interesting articles posted here I will check each and every one of them, thanks again much appreciated

Quoted from SquarePeg

Our 12-yo DD was diagnosed with autism at age 4, 9 years before I heard about the BTD (almost to the day).  We tried several things.  It turned out that mega-doses of B6 with magnesium, per the Bernard Rimland study from the 1980s, had the most remarkable effect.  Within one week, she was more connected to us, and her meltdowns from OCD / rigid thinking melted away.

There are a few dietary approaches to dealing with austim: enzymes, GFCF, Feingold, supplementation.  It may be that Dr. D's GT4 diet, or perhaps a SWAMI version, would be helpful.

I know GFCF helps me, and that's a big part of GT4 and the BTD for Type O.

Good luck!  You might find the message boards at the O.A.S.I.S. Guide to Aspergers Syndrome to be very helpful.

GFCF=gluten free casein free

My son didnt do well on B6, it uppset his stomach so we stopped giving him it. We tried so many things back when he was younger but didn't really see much difference. One supplement we tried was called DMG and  had alcohol in it but we saw some positive results although it upset his stomach too.
I will check the OASIS message boards, thanks.

Some info on DMG, SquarePeg :

http://www.suite101.com/content/treating-autism-with-dmg-a57103

Being "on the spectrum" myself, I can say that the diet has certainly helped me. I still have a hard time, made worse by things such as too much mercury in my mouth (neurotoxin), lyme disease (nervous system again) and .... um .... kids.  But the diet has certainly helped.  You have nothing to lose.

Quoted from BTypeAUS

Thank you all so much for your feedback...I am glad there are people here who are knowledgable in this area ....I have basically put my son on a gluten-free diet although he doesnt eat much gluten anyway (just a slice of bread a day) ..I know some kids with autism do really well on a GFDF diet but my sons dr did some tests on him when he was 4 or 5 and said he won't really benefit much from a GFCF diet..I feel the BTD would help a lot ..the problem is he eats chicken a lot which is the major problem for us now. Interesting articles posted here I will check each and every one of them, thanks again much appreciated

What tests? An allergy test?

Quoted from AKArtlover

What tests? An allergy test?

The usual tests they do for kids with Autism like hair analysis, blood tests, urine tests, stool tests ..they were sent to the USA for examination.

I would be curious about the blood tests, what they order in such a case.

A great testimonial about BTD and Autism

http://autismweb.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=16264&sid=b666af91e060f0044b939d0cec5a9fea

great link to share on FB Sharon, thanks!

Lola, Great idea! I'll be posting the link on FB. It was great seeing your brother yesterday...he's looking great.

Quoted Text

He mentioned that this is a controversial area that the center is working on.

He's also doing studies for preventive strategies in infants and children.

Test before going gluten free to confirm diagnosis. TTG-A test. Need to emphasize because his point is that CD diagnosis is a lifelong commitment to avoid even small amounts of contaminants. He mentioned this in his lecture and his assistant was extremely passionate about this point in her interview.

I think until recently doctors had few diets that helped so they generally did not even KNOW what to advise..

I think the important thing for any parent coming HERE is that THIS is a NEW beginning.. what was was.. allergies belly aches all sort of things will improve if you learn the way of BTD.. first it heals the body and little by little allows you to add things that are needed fort he condition that bothered you before..

in my mind there is a crime being conducted by all doctors who know of BTD and for some reason are not following it's science and testing all done for them.. .. also I think some issues are overblown by medicine.. such as gluten or other sensitivities.. yes they may indeed be out there in some, (for me it was milk) but just like chronic issues like diabetes, chronic fatigue and the like, they are all food originated illnesses and can be greatly modified.  NOW obviously there was a propensity for it in the first place for some things.. but once we learned what to eat and what to avoid, then life becomes a possibility never dreamed of before.. SO NEVER accept what was before.. always be trying to use foods to make A great difference .. all else will open different doors to new understanding.

I feel for moms who have so much to learn, and so much to deal with, and yet there is never a day of rest.. may this board be a place of good info for you all.   

Here is my take on this thing... now of course I have nothing to back it up.

Mom has poor gut flora.... baby gets poor gut flora cause mom had bad flora.. ( baby is formula fed)... or breast milk lacks essential flora

Baby gets vaccines... gut leaks nasties into body from the vaccines.
Suddenly baby has autism.

All sorts of things we can do to mess up the body's natural balance. Probably multiple causes.

Dr. Blaylock was extremely concerned with giving all the pregnant mothers both flu and swine flu vaccines last year. Never have they given 2 vaccines in one season and also the H1N1 was untested and I think there were contamination issues in Europe if I remember correctly.

He felt that the vaccines were worse than if the mother got the flu and instead suggested staying home, washing stuff, etc. He also realized that the whole H1N1 was all blown out of proportion. He predicts a massive autism spike. He also stated that he wouldn't be surprised if there was a higher miscarriage rate in that group.

Interesting guy. He's written extensively about flouride and mercury.

Heartbreaking.  It really is.

http://memo.cgu.edu.tw/cgmj/3204/320414.pdf

Most of the pubmed stuff that I'm hitting with search words casein and gluten are relating to autism. The abstracts are pretty easy to understand.

Just for the curious.

This one had a free full article. Not blood type specific.

Quoted from BTypeAUS

My son didnt do well on B6, it uppset his stomach so we stopped giving him it. We tried so many things back when he was younger but didn't really see much difference. One supplement we tried was called DMG and  had alcohol in it but we saw some positive results although it upset his stomach too.
I will check the OASIS message boards, thanks.

Which B6 did you try? It may have been something in the particular capsule/tablet that upset him?! Often what it is bound with, what is in the capsule ingredients, including the gelatine part of the capsule itself can effect ppl...

Quoted from BTypeAUS

Some info on DMG, SquarePeg :

http://www.suite101.com/content/treating-autism-with-dmg-a57103

We do DMG as well.  Thanks.

Interesting anecdote about DMG.  We started giving it to her when she was about 4.5 years old.  At the time, our DD was taking a long time to outgrow diapers because she continued to wet the bed at night.  After several months of using DMG (a solid, sublingual tablet), I decided it wasn't helping, so I stopped giving it to her.  Next morning I noticed her diapers were lighter (less pee-soaked).  Seven days later, she was waking up dry, and we finally could stop buying them.

I give her DMG now, though, because she seems to catch colds less frequently when she takes it.

Quoted from Possum

Which B6 did you try? It may have been something in the particular capsule/tablet that upset him?! Often what it is bound with, what is in the capsule ingredients, including the gelatine part of the capsule itself can effect ppl...

P5P is the recommended form of B6 for those who either can't tolerate B6 or can't assimilate it.

Autism and related dysfunctions have been said to be language specific.  This, I suspect, is a hypothesis that unintentionally hides the true nature of such dysfunctions; epigenetic potentials that are inherited which are triggered by events in the child's life.

There could be a lot of progress in analysing such dysfunctions and using diet and epigenetically targeted therapies to bring out children's development.  The fact that this is not currently being done feels like a personal affront to me.

http://www.vaccinationcouncil.org/2010/07/25/the-avalanche-of-new-mercury-autism-studies/
Friend passed this along.

Quoted from Andrea AWsec

Here is my take on this thing... now of course I have nothing to back it up.

Mom has poor gut flora.... baby gets poor gut flora cause mom had bad flora.. ( baby is formula fed)... or breast milk lacks essential flora

Baby gets vaccines... gut leaks nasties into body from the vaccines.
Suddenly baby has autism.

And or antibiotics.  My nephew has autistic tendencies and is 10 years old right now.  I say "tendencies" because they've never gone to a "regular" doctor who would label him as autistic.  They don't want to.  But for all intense purposes, he is.  

He was born with a pneumorthorax (a small lung puncture from birthing) and they (hospital) insisted on giving him antibiotics.  And although there could be a number of reasons why he is like this (he did have immunzations up to a certain point), my sister thinks the antibiotics early on contributed. As well as the immunizations.

I can tell you from my experience, my son, who had terrible eczama caused directly by immunizations (I can pretty much prove it, although it won't hold water with people that don't want to see it), the BTD has helped him a bunch.  But I will say this, he is allergic to so many foods, that he's not completely compliant.  We let him eat meats and things that A's aren't necessarily supposed to have. (He's an A).  Like Lamb.  But actually, that's about the only one and if he's a nonnie, which I'm not sure if he is or not, it wouldn't be an avoid.  Otherwise, he's pretty compliant.

Now, my nephew, they take him to the same MD I go to, who prescribes the BTD as a baseline starting point.  Unfortunately, my sister has a lot on her plate and makes a lot of excuses as to her compliance.  Which, she does have a lot on her plate.  But she lets my nephew eat things that I wouldn't and it pains me.  But, on the other hand, they are trying every kind of special training, and other things to try and help him.  Personally, I think he acts the best when he's more compliant with his foods.  But, it's hard for me to fully understand, because I MAKE my kids eat what they need to, and they comply.  I think it might be a little harder for her.  I'm not sure.  He's very picky.  But I can see he wants sugar and wheat.  And I wish they would cut him off.

Anyways, that's my 2 cents.  The MD we go to specializes in Autistic children and if you want more information about him, I can give it to you.  But it probably won't help all the way over there.

God bless you and try the diet.  I bet you'll see improvements.  Just make sure of his blood type.  Don't just guess.

ABNW, I wouldn't worry about the lamb.  It's better than beef.  

Yeah, I'm not worried about it.  A growing boy needs some good protein and fat.  He eats chicken well and thank God he's not allergic to that.  But he doesn't have a whole lot of choices and my Doctor recommended lamb.

I would find out his blood type asap.

If he is B or AB and not A then you should get him as far away from processed sugar, corn, and chicken as possible. I would try the GFCF thing too but... chicken and corn especially (and buckwheat actually).

Without SWAMI or a clear genotype I would go with non-secreter diet for whatever blood type your child happens to be. Find out. He could be A.

Quoted from DoS

I would find out his blood type asap.

If he is B or AB and not A then you should get him as far away from processed sugar, corn, and chicken as possible. I would try the GFCF thing too but... chicken and corn especially (and buckwheat actually).

Without SWAMI or a clear genotype I would go with non-secreter diet for whatever blood type your child happens to be. Find out. He could be A.

He can't be an A because Im a B and husband is an O. he eats chicken curry almost every day which will be difficult to stop ..kids with Autism have very set routines and are very fussy eaters. Finding alternatives is very hard and very stressful ..anyway, his diet in general is ok but he won't eat fruits... I don't give him any processed food, everything is cooked from scratch.

Quoted from JJR

We let him eat meats and things that A's aren't necessarily supposed to have. (He's an A).  Like Lamb.  But actually, that's about the only one and if he's a nonnie, which I'm not sure if he is or not, it wouldn't be an avoid.  Otherwise, he's pretty compliant.

Your son might turn out to be an Explorer, in which case Lamb is a Superfood.  Our DD loves it, and we assume that she's also GT4.

Quoted from SquarePeg

Your son might turn out to be an Explorer, in which case Lamb is a Superfood.  Our DD loves it, and we assume that she's also GT4.

He probably is.  On my swami I'm one too.  But the diet is so similar to the BTD, I just stick with it.  My swami allows me more meats and I'm supposed to stay away from cinnamon.   Otherwise, it is no different.  Some of the neutrals and superfood or beneficials are flipflopped.  

Anyways, off topic.


If your son is a B, it would really be nice to try to find some turkey to make the curry.

If he is B I would go through the fuss to break him of chicken, immediately. Turkey taste better I personally think, and emu too.

Im making a lamb curry instead ...I read the curry paste label and luckily there is not tomato paste in it which is good if he's a B..I hope he eats it ...kids with autism can be very fussy with changes in food  

http://autismweb.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=16264&sid=b666af91e060f0044b939d0cec5a9fea

Dr. D put this on his facebook page about a week ago.

Wonderful testimony!

Andrea, that's one of my favorite testimonials. I sent it to friends and family with newly diagnosed autistic/asperger's children. Between my husband and I we both know 4 people with young autistic children. 3 out of 4 of them were interested and curious. I hope they jump into trying the diet right away.

Angela, thanks for posting the research articles. I'll pass them along as well. And thank you for the lovely picture of Daphne.

You're welcome.

http://www.dadamo.com/cgi-bin/Blah/Blah.pl?m-1287127576/s-25/#num41

wow great testimonial  
well it makes sense to try the BTD on any child with Autism because of the blood-brain barrier link :
http://www.autismcalciumchannelopathy.com/Blood_Brain_Barrier.html
so anything that interacts with the blood will affect the brain ...especially when most kids with autism suffer from a leaky gut.

Pleased to announce that my son LOVED  the lamb and sweet potato curry I made today ..I thought he would reject change in his diet but I was wrong, he was obviously getting bored with the chicken curry !
I used lean lamb, carrots, peas and sweet potatos and diced onions and green peppers too and curry powder .//he ate it very quickly ! I used spelt flour to thicken the curry, turned out beautiful  

chef extraordinaire!!

Great going!  I hope this is the begining of a stage of healing for your son.

Have you given thought to removing all sources of Wheat Germ Aglutinin from his diet?  I ask this because spelt is lower, but still has some in it.

According to Dr. D' Adamo and also an allopathic MS researcher  WGA is key to compromizing both the intestinal wall and the blood-brain barrier.  The MS resercher implied we could wipe out MS in the next few years by diet alone.

Quoted from BTypeAUS

Pleased to announce that my son LOVED  the lamb and sweet potato curry I made today ..I thought he would reject change in his diet but I was wrong, he was obviously getting bored with the chicken curry !
I used lean lamb, carrots, peas and sweet potatos and diced onions and green peppers too and curry powder .//he ate it very quickly ! I used spelt flour to thicken the curry, turned out beautiful  

I want some.  Now!     Anyway, I'm glad!

I recommend totally gluten-free as well.  You can thicken sauce with any flour. Rice, teff, millet....it all works.

Quoted from Ribbit

I recommend totally gluten-free as well.  You can thicken sauce with any flour. Rice, teff, millet....it all works.

he doesn't eat much bread, maybe a slice every few days so his diet isn't so bad in terms of gluten, I wish he ate more fruits though ..he won't even drink fruit juice..but Im glad I got him eating vegetables with the curry ..I suspect his taste buds aren't sensitive and he really needs spicy food to be able to taste it ..he hates bland food!

Quoted from SquarePeg

I want some.  Now!     Anyway, I'm glad!

Thanks Peg..how is your child in terms of food ?

She's very high functioning.  Aside from feeling nauseous in the morning and not having much for breakfast, she eats a wide variety of foods from all the food groups.  Even chicken liver pate, broccoli, mushrooms and stuff most kids wouldn't eat.  But not Brussels sprouts.  I tried - I was curious.  She tends to binge on sweets and crunchy snacks at night and then get the resulting second wind, so I'm worried that she'll exhaust her adrenals eventually (as I did).

If her doctor were to tell her that the BTD (or Paleo) cures acne and frizzy hair, I think she'd get on-board right away!

Thanks for asking!

I have always hated Brussles sprouts, myslef.  My favorite avoid to avoid.

Have you tested her with a taster strip?  

Nausea in the morning can be a sign of low blood sugar.

Oh, and a piece of bread every few days is enough to keep you "high".

Quoted from paul clucas

Have you tested her with a taster strip?  

No we haven't, thanks for asking.  But isn't that only a data point for determining Genotype?  She's only 12yo, but I already suspect she's an Explorer.  We did the test out of the book.  Hmm, she would eat lamb for breakfast....

Quoted from Ribbit

Nausea in the morning can be a sign of low blood sugar.

Oh, and a piece of bread every few days is enough to keep you "high".

Thanks, Ribbit.  I used to be nauseous in the morning, too.

Low blood sugar makes sense.  She snacks before bed time, which spikes her blood sugar.  Then insulin clears her system of sugar overnight, leaving her depleted in the morning.

IIRC whole wheat is not an avoid on the GT4, but maybe I mis-read that.

When I was in my early 20s and really struggling with low blood sugar, I did a good bit of reading.  I learned that your blood sugar from dinner tends to drop about 3 a.m.  Sensitive people either wake up or start having nightmares.  When I quit eating dessert (including fruit), I got it under control.  I found that eating a handful of nuts right before bedtime helped as well.  But I don't have hypoglycemia anymore thanks to the BTD.

Quoted from SquarePeg

Thanks, Ribbit.  I used to be nauseous in the morning, too.

Low blood sugar makes sense.  She snacks before bed time, which spikes her blood sugar.  Then insulin clears her system of sugar overnight, leaving her depleted in the morning.

IIRC whole wheat is not an avoid on the GT4, but maybe I mis-read that.

Actually the only ones they should ever consume is Spelt and Sprouted (not the kind with added gluten).

Wheat is not good for people with insulin/blood sugar issues.

Quoted from BTypeAUS

I used lean lamb, carrots, peas and sweet potatos and diced onions and green peppers too and curry powder

What kind of curry powder is that? Some of them have nutmeg, cinnamon maybe even wheat or MSG in them. These can be addictive and not so great for your liver.

Quoted from proto

What kind of curry powder is that? Some of them have nutmeg, cinnamon maybe even wheat or MSG in them. These can be addictive and not so great for your liver.

They have all the spices including the ones you mentioned but I find its better than using a curry paste thats full of canola oil and tomato paste ..sometimes I mix up different spices like cardamon, cloves, turmeric etc and exclude the cinnamon (which I love  )

Quoted from BTypeAUS

They have all the spices including the ones you mentioned but I find its better than using a curry paste thats full of canola oil and tomato paste ..sometimes I mix up different spices like cardamon, cloves, turmeric etc and exclude the cinnamon (which I love  )

Would chilli powder work for this?

I am a counselor working intensely with a client with Asperger's.  He is also diabetic type 2.  He is not sure of his BT, but wish i knew.  It would be interesting to see if a few additions and subtractions really helped him!  I got him exercising, and see some positive changes and weight loss with that.

i am not sure if you have explored the mercury 'connection' (cause) yet, but imo this info is a must for anyone with asd....

http://www.yourdoctorisaliar.com/id83.html

the boyd haley information is great, but the buttar information is incredible. he has outright cured a fair amount of kids including his own. apparently his 5 year old testified before congress as an expert witness.

i think the btd, selective carb diet, gfcf, gaps, etc are all good adjuncts, but the heart of the matter is getting the mercury out.

and certain vaccines in fact have a significant mercury content, no?

Quoted Text

try the BTD on any child with Autism because of the blood-brain barrier link :
http://www.autismcalciumchannelopathy.com/Blood_Brain_Barrier.html
so anything that interacts with the blood will affect the brain ...especially when most kids with autism suffer from a leaky gut.

Quoted from Lola

and certain vaccines in fact have a significant mercury content, no?

Yes, its called Thimerosal and is a preservative in vaccines  
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thiomersal

This is on awsome thread.. thanks all .. for my friend with issues..