WHY CHANGE THE DIET OF AN ADULT WITH AUTISM?
Isaac has had gastrointestinal problems throughout his life. From infancy, he had alternating bouts of constipation and diarrheawith resulting discomfort, shame and sleeplessness. Many features of “best practice” when he was a baby may have hurt rather than helped, including the early introduction of solid foods. Some autistic children of the same age in the late 1960s were diagnosed with celiac disease and the use of substitutes for gluten in their diets may have helped them. We restricted Isaacs sugar intake when we could see a link with hyperactive behaviour. But through the 1970s and 1980s professionals did not see that gastrointestinal problems might be relevant to autism and parents observations were not taken seriously. By his twenties, Isaacs life seemed to have a 6-8 week cycle of moods and behaviour including gastrointestinal symptoms. When he was in the most distressed, sleepless and hyperactive phases of this cycle, some of his caregivers felt they had to administer anti-ps
