<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
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My child was getting in trouble in school for aggressive behaviors, ie
pushing,
hitting, kicking, yelling, etc... It would occur about once a month.
Because it seemed to be so regular, I started paying attention to see if
there was a pattern. Of course there was. Each month the cycle would begin
with bad breath and loud teeth grinding in her sleep, then a few nights
later she would started making loud groaning type noise - again in her
sleep. They were quite agitated sounding noises. Following a few nights of
that, she would begin yelling at people in her sleep. Not very coherently
but again in an agitated way. After each of these things had happened, she
would have a bad week at school. Usually the week (more often than not on
Tuesday) she would start with disruptive noises in class. This would
progress through the day, then same on Wednesday and usually escalating
until on Thursday she would strike out and hurt a classmate. Her teacher at
the time stated that she seemed unable to control herself and it was almost
like an irritable reaction. The teacher likened it to when we as adults are
just irritable and don't want to talk to others or have others around and we
just sort of grumble through the day. Of course, being only 5, she didn't
really understand what or why she had these feelings, so her reactions were
far more physical.
> --What role did your child's physician/care provider play in addressing
the
> food/additive connection?
I took her to a gi and had written down all of the info I had about
the pattern that I had been seeing. The dr. later told me that he
immediatly knew it was celiac and of course confirmed with an endoscopy.
> --How supportive is your child's care provider?
If you mean the school, I don't know yet. The school we were in last year
was not very supportive or helpful. We have changed schools now. So far,
they have been willing to help and learn. A refreshing change.
> --In what ways are you modifying your child's diet?
> --How has modifying your child's diet affected his/her behavior or
symptoms?
My child is entirely gluten free and we do not go through the
monthly antics any more. However, if she does get into something, you will
know it pretty quickly. She will start with the noises in class and is hard
to focus on her tasks. Also, during these times, discipline is difficult as
she is hard to reason with.
> --If mature enough, does your child participate in monitoring his/her
diet?
> In what manner?
She is so good about not eating anything that she doesn't know to be
safe. If she is unsure, she will ask me or if I am not there, she will ask
me later and eat is next time, if it is ok. I am sure this is because she
is only to aware of how much pain it causes her to stray from the diet.
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I am the Mom of two celiac kids ages 5&7.
Sam (5) was diagnosed at 15 month with classic baby
celiac symptoms (vomitting, stools, failure to
thrive). He cried constantly, had to be held by Mom
and Dad and wouldn't go to anyone but us, didn't walk
or talk. I used to want to stay at work because it
was so exhausting to take care of him :(. Once
diagnosed it took about 2-3 weeks for a whole new
child to appear - happy, wanting to explore. It was
like a miracle.
Joe (7) was diagnosed at age 5 and only because of
suspicion with his brother's condition already known.
The only symptom Joe had was short stature. And angry
episodes where he would get into a complete rage.
After a few months gluten free - I have never seen
those episodes again. He gets angry now (rarely), but
he stays in control and it's focused on a
topic/incident.
Daycare providers/teachers/other parents have been on
both ends of the spectrum over the years. Those that
thought I was over-reacting, those that thought our
kids could "just do without" to those wonderful people
that call me for a mix so they can make a gf birthday
cake FOR THEIR CHILD'S PARTY that my kids have been
invited to. Some teachers have made gf "playdough"
for the entire class so my kids wouldn't be
"different". That type of kindness brings tears to my
eyes every time.
This year the kids are eating hot lunch at school for
the first time. The district dietician, the school
cook and the lunch room supervisor have been
absolutely terrific, caring, knowledgable and very
careful. This is the first year the kids have needed
to problem solve on their own if something is wrong
with their tray (frozen dinner in the school fridge
just in case). They are starting to read brand names
on labels and identify what is/isn't okay. They are
very good about politely declining what they can't
have. Still get tripped up when they ask adults who
are not familiar with the condition "may I have
this?". The adult doesn't realize what they are
really asking. They are also starting to choose how
they want to handle social situations (bring a cupcake
to the party or just eat a treat from their box at
school, etc.)
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I'm a 50 year old Celiac with 2 children who are also Celiac and 2
grandchildren who are not diagnosed but are suspected. My 4 year old
grandson does have behavioral changes with the ingestion of gluten. We've
tracked it. He becomes aggitated easily, does not listen to what he is being
told and has diminished concentration after gluten ingestion. It is usually
within a couple of hours and sometimes the effects last days. His changes
are enough for my daughter to have decided to omit gluten from his diet.
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Clinical research on a subject with so many factors influencing
observed data (in this case, kids' behavior) makes it dificult to
tease out the effects of one compared to another, particularly over a
broad population.
Some behaviors can have a variety of causes.
In such circumstances, where the potential remedy in question (food
choices) has few if any bad side effects compared to pharmaceuticals,
I think parent observations of their child counts a lot.
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I have a 13-year old, and a 9 year-old
with gluten intolerance. My 9-year-old is also dairy intolerant. It took 3
years to diagnose my son, 13-year-old, with Celiac Disease. He almost died.
Afgter elimination of gluten, he was soooo much improved. I notice
depression, irritability, lethargy, fatigue, headaches, joint pain, and
stomach pain/diarrhea when he ingests gluten (accidentally, of course). My
9-y.o. daughter also suffers from Celiac Disease - gluten intolerance, and
well as a dairy allergy. Her symptoms include hyperactivity, irritability,
headaches, and stomachaches. In addition, if that's not enough, I suffer
from Celiac Disease also. My symptoms include depression, irritability,
headaches, fatigue, nausea, joint pain, and diarrhea with the accidental
ingestion of gluten. It took 35 years for them to diagnose this. I was
written off as a patient with mental problems. What a difference withdrawal
from gluten has made. We are healthy, gaining weight, and much less
depressed and irritable as in the past. A small slip, however sets us back
3-5 days. In addition to the treatment of depression in myself and my
13-y.o.son, my daughter is also being treated for ADHD with Concerta - also
a well-known side effect of Celiac Disease.
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