<<Disclaimer:  Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

On Sat, 17 Jun 1995 22:32:30 -0700 Will Estes said:

>> From:    Jennifer Chopson <[log in to unmask]>
>>
>> I would like to introduce myself.  I have a 5 year old daughter who is NT
>> (neuro-typical or "normal") and a 4 yr. old son w/ Autism.  We have had my
>> son on a gluten free/ casein free diet on and off for about 6 - 8 weeks.  I
>> say on and off because he was getting some gluten and casein containing
>> products when we weren't looking and some (like Ketchup) because we didn't
>> know they had gluten (or casein).  I would be interested in lists of easy -
>
>Why did you key in on casein if your son is celiac?  The kind of milk
>intolerance associated with celiac disease is lactose intolerance.
>The body lacks the lactase enzyme needed to break down milk *sugar*.
>The intolerance is not for milk proteins.

Jennifer didn't say her son had celiac disease...she said he is autistic
and on a gluten and casein free diet.  This has been discussed at length
in the early days of this list.  A subset of autistic kids respond very
well to such a diet--whether or not they are 'celiac' depends on your
definition.  Most would not, I believe, test positive on the usual panel
of tests. Casein is a protein that is very similar to the gluten protein,
and many (but not all) autistics who respond well to the diet have problems
with both gluten and casein. For my own son, I see a HUGE (behavioral)
reaction to gluten, but in limited amounts he handles casein ok. He is
NOT allergic to wheat or dairy, nor is he lactose intolerant.

For more information about the association between developmental disability
and gf diets, I refer you to my web page:
http://www.princeton.edu/~lisas/gfpak.html

Lisa Lewis