<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> I have posted briefly on the fact that my son has autism, and that some (much) behavioral improvement followed removal of gluten and casein from his diet. I have written a paper on the subject, pulling together infor- mation from various sources as well as my own experience with this regimen. Since I wrote this many people requested it and after incurring a lot of expense sending it around, I made it availble through Bernard Rimland's Autism Research Institute. However, I also maintained rights to do with it what I want, and I am posting an abbreviated copy of it here. A few people have asked that I do this and I have no objection. Although it contains a lot of information that "seasoned" celiacs will already know, it might have something new in it. Mostly I am posting it because a few people have expressed an interest in why gluten might be harmful to the central nervous system (rather than the gut.) I am not a doctor, and the research this is based on is not my own. I have left out my son's story (which is in the original version) but I have fairly compelling (albeit anecdotal) evidence that this is important to at least ONE autistic. I will also add for those who may not know, that autism is a developmental disability that appears sometime before the age of 36 months. It involves typically, language and social skills. It is an extremely broad spectrum disability which includes people who do not speak at all and may engage in sterotypic or even self-injurious behavior, to extremely "high functioning" individuals who learn to cope well enough to "pass" as odd or eccentric. There are usually various sensory disturbances as well, involving touch, sight, hearing and even smell. THE FOLLOWING IS LONG. I HOPE NO ONE IS BOTHERED BY MY PUTTING IT ON THIS LIST. IT IS APPROXIMATELY TEN PAGES SHORTER THAN THE ORIGINAL, WHICH IS STILL AVAILABLE SHOULD ANYONE BE INTERESTED. PLEASE NOTE THAT AT LEAST ONE LISTMEMBER (PAUL SHATTOCK) IS QUOTED LIBERALLY. ========================================================================= An Experimental Intervention For Autism [To get a copy of this article, send an e-mail message containing] [the following line to [log in to unmask]: ] [Or visit <http://www.enabling.org/ia/celiac/aut/autintro.html> ] [ -the listowners, 11 May 1999]