<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> Dear Listmembers: This subject falls into the "more than I could possibly want to know" category. Whew! But seriously. Just keeping up with all the CD info can be overwhelming. Here's much of what I got from responses... From Don Wiss <[log in to unmask]> The Gluten-Free Page: http://www.GFlinks.com/ The No Milk Page: http://www.NoMilk.com/ The Paleolithic Diet Page: http://www.PaleoDiet.com/ PaleoFood Recipe Collection: http://www.PaleoFood.com/ http://www.GFlinks.com/hoggan/ http://www.GFlinks.com/hoggan/adhd.txt http://www.feingold.org/ http://www.nowheat.com/text/nomilk/ http://www.fastlane.net/homepages/thodge/AUTGFFAQ.txt http://www.fastlane.net/homepages/thodge/ARI.txt http://osiris.sunderland.ac.uk/autism/dietinfo.html http://osiris.sunderland.ac.uk/autism/durham95.html http://www.princeton.edu/~serge/ll/gfpak.html http://www.onelist.com/viewarchive.cgi?listname=GFCFKids http://www.vegan-straight-edge.org.uk/GW_paper.htm http://www.GFlinks.com/reichelt.html -------------------- Behavioral problems are a natural reaction to feeling sick and having various nutritional deficiencies associated with CD. My own son was age 3 when diagnosed with CD. While too young to have been labeled ADHD, he definitely had many behavior problems. Just weeks on the GF diet solved all of his behavior/ attention problems. -------------------- Doris Rapp's book on Allergies and your Child, and another called BRAIN ALLERGIES by Philpot and Kalita. Removing gluten and lactose and adding niacin and a strong B-Complex vitamin pill to diet were all very helpful. -------------------- Please look at my Master's thesis at: http://www.GFlinks.com/hoggan/ Application of the Exorphin Hypothesis to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (A big read but very informative)-J -------------------- I have a son, 7 1/2, who has CD and has also been diagnosed with ADD last year. It has been a long road, but he sees a therapist and is on Ritalin. I have noticed a difference and I struggled on the decision to give it to him. I was first told he had ADD when he was 3 1/2 by his first preschool teacher. At that same time, he got very sick and was hospitalized. The diagnosis from that finally came to CD a year later. I didn't want to believe this teacher and I denied the ADD symptoms for a long time. Finally after doing my own research I found the two disorders are related and it helped me to understand what my son was going through was definatley not his fault. -------------------- Go to www.celiac.com and copy some of the information. Especially the article by Dr. Murray and the one from the British Medical Journal. Also, go to Medline (www.medline.com) and try different words, such as celiac and ADD, ADHD etc. This site has a lot of information. It might be important for you to have an article on the fact that Celiacs excrete a large amount of Seratonin. This can cause depression and or behavioral changes. -------------------- I have heard that food sensitivitiescan cause ADHD, so I wouldn't do anything to treat that until he has been totally gluten free for months, and also check for other food sensitivities. -------------------- Artificial food coloring was more responsible for the "wonkiness" than the gluten in our son, although going GF helped a lot. You might also want to visit http://www.feingold.org....the feingold org. is working to help people with ADD/ADHD by eliminating specific things from the diet, and they just added information about gluten and casein... -------------------- I have 1 step-daughter and two sons. The daughter is ADD, while the boys are ADHD and also have Tourettes Syndrome. The older of the two boys has been diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (no biopsy) while the younger has Celiac Disease (biopsy diagnosed). All children are on medication to assist with the behaviour and development. The problem with my children is that their fathers family is quite riddled with relatives that have ADD, Autism and other such problems that are genetically inherited rather than due strictly to diet. The childrens father also has been diagnosed with Adult Attention Deficit Disorder. -------------------- I have corresponded with a lot of other Moms who (with their doctors) have noticed the same thing that I have noticed in my celiac son: while eating gluten the behavior appears to mimic ADHD. When my son adheres to the diet, the symptoms disappear. We had the celiac diagnosis for our son first - then noticed the 'coincidental' improvement in behavior (beginning with sleep patterns). -------------------- The Gf diet has taken care of my 12 yr old son's ADD symptoms. Always felt that ADD was not the right diagnosis. Turned out to be just symptoms of the Gluten problem. -------------------- Sometimes the diet helps with the problem, but it takes awhile to respond. Don`t go on the diet until the blood test and the biopsy has confirmed the diagnosis. -------------------- To wrap up - my son was GF for about a year. I was sure he was also Celiac but had no insurance at the time to find out. His behavior and sleep patterns did improve and the horrible stomache aches dissappeared. But problems persisted much, I'm sure, from 'cheating' at school and by daycare personnel who just didn't 'get it' despite a shopping guide, Celiac info and specific written instructions to refer to. In December the Pediatric GI said to put him back on a regular diet for the tests. School and daycare officials now agree with my CD/ADHD assessment -vehemently! His psychologist was quite open to the stack of reports provided by Listmember responses. Tourettes Syndrome is also in my family. If found positive or not for CD following the blood tests and biopsy, I will again implement a GF diet for him. But I will also try the meds to help in the interim until I am positive all dietary factions have been removed. My son is failing academically and socially, he talks about dying and our relationship is a constant strain. There is no time to debate which course is best. I will follow the doctors instructions and my own instincts to keep my son from suffering any longer than necessary. Thanks to all for your help, care and concern. Jean No. Cal.