The School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, USA, has demonstrated that children with autism displayed unusual eating patterns such as a lower appetite, selective eating, and displayed digestive problems which warranted additional investigation (5).
Mulloy A, et al in a systematic review reported that research on gluten-free and/or casein-free (GFCF) diet may help treat autism in as little as 2 weeks after intervention (6). The research reviewed by this author reported improvements in the following while on this diet: social isolation, eye contact, speech, learning skills, hyperactivity, stereotypical activity, panic attacks, self-mutilation, total autistic trait score (measured by the Diagnosis of Psychotic Behavior in Children [DIPAB]), nonverbal communication, stereotypy, social interactions, normalizing of behavior, language skills after 1 year, language skills after 4 years, social interaction, play based creativity, motor abilities, decrease in urine peptide levels (UPL), decrease in urinary metal concentrations, and behavioral improvements (6)