Doctors Encouraged to Balance Medical Advice with Alternative Treatments for Autism

A new report out by the American Academy Of Pediatrics Entitled Management of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders encourages pediatricians to recognize that many parents of autistic children will want to explore complementary, alternative treatments such as vitamin supplements, chelation therapy, or diet restrictions that eliminating gluten, whey and casein from an autistic child's diet.

The report encourages pediatricians to maintain an open communication with and be receptive to working with autistic families even if there is not full agreement about treatment options. Physicians, the report says, should try to treat alternative treatment options the same way that they treat more medical mainstreamed ones - by offering families advice about evaluating the scientific evidence based the results, benefits or risks of any treatment - rather that treatment is alternative or medical mainstream.

The report states that although use of the gluten-free/casein-free diet for autistic children is popular, there is not enough evidence to yet either support of dispute the diet. The Academy promised additional information on such a diet when information regarding the studies currently in progress comes out.

This may come as a setback to mothers of autistic kids like actress Jenny McCarthy who swears that an gluten-free casein-free diet tremendously and noticeably helped her autistic son. The GFCF (gluten-free, casein free) diet eliminates most processed foods like wheat, barley, malt, breads, bagels and cereals. The GFCF diet is based on the theory that some autistic children can't digest the gluten or caseins in these foods so the substances end up becoming toxins in the child's body and contributing to some of the autistic symptoms. Many parents of autistic kids simply buy health food products specifically made to be GFCF friendly. This lets the child and family enjoy popular childhood staples without the allegedly harmful gluten and casein.