Submitted
Barrie Silberberg, left, poses with her daughter and son, holding copies of her book, 'The Autism and ADHD Diet.' Silberberg helps her son control symptoms of Aspergers syndrome by providing a diet free of gluten, dairy products, dyes and other chemicals.
My son threw things and screamed. He had uncontrollable meltdowns, severe sensory challenges and very poor social skills. He always ate a diet of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, waffles, pancakes, milk, cookies, chips, pretzels, ice cream, yogurt and cheese -- the things lots of kids eat.
When he was in first grade, a friend of mine read a magazine article. It was a piece about a boy with Asperger's syndrome, which is a high-functioning form autism. She brought it to my attention immediately and said, "Read this. This is your son." I read the article and cried happy and sad tears. I was happy because I had an answer: I knew this was what was wrong with my son. I was sad because my son was autistic.
When second grade started, we had a meeting at my son"s school. The school was willing to have professionals observe him and let him prove himself in a "regular" classroom. His behavior continued to be horrible. He was very disruptive in class. Since his diagnosis, I had searched for answers regarding this thing called "autism." I read about a special diet in which you remove gluten (wheat, rye, barley and cross-contaminated oats) and casein (milk protein) from your child"s diet. It sounded insane! Those things were all that my son ate! I told everyone that he would starve if I took away all of his favorite foods.
When we returned for another meeting with the school several weeks before the Thanksgiving holiday break, the director of elementary special education told us that our son did not belong at the school -- not even in Special Day Class. They said that the only place for him was at another school for moderate to severely autistic children. His father and I were shocked, but we were willing to go visit this classroom. In the room were several nonverbal, heavily stimming children. They were being rewarded with dye-filled, gluten-filled cereal. Later, I would gasp at this practice. We decided that this was not the place for our son, and we said so. We then visited another classroom at the suggestion of the director of special education. This room was for emotionally disturbed children. This was better than the last. Still, we said, "no." This was not a place for our son, either.
Finally, I decided that we had no choice but to try the ridiculous-sounding diet from the magazine article. Over the four days of the Thanksgiving break, we removed dairy products from my son"s diet. Within days, we saw huge -- and I mean huge -- changes in his behavior. If removing dairy could do this in four days, what could gluten removal do? Next we began to removed gluten, slowly -- then permanently. The improvements were vast. The school staff was shocked. They allowed my son to remain in the regular classroom. I later discovered that food dyes, preservatives and other chemicals also were culprits, causing inappropriate behaviors. I learned that his vitamins, toothpaste, shampoo and everything else had to be GFCF- dye- and chemical-free in order to get the best results. None of these pollutants could enter his system.
My son"s behavior improved drastically. His sensory issues changed. He was able to listen to loud music, go outside without sunglasses and sit in a room where onions were being cooked. It was a miracle.
Since this incredible event occurred in our lives, I have made this diet my passion. I have dedicated my life to educating parents and professionals about the terrific results possible when you change what goes into your body. The old saying, "You are what you eat," rings so true. I knew I had to write a book to get my message out to the world! I receive e-mails daily praising me for my book, "The Autism and ADHD Diet," as thousands of other families continue to enjoy the same miracles that we enjoy everyday.
My son just completed eighth grade, where he was fully included and took honors classes. He fits right in and earns excellent grades. He does receive a few minor accommodations because he still has some processing issues, but he wants to become a writer or journalist one day. If his middle-school stories, poems and other written work provide any indication, he will be very successful in his journey.
Barrie Silberberg lives in Southern California, where she teaches American Sign Language. Her blog is puttingyourkidsfirst.com.
