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May 9, 2008 5:50 pm US/Eastern
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Special Diet Could Reverse The Effects Of Autism
FORT WORTH, Texas (CBS) ―
There is a wide spectrum of autism disorders, each with a wide variety of symptoms. While there is no cure for the disorder, there are ways to recover, including a diet that could actually reverse the effects of autism, CBS station KTVT-TV in Dallas reports.
Steve and Gracie Kilpatrick are the parents of an autistic child. When their twins arrived healthy, the proud parents were overjoyed. First smiles and words came soon after. Gracie recalled, "I remember him babbling so much that my nickname for him was Talker, Texas Ranger."
When Noah reached about 15 months old, the babbling stopped and the boy fell silent. The parents started to worry. The boy's pediatrician asked questions and suggested they delay Noah's scheduled vaccinations until they had more information.
Gracie said, "I just blurted out to her, 'Are we just tap dancing around the word 'autism' here, doctor?' And she, fully expecting her to say no, she said yes, that's exactly it."
"It was devestating," said Steve. "It was the longest flight home I've ever had."
The Kilpatricks took this anguish and went on a mission. "The outcome is going to be the very best that we can make happen for this child," Gracie said.
Insurance covered little, but the family had the means to assemble a dream team of doctors, therapists and treatments.
The Kilpatricks opted for a gluten-free and dairy-free diet for Noah. They believe that changing their son's diet may have played a role in helping their little boy live a more normal life.
"The very first thing we were able to do is get him off dairy," said Steve. "In about seven days, he started making sounds and noises he had not made in six or seven months."
Then, another breakthrough.
"The kids were in the bathtub and I was leaning over the tub, and he just let loose. Totally silent up to this point for months, let loose 'ya ya ya' and I just fell back on my haunches," said Gracie.
The changes were not simply in Noah's speech.
"The therapist ran out into the backyard to tell us what had happened, as if the greatest breakthrough in the world had happened," Gracie said. "He rolled the ball back."
Dr. Seshagiri Rao specializes in treating autistic children. He said that a gluten/cassein-free diet is useful in about one third of his patients who receive an early diagnosis, an alternative diet, a daily regime of vitamins in large doses, behavioral therapy and physical therapy. "Some children can recover completely," Rao said. "Other children can recover to a large extent."
The methods used by the Kilpatricks are not always successful. The key for Noah was an early diagnosis.
The Kilpatricks do not know what triggered Noah's autism, or why he is now able to function almost like a normal child. They do credit their dream team, however, and their faith, to Noah's recovery.
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