Autism Book Chapter

The Specific Carbohydrate Diet™ has entered the world of autism through the "back door" - the intestinal tract. And what may have first appeared to be the back door, via the digestive system, is rapidly becoming one of the most scientifically researched areas in determining the underlying causes of Autism Spectrum Disorders.  Because the Specific Carbohydrate Diet’s goal is to heal the intestinal tract and to rid it of bacterial and fungal overgrowth, it is proving to be a very successful dietary intervention in treating many autistic children and leading them back to a life of normalcy.  

This chapter will review some of the research dealing with the Gut-Brain Axis in child developmental disorders. It will point out how dietary intervention with the Specific Carbohydrate Diet addresses, and often overcomes, conditions thought to be at the root of Autism Spectrum Disorders as well as some cases of epilepsy and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD).            

“A sensible and harmless form of warfare on the aberrant population of intestinal microbes is to manipulate their energy (food) supply through diet… By depriving intestinal microbes of their energy source, their numbers gradually decrease along with the products they produce.” - Elaine Gottschall in Breaking the Vicious Cycle