New York Times: Autism Caused by Inflammatory AutoImmune Response

My mother-in-law just emailed me a link to an interesting article in the Sunday Times. It states that a certain subset of Autism is being caused by inflammatory immune disorders. At least one-third of Autism (and “very likely more”) is caused by diseases such as Celiac, which is what I have, that start while in the mother’s womb. The more active a mother’s immune system is, the more likely a child is to be born with autism. And Celiac Disease can send an immune system into overdrive, causing severe inflammation. So I found this article especially interesting for several personal reasons. First, I have to follow a Gluten Free and Casein Free (GFCF) diet – which is often called the “Autism Diet”. My Celiac disease means I must avoid gluten (GF) and my casein allergy forces me to avoid all dairy (CF). So I’ve done a lot of research on a GFCF diet. Many parents of autistic children have found that strictly avoiding gluten and casein can to help lessen the symptoms their children experience. From a personal, “normal” adult perspective (“normal” meaning not on the autistic spectrum), I can completely see how being GFCF could help alleviate symptoms of Autism. When I have the tiniest bit of gluten, within an hour I feel what must be a chemical reaction taking place in my brain. First I become super-anxious (Chicken Little has nothing on me! Not only is the sky falling, but everyone’s going to get hurt or die – it’s a terrible, out of control feeling that no matter how many times I tell myself “it’s just a gluten reaction,” it still feels...