Special-Needs Kids Eat Right: Strategies to Help Kids on the Autism Spectrum Focus, Learn, and Thrive

I was the first person to take this book out of our library. I later bought copies for all my son's doctors. Lots of people want to tell you to incorporate this or that food or supplement into your child's diet. Judy Converse will tell you why it doesn't always work and how to do it in the right order so it does work. I didn't realize my child was starving. Once that was corrected specific tests were done to pinpoint an intestinal infection which was treated with a probiotic. Gluten sensitivity was then revealed by IgG testing and a gluten-free diet begun. What a difference! Since the gluten was removed six months ago, no more outbursts at school (this was a child who assaulted his teacher several times per week). He now has an A- average instead of the F's and incompletes he had before. They are talking about returning him to a "normal" high school from his special school; six months ago they were talking about putting him in a residential facility. He took up fencing and recently took third place in a tournament; the real good news is that during the two tournaments he didn't place in, and in fact fenced rather badly, he demonstrated good sportsmanship and rejoiced with the winners. Six months ago he would have melted down. The telling event was recently, when his favorite teacher left the school for another job and was replaced by his former nemesis, the teacher he used to beat up, he took it in stride and now has a good relationship with said teacher. This book made sense of the plethora of information regarding nutrition and autism in the marketplace. And Judy Converse is a real person. The book can easily be augmented by a personal consultation.

I am a registered dietitian and have worked in pediatrics for years. I have experience with several kids with autism, have attended workshops specifically about nutrition and autism, and consider myself well-read on the subject. I picked up this book to continue to broaden my knowledge about the subject. This book confuses me, and I'm not sure what or how much to believe. Many statements are made that are not backed up or referenced. She just says, 'studies show..' Recommendations are made that I have never heard of, such as bathing in epsom salts to improve 'sulfation'. There are some theories mentioned that I have heard of, such as 'leaky gut' syndrome, the opiate theory, and the casein-free gluten -free diet. Converse talks somewhat positively about the 'SCD'--Specific Carbohydrate Diet--which has all but been disproven by the medical community. She talks about and even prints the recipe for a special 'goat's milk' formula she used for her infant many years ago, which is very similar to the old evaporated milk formulas. That's fine, but it sounds like she thinks goat's milk is casein-free?? Goat's milk has goat casein instead of cow's casein. The book is written for parents, but if I didn't have the training I do, I would have lots of trouble understanding exactly what I should be doing and when. She talks about 'steps'(six, I think) to work through nutrition issues, but those steps become blurred as the book progresses.I recommend a more research/ evidenced based book by Elizabeth Strickland, called Eating for Autism. It's a '10 step' program and the steps are very understandable. She specifically states when to get help from a registered dietitian (who 'thinks outside of the box') or physician and explains very clearly whether something is controversial or not. Here's the link: Eating for Autism: The 10-Step Nutrition Plan to Help Treat Your Child's Autism, Asperger's, or ADHD

This book literally changed the course of care for my son. I learned so much from reading this book and realized that my son had growth regression and it was probably related to his special diet. (He has food allergies and some intestinal problems. He is also rather picky, further limiting his diet.) Because of Judy Converse's book, we were able to recognize his dietary deficiencies, to apply our new knowledge to my son's care, and decided to seek counsel from a nutritionist instead of immediately going the growth hormone route. Judy Converse is so knowledgeable and provides detailed information while also offering practical advice for parents of kids with special needs/diets. She also offers some recipes in the back of the book -- the gluten-free pumpkin bread recipe in her book is delicious! I am so thankful that a friend recommended this book!!

This book is great for those who are convinced diet/GI tract is partly the matter, but for whom dietary adjustments alone have not worked. While my son is indeed over the top when he has days with more "bad" items from other ASD diet lists, the dietary adjustments did not change the underlying challenges. The step-by-step approach is logical and essential for getting to the bottom of the behavioral drivers. I am at the beginning of my journey with the recommendations in the book, and am confident we will find out the GI changes needed to help our son be successful. Clearly, we need to work on the direct behavioral and physical therapy end of things as well... but one can only beat their head against this wall for so long before seeking a more successful, integrated solution.

I highly recommend Judy Converse's book, Special Needs Kids Eat Right. My 17-year old daughter has suffered all her life with digestive problems, always told by docs that she was fine, system just immature, "she's too picky"...despite painful cramps, inability to gain weight, gas and bloating after a few bites, unexplained rashes. Diagnosed ADHD/inattentive in 1st grade, chronic depression, sensory-visual/spatial-motor memory-executive function disorders. Label after label after label which don't improve things, they just add labels! Finally...After reading this book, we had her tested and found a severe milk and egg allergy. It's been two months and her rashes are gone, stomach cramps gone, she need less ADD medication, seems more alert and hopeful. I credit it with the detailed and easy to understand information in this book.