Complementary and Alternative Medical Methods, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Eating Habits and Mealtime The objective of the research in this study is to answer in what ways do complementary and alternative medical methods provide permanent treatment alternatives for autistic behavior in children ages 3 to 8.

Children with ASD are reported to have "complex feeding issues that go beyond normal fussy eating behaviors. They also do not usually respond to commonly used behavioral feeding modification methods." (British Dietetic Association, 2011, p.4) Additionally reported is that children who eat less than 20 different foods on a regular basis and are under the age of five years "appear to be the most vulnerable and will benefit from individual dietary assessment and advice." (British Dietetic Association, 2011, p.4) It is reported that a great many children with ASD also have "selective eating and therefore self-limiting diets as a direct result of their disorder." (British Dietetic Association, 2011, p.4)

Purpose of Study

The purpose of the study proposed in this work in writing is one that intends to examine children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and to test the intervention of gluten-free and casein-free diets as it relates to the behavior of the child with ASD and further to test whether Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) supplements trigger food allergies in children with ASD.

Significance of Study

The significance of the study proposed will be the additional knowledge that will be added to the already existing base of knowledge in this area of inquiry.

Methodology

The methodology of the proposed study will be qualitative in nature in an observational study of children ages 3 to 8 years of age. The study will take place in a specific geographic location among a specific socio-economic environment and will involve children living with both parents. The study will be both race- and gender-specific in nature.

Ethical Concerns

As well, ASD is a complex disorder and treatment methods while working for some of the children may not work for other children.
Literature Review

The work of Feucht (2011) examines nutrition and autism and reports that children with autism experience problems with changes "in mealtime routines" and that they may have tantrums, refuse any "unfamiliar food, dish, or location" and that there may be a "limited number of accepted foods" with late acceptance of solid foods in infancy. Children with Autism are hypersensitive to foods due to color, texture, temperature, and odors and have great difficulty when "making transitions to new textures or tastes." (p.1) At times children with Autism will experience gagging or vomiting of foods due to these hypersensitivities. The child with Autism will likely lose interest in the pursuit of eating within a few minutes and they fail to respond "to positive eating behaviors modeled by others." (Feucht, 2001, p.1) Of parents surveyed who have a child with Autism 77% reported that their child refused new foods, would only eat a limited selection, and had disruptive behavior at mealtime. (Feucht, 2011, paraphrased) When asked whether their child with Autism had strong dislikes, 93% of parents responded that their child with Autism did indeed have strong dislikes of certain food due to "texture, color, temperature, flavor, or food combinations." (Feucht, 2011, p.1) The work of Mulloy, et al. (2011) conducts a systematic review of research on the effects of gluten-free and/or casein-free (GFCF) diets in the treatment of ASD and states as follows:

"In typical functioning gastrointestinal tracts, enzymatic activity breaks proteins into peptides, and transforms peptides into amino acids. The intestinal lining then absorbs the amino acids into the blood stream, which carries the amino acids to the rest of the body, providing nutrition. The Opioid-Excess Theory alleges ASD can…