Autistic or Addicted?
Autistic children have many traits in common with people addicted to opioid drugs, including:
- Self absorption -- being in one's own world
- Inappropriate affect -- giggling, crying for no reason
- Stereotyped behavior -- rocking, "stimming" -- slang for certain behaviors that include hand flapping, finger movement, vocalizations or other actions that are used repetitively for soothing or self-stimulation.
- Bizarre preoccupations
- Gastrointestinal problems
- Insensitivity to pain
When addicts go off drugs, withdrawal can be intense and can include physical symptoms and well as emotional pain.
Parents often report similar withdrawal when children go off gluten and casein. Behavioral regressions can be severe, as can physical symptoms. Parents have reported fevers, diarrhea and vomiting when the children have gone "cold turkey." For this reason, it's advisable to remove the foods gradually over a period of a few weeks. Even with a gradual removal of these proteins, parents often report an immediate improvement for a few days, followed by a very difficult period. In very young children, the negative effects usually pass within a week. For older children and adults, withdrawal can last from ten days to three weeks.
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