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But Cause and Effect Not Yet Established

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Sept. 19, 2002 -- It's something many parents know: If a child is autistic, keeping milk and wheat out of the diet helps tame symptoms. But now, scientists think they understand why.

A new study seems to unlock an important piece the puzzle, indicating a link with the immune system.

Autism is a complex syndrome that appears in early childhood; autistic children have difficulties in language development, social interactions, and repetitive patterns of behavior -- such as banging their head against the wall. Whereas a genetic predisposition puts children at high risk of developing autism, scientists have long debated the other triggers that cause the disorder.

Recent studies have shown that children who drink less (or no) milk -- and eat fewer (or no) wheat products -- have improvement in symptoms. They have better social contact, less self-harm (such as head banging), and fewer "dreamy state" periods. Other studies have pointed to environmental toxins -- specifically bacterial and viral infections -- as triggers, says Aristo Vojdani, assistant research professor in neurobiology at UCLA and director of Immunosciences Lab Inc. in Beverly Hills, Calif.

"My study puts the pieces together, how infection produces autism symptoms," he tells WebMD.

His study appears in the August issue of the Journal of Neuroimmunology.

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