Our son, now 10, had some difficulty in Kindergarten and his teacher had to speak to me about his behaviour. I had heard about a "diet" (I hate to use that term because so often people associate it with losing weight, and this one has nothing to do with that) a few months before this, the Feingold Diet, recommended for people with symptoms of ADD/ADHD and autism spectrum. Basically, it involved eliminating all artificial colours, flavours and preservatives from your diet (and it is much easier than that sounds -- usually involves nothing more than a brand switch). When I first heard of it, I thought, "Oh, that sounds like it might be something to consider," and put it in the back of my mind. When the K teacher spoke with me, I decided it was time to try it. I checked it out online, cleaned out my pantry, and started it that day. Also made an appt with family dr and was referred to a specialist. By the time our appt with the specialist rolled around, those ADD-type behaviours had disappeared due to the dietary change, and there was no need for a follow-up. I was thrilled, as meds would have been the very last resort.
Our son also has an IEP, and is thriving because of it. He is an excellent student and loves to learn, is well-rounded, chooses his friends wisely and has solid friendships with some terrific kids, is well-liked by all his peers, and according to all of his teachers, is the kind of kid every teacher wishes they had a class full of.
Check out the non-profit group that provides resources about the Feingold Diet at
www.feingold.org. The membership fee is about $60, and the information they send you and to which you then have access through their website, is worth every penny. Five years later, we ALL feel better for having eliminated artificial colours and flavours from our diet (they are generally petroleum-based -- how gross is that? Eating petroleum products, eeeww!) and our son has no behaviour issues whatsoever. Interestingly, we also noticed extremely positive changes in the behaviour and mood of our daughter (who was 3 at the time), and those were something we did not expect to see happen.
Best of luck to you, and I applaud you in your quest to do what is best for your son! Keep it up!!