Coffee Morning and diet change for Mr Raffy!

It's been ages since I updated Raffy's page, many apologies but it's been a busy time. We finally decided to change Raffy's diet and put him on GFCF (Gluten Free Casein Free).
This is a really common thing that parents do with their autistic kids. ASC children tend to suffer with stomach problems - the idea is that the proteins in gluten and casein don't break down properly and can 'leak' out of the gut wall in the form of peptides. These then circulate round the body causing the same sort of effect as morphine on a heroin addict. We've never seen serious stomach problems with Raffy so apart from a few months on dairy and wheat free about a year ago (we saw nutritionist who said we were damaging him... that didn't help) we haven't seriously considered it. However I've been reading more and more about the possible positive effects and I finally persuaded Brian we should try it.

Two days in and Raffy was looking awful, dark black rings under his eyes and terrible redness on his face. However he was sleeping earlier and for about an hour extra. His diet was actually a lot healthier after eradicating gluten, casein, soya - we are making him smoothies with strawberries, bananas, blueberries, flax oil, hemp milk (new one on me - expensive though). He is eating less junk, more hummous, GF toast, sugar free jam... still not a very expansive diet but better. Then he had a forbidden cake on the 4th day. We didn't think it would make any difference really... wow! It did, he was hysterical at bedtime, laughing at nothing, rolling around on the floor until 2am... then awake again just after 5am.. a whole day of totally ga-ga behaviour. Like an addict.

The other positives (apart from improved bedtime) started to show after that - he is definitely chatting more and is slightly more focussed. We are officially amazed and pleased!

I'm not sure when I will be able to post any more pictures as I have become so brilliant at hiding stuff from Raffy that I can't find the charger for my camera! So it's dead and juiceless at the moment... hoping Eden hasn't tidied it away in the bin...

My Mum is having another fab coffee morning this Saturday 30th October at St Gregs Church in Lydiate! Please go and eat cake and raffle for Raffy between 10am and 2pm! xxxxx