@NickelMD: As someone with IBS trust me, there are some very noticeable synptoms of whether gluten affects you. I am guessing parents of young autistic children are aware of what these are and may notice when it improves.

@BrookeD: I had a milk free diet as a child and I was fine. There's lots of calcium/magnesium in green vegetables. If you're worried about bone density though try and avoid giving soft drinks to your child, they're a known risk factor for osteoporosis.

@BrookeD: I agree, I was on a milk free diet as a child, as where two of my brothers, because we tested positive for milk allergy. The other two weren't (lucky bastards) because they're not. What I hate is the overgeneralising that goes both ways on this topic. Some autistic children are allergic to casein and gluten…

@FrannyR: You should read this website if you're interested in this sort of thing www.badscience.net/

@missing_piece: Unfortunately I live in a country with a frankly lousy treatment record for helping autistic people. Many parents have gone to court to get awarded treatment and lost. In one landmark case a woman won the right to get her 24 year old incontinent, severely autistic son ABA treatment as well as some…

@bluebears: Thank you. I sometimes feel like there is a lot of people so quick to dismiss anything parents of autistic children say as 'biased' or 'unscientific' if its contradicted by experts. In many cases it's true, the vaccines and the chelation therapy for example, but maybe in other cases its not true. Parents…

@msmoneypenny: I have a pet theory about that. Severely autistic people are often allergic to a range of things, particularly involving gluten intolerance and casein allergies. Speaking as someone with both these issues, if I'm bad with my diet, as well as the rashes, hives, and IBS, I get B vitamin deficient and run…

@slightlyhardup: You're not right and you're not wrong. It cannot be cured, an autistic person will always be an autistic person, but they can definitely improve, particularly with intensive one-on-one teaching. In some cases these improvements can be remarkable if implemented early enough. I know one child who lacked…

@hello.kitty: What does supernanny have to say about this!

@BlondeGoddess: I'm a scientist (well I'm still doing my PhD), and I have a brother with autism. I have to say, I don't think we more research. We already know treatments that work, in particular ABA, but they're not widely available due to their cost. If people really cared about helping autistic people these…

@this_charming_one: True, totally forgot about those. Although I think Aileen Wuornos' prostituteness was outweighed by her serial killerness in that film.

@TheFormerJuneBronson: I don't buy this report at all. I have a severly autistic brother with gluten intolerance and who is allergic to casein, as well as a wide variety of food additices. As do I, who is definitely not autistic. All the families I know with severely autistic children have serious digestive problems.…

A stripper with a heart of gold? For once I want to see a mean, nasty stripper/prostitute in a movie. They can't all be moonbeams and rainbows.

@Rosaxé: True, Brazil didn't seem any different from any other country I've been in with regards to the hotness. What's worse about that sexy image is that only the white people of european ancestry are promoted as sexy. What about all the indian or black people present in Brazil. You'd swear they didn't exist if you…

@Questioning Everything: I'm guessing they have trouble understanding. They are devout conservatives you know.

@Miss Scarlett: True, whatever it is, hopefully the fever means his immune system is fighting it off and he'll be better soon.

@GreyEyedAthena: Oh I agree with you on that line. I work in a pub part time, and the amount of kids who run around during weekend days being absolute brats, as well as a danger to themselves (and poor me who has trays of drink to carry) is unbelievable. In a way I think it's an extension of the same thing, shitty…

@Highsmith: Best thing ever about Brazil. Well that and copious amounts of steak everywhere.

@elijabet: This is a perfect situation, you just haven't realised because of your understandable upset at the whole baking of pies. He doesn't like pies. Or cake. You can have them all. You will always be able to pinch his dessert. Always. He will have no excuse never to share, say, a hot choc fudge cake, because he…

@Miss Scarlett: I wonder if it's swine flu. some doctor friends of mine told me a very high temperature is the defining feature of it.