Jennifer Mathews: These are the faces of autism. Young boys and girls stuck in a world all their own. A world Lin schwarzkopf has come face to face with. Three-year-old Trevor was born with autism. It's a developmental disorder that's difficult to treat. Lucky for Lin, she ended up in the right doctor's office.
Doctor Lewis mehl-Madrona, who received his medical degree from Stanford, has worked with autisic children for decades -- not only using traditional medicine, but also trying alternative approaches. His treatment for Trevor wasn't a drug -- he changed his diet.
Lin Schwarzkopf: Trevor's been on a wheat-free, gluten-free, organic diet.
Jennifer Mathews: And it's working.
Lin Schwarzkopf: I could see that he was responding.
Jennifer Mathews: When Trevor stopped eating gluten, found in wheat products, and casein, found in milk, he started walking and talking.
Lewis Mehl-Madrona: I really don't know how to explain that, but it's common when you eliminate these particular substances from the diet.
Jennifer Mathews: One theory is that foods containing wheat and milk may actually work as a narcotic and cause some of the behaviors of autism.
Lewis Mehl-Madrona: Really the most frustrating thing about working with autism is, for the most part, we don't have a clue what to do. We just have to try different things.
Jennifer Mathews: Susan Haubrock is trying a different approach for her daughter. This is video of Reanne when she was four. She refused to wear clothes and was just starting to talk. Then Susan started Reanne on vitamin therapy.
Susan Haubrock: We were on the vitamins for maybe two weeks and we noticed all the sudden she started cooing.
Jennifer Mathews: Doctor Mehl-Madrona says vitamins B12, B6, folic acid, omega3 fatty acids and magnesium have all shown a strong effect on autism.
Lewis Mehl-Madrona: When you super-saturate the brain with nutrition, you can override some defects.
Jennifer Mathews: Today, Reanne is 7, home-schooled and learning her three R's. This is Jennifer Mathews reporting.
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