Does your child on the spectrum have digestive issues? Does he or she have bouts of diarrhea alternating with constipation as well as stomach aches? My son did. I had some testing done for him including the Urinary Organic Acid Test (OAT) and a comprehensive stool analysis. What these tests revealed was that my son had an overgrowth of undesirable intestinal bacteria and almost no beneficial bacteria. When this happens, a child can exhibit bizarre behaviors since their bodies are being negatively affected by the toxins produced by these harmful bacteria. In fact, some of the bi-products of bacteria are known to cause neurological symptoms that are remarkably similar to autism spectrum disorders. The SCD helps to normalize the digestive flora by actually starving the unwanted and harmful bacteria.

How does this actually work? By limiting the child to simple carbohydrates that can be easily digested, the harmful bacteria are deprived of their source of food and die away. All simple carbs can still be eaten - this is not a low carb diet. For example, fruit is allowed as is honey. Grains and starches are not allowed but beans are. The theory is that if a complex carbohydrate is consumed but not fully digested due to issues with the digestive tract then those undigested carbs end up being food for harmful bacteria at the bottom of the small intestine and in the colon and can cause an intestinal imbalance.