My wife and I noticed an extreme difference in my son's awareness of the world and his awareness of other people when we first removed all dairy products (Casein free diet) from his diet. Casein is a protein found in milk related foods. For my son, eating or drinking milk products produced a hypnotic, drugged effect. We found that removing milk products and replacing them with substitutes greatly improved this specific symptom.
Also, his diapers improved, were no longer explosive, and had more normal colors, but still a lot of diarrhea. We substituted soy milk in the beginning, before his allergy testing. This also seemed to help his restlessness at night as he began sleeping through the whole night for the first time in his life.
As to why Milk products have this effect, the answer is still considered controversial and unproven by the "Medical Community". The best answer about Casein can be found in the Seminar booklet "Open Windows Essential Training" by Dr.'s Bradstreet and Kartzinel. These two Doctors have a website listing themselves as the "Good News" doctors at http://www.gnd.org/ . They have the best explanation for all Dietary and Bio-Medical treatments based on current and developing research.
We then began reading and learning more about the possible link between Autistic symptoms and Gluten which is a protein in bread and wheat products specifically. But Gluten is also a food additive that is added to many different processed foods for different reasons. We learned about Gluten by reading Karen Seroussi's book; and, we decided to do our first food allergy test.
The information shared here is designed as an instructional tool for your research purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Consult your Physician before implementing any changes or treatments for yourself or your child.