Special Diets for Special Kids, Two: New! More Great Tasting Recipes & Tips for Implementing Special Diets to Aid in the Treatment of Autism and Related Developmental Disorders

Lisa Lewis has been cooking GF/CF for MANY years and she has many great ideas for modifying recipes and making them taste great.

I agree with the other positive reviews, which well outline the contents of this book. I almost considered not buying it myself. I figured it might be starting to outdate and I could find lots of good information on my own... THANKFULLY, I went ahead and splurged! I refer to the resource often and hope Lisa Lewis will write more. I am the fortunate mother of a child who dramatically improved on this diet before other interventions could be put in place. There are strong indications that the GFCF diet, promoted by Lisa Lewis in her book, is propelling my child through the other intensive interventions he now receives. I don't recall the book promising it could be easy - it certainly is not. However, this book will help parents learn and hopefully implement the diet with motivation, creativity, and objectivity.

I highly recommend Lisa Lewis' book, "Special Diets For Special Kids". The book offers a valuable overview of this dietary intervention which has helped to improve the lives of many, many children.Ms. Lewis' book provides answers to many questions parents may have about the diet. It is a wonderful resource of information for anyone who is considering the GFCF Diet or has already begun. The book also contains over 150 wonderful recipes that are gluten and casein free.Growing numbers of parents continue to report tremendous improvement in their ASD children. They are attributing the GFCF Diet Therapy as one of the most important interventions they have used to help improve the lives of their children. Whether you use this therapy alone or along with other interventions, this book is indispensable. Judy DeHart/ Editor, GFCFDiet.com

My eight year old son went on the gluten-free/casein free diet a little over a year ago. A member of my support group had highly recommended _Special Diets for Special Kids_ by Dr. Lisa Lewis. I'll always be grateful that she did! My little boy immediatley showed more awareness. Before going on the diet, we were unable to get him potty-trained; within two weeks of starting the diet, he achieved toileting control on his own. He increased some in expressive language, but in receptive language he improved tremendously. Dr. Lewis clearly explains the testing options available to help parents make an informed decision about whether the diet might benefit their child. She emphasizes that this diet is not a guarantee or cure but could possibly improve a child's life. Reading her book is like talking to another mother of a special-needs child who is offering the experience of what worked for her. After going on the diet, learning definitely become easier for my son. Dr. Lewis also lists every imaginable resource to help in the appendices. After reading the book and trying to properly implement the diet, we continue to receive support from ANDI, the group co-founded by Dr. Lewis. This group offers the latest information and new recipes to help with dietary intervention. The procedure has not always been easy, but seeing my son emerge as he has, has made it worth the extra effort.

I disagree tremendously with the negative review listed for this book. The author never implies the diet will work for everyone and is the sole therapeutic answer. In my opinion, if you are even THINKING of implementing a gluten-free, casein-free diet for your child, this book is a must. Not only does the author provide a thorough review of the literature & studies done on relevant treatments for autism, & defines many of the terms so readily used, she offers a ton of GREAT, KID-FRIENDLY recipes (great for ANY kids that need to be dairy- and gluten-free, regardless of the reason). The author presents the information without bias, allowing the reader to form their own conclusions whether the diet would be helpful. And while, yes, the diet may be difficult to implement (since casein and gluten are so pervasive in our foods), it offers a SAFE, alternative approach that we have seen work for MANY, MANY people in conjuction with other therapies. And as a medical professional, I was more skeptical than most that there could be any link with food & behavior before I heard and saw it for myself over and over and over first hand. If I had a child with autism I would CERTAINLY TRY this. I would have nothing to lose and everything to gain.