I posted on the Gluten-free folder and thought I'd also share this here....

My 4yo son Anthony has neurological tics- both motor and vocal- that are about to be dx as Tourette Syndrome. He goes back to neurologist on Sept 10th, it will be a year of tics in Sept. He has other issues as well, that the neurologist says are neurological too (such as sensory integregration dysfunction, hypotonia, apraxia/ oral motor/fine motor/visual motor issues etc.)

I've read in a few different places that gluten-free diets have helped other kids with tics from TS. Someone recommended the book to me, "Tics and Tourette's: Breakthrough Discoveries in Natural Treatments" by Sheila J. Rogers. I'm ordering that book, and in the meantime, am already switching his diet to GF/CF in case it helps him. I wonder though, is it most commonly gluten only, or both? I wouldn't want to cut out the dairy too if I didn't have to, know what I mean?

I've been researching ingredients online- there are a lot of sites out there, and also calling the 800 #s on the backs of bottles of products to ask if they are GF. Some of it is very confusing. I've shopped at the GF section at a couple supermarkets and health food store, gathering up a good amount of things. Thankfully, I live very close to 2 really good health food stores that carry a good amount of items. Unfortunately though, they are both closed for vacation this week (strange coincidence!) so I had to go to a different one that isn't as good, in search of bread because the grocery stores didn't carry it. I've found some items I want to order online as well.

I gave him chocolate soy milk and he didn't like it, so I gave him Rice Dream vanilla with some chocolate syrup in it and he loved it! That was a big victory because he is a BIG milk drinker. Getting him to drink Rice Dream, with or without choc, is huge! I also just tried a different soy milk (Silk very vanilla fortified for kids) with choc syrup and he liked that too. The other one, that he didn't like, was a pre-made choc soymilk, so I'll just buy the vanilla one and add choc syrup.

I'm hoping he will get better, while realizing that he may not.

Has anyone else tried GF/CF? If so, how did it go for you?

Dawn