Children and Autism | Foodfacts.com

Foodfacts.com has come across an interesting news item of interest to parents of autistic children concerned about the much-discussed and speculated dietary-nutrition connection. On November 15th, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), North America Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (NASPGHAN) and Autism Speaks hosted a one day symposium of researchers, clinicians and pediatric specialists to address GI symptoms seen in children with autism spectrum disorders.

This was a monumental event, since it involved three influential and respected groups coming together to acknowledge and address the GI/Autism connection. The symposium included lectures from various experts in the field and covered topics such as constipation, diarrhea, reflux, vomiting and nutrition.

The Autism Speaks website writes that the symposium was intended to “raise awareness among specialists about GI disorders in autism; to educate clinicians and researchers on the latest scientific information on pathophysiology, evaluation, and treatment strategies for autism spectrum disorder-gastrointestinal (ASD-GI) disorders and plan new directions for research for ASD-GI disorders.