Food Allergies and Developmental Delay?

Hi there yes, my little girl is 15 months and ive recently taken her to see a specialist who has said she has moderate to severe developmental delay. I have been promised speech/play/physio therapy so im hoping these things work. i have bought a book called "is that my child" by dr robin pauc he covers all aspects of developmental delay and has good foods and bad food lists and also says the biggest thing is to get the child on double dose of omega fish oil 3 & 6. My little one has been taking these for last 11 days and ive noticed a considerable improvement (eye q baby are the make of omega ive got her on) they are expensive at about £8.00 for a 30 day supply and my little girl is taking 2 a day but it will be worth it for improvements.  I also have cut out all the bad foods and she is having tons more fish and vegetables . I hope your coping ok because its  massive shock when a professional confirms your worst fears but i just live for each day and think these are my children and they are the only ones i have so im going to enjoy them. Goodluck, i would love to hear back from you how J is getting on with his therapy.  

Hello and welcome to the wonderful rollercoaster world!  I am writing to tell you about my son ... at 2 1/2 he was evaluated and found to have developmental delays (speech, fine motor, etc.) He was labelled as PDD-NOS.  A very confusing label and not much of an indicator about what his future held.  My son also suffered from severe food allergies - since birth.  He received intensive therapy (speech and OT) as well as a SEIT (Special Education Itinerant Teacher).  The SEIT was of great help - this person is trained to communicate with the therapists and integrate the therapies into daily living situations.  Our SEIT attended pre-school with our son and bridged the gaps.

Additionally, because of his allergies, his diet was excellent.  He ate all fresh foods, nothing from a box, bag or can!  His immune system also benefited, even as a toddler, he probably had only one cold a year.

Now he is almost 9 - he is extremely healthy and a very well-rounded, sincere and beautiful child.  Through a lot of therapy and back-up work at home, he is a thriving third grader.  

I tell you my story, because you need to know that all the hard work, tears and frustration works!  You have to advocate for your child at every turn, but it's worth it.  Work hard and get every resource available - your gut and mother's intution will guide you every time.  

You are both very lucky to have your children in early intervention - don't worry about the labels, the worse the label the better at this age ... they get more services and that's what they need.  My son was labeled with "autism" which provoked so much worry - but in the end he got over 15 hours a week of therapy.  We had re-evaluated this past year and he is nowhere on the autism spectrum - about all he suffers from is his dislike of homework!

Probiotics are great, but I can not be more clear about the gluten and diary free diet - from my years of research, doctor visits, etc. I've come to learn that with children that have a propensity to development delays, the digestive track and immune system is compromised by the gluten an diary.  Cut these out of their diet and you will eventually see a difference. 

My son has experienced nothing but graciousness from parents, friends and teachers regarding his diet - they have all shown compassion and respect - he is not an outcast.  You woul dbe surprised how many alternatives are out there.  We also travel a great deal - not a problem.  We've traveled in an RV across America, and lived in a remote village in Costa Rica for a month - it's easy if you just do a bit of prep.  

As for the therapy - keep connected!  I had follow up calls/meetings with the therapists every week.  They would give me exercises to try at home and sometimes would let me participate insessions, so I could learn what to do at home as well.  Also, have the therapists come talk to your child's teachers.  They should have detailed communications as to progress and areas of concern.  Consistency is key.  I had a notebook that went with my son to all his therapy sessions - the therapists would jot a few notes as to issues, areas of concern and progress.  This notebook went to school for his teachers to see, as well as home, his doctor and even his babysitter.  It was an excellent way to better understand what was going on. It provided great insight and was a great reference for his progress and for his evaluation.

 Sorry to rant on ... So much to say!  If you need any information, advice or just want to winge, feel free to contact me!

My two year old boy, Nicholas, has severe food allergies...since infancy. He also has a severe speech delay along with fine/gross motor issues. He is also afflicted with ezcema. I believe these are all related. I have him on a very specialized diet and we see an occupational/speech therapist weekly. I'm also giving him high doses of Omegas. I'm also going to be taking him to his first NAET appointment this week. Any information that can be provided for me would be MUCH APPRECIATED!! He's a great little boy but has problems with his attention and is ALWAYS moving...never stops. I soooo want to help him.