Brief Report: Implementation of a Specific Carbohydrate Diet for a Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Fragile X Syndrome.

Kelly and her team worked with one young learners boy. He had autism and Fragile X.

The parents put him on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet for four months. The diet cuts out complex sugars and starches.

Doctors tracked his belly pain, stool, growth, and behavior every month. They also checked blood for vitamins and minerals.

The boy had less tummy pain and more normal stools. His vitamin levels went up.

Parents and teachers saw fewer tantrums and more talking. The child stayed at a healthy weight.

No bad side effects showed up. The family kept the diet after the study ended.

Slaughter et al. (2014) already showed that kids with autism often have gut pain. This case gives one way to ease that pain.

Kurokawa et al. (2021) found that gut pain and sensory issues each make behavior worse. The SCD helped both areas in this one child.

GGandhi et al. (2022) used a simple self-management plan to fix eating issues in an older girl. Both studies show feeding problems in autism can change, but they used very different tools.

Wang et al. (2023) looked at many kids and found exercise helps social skills. Barnhill et al. (2020) shows diet might help too. Both are safe add-ons to ABA.

If a preschool client has daily belly pain and big meltdowns, ask parents about diet. A four-month trial of SCD is low risk and may cut pain and problem behavior. Track stool, growth, and target behaviors just like you track any other intervention.