Hi Beth and others,
        While I agree that the close physical contact of breastfeeding is of major
importance to children with austism spectrum disorders... I need to point
out that there is a major push right now to begin diagnosing infants.
Including a new visual cues test that has identified a specific
triangulation pattern of the lips, in conjunction with other
characteristics, such as feeding problems, sleeping (or lack of sleeping I
should say) patterns, lack of protective extension, babbling (or lack of
babbling) patterns, etc.
        And while there is not a blood test for "autism" per se, there are, and
have been for years, peptide tests, among other tests that do track the
very peptide levels and other signs like "leaky gut syndrome" that are a
result of this proposed metabolic problem related to casein and gluten.
        Therefore for families with already diagnosed children, the qusestions
about breastmilk are in fact not moot nor easily dismissed. Some evidence
about what possible level of effect colostrum only might have, or 1 year of
bf might have would be very important. Just becasue current diagnostic
procedures don't identify infants does not mean damage isn't already
occuring -- that's what I'm asking.
        You can bet that if I should have another child (I have one with
?aspergers/hyperlexia disorder and one NT) I will be watching for those
tell tale signs that I kept asking about in my son's infancy and then I
will be faced with the hardest decision of my life... as will many other
parent's I'm sure. Would I not bf a subsequent sibling just bc of an older
sib's dx, heaven's no, but I would have to consider cessation or
combination feeding if I saw similar patterns emerging.

respectfuLLLy,
anne

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