Totally agree on avoiding food additives. I try to do that as much as possible, even though that means cooking at home most of the time.

Caught just part of a local newscast this morning where food coloring and its affect on hyperactivity were being discussed. Here's a link to an article in case anyone else wants more info: FDA Holds Hearing on Safety of Food Coloring

I was slightly amused (mild term) to hear that the FDA was addressing this. As I recall, back 30-35 years ago, many women I knew and respected were ADAMANT that food additives like dyes negatively impacted their children's behavior.

But according to the "experts" there was no scientific proof. These apparently prescient women (and men) were told that it was all in their imagination...

Does anyone else beside me recall that books were written by parents of autistic children about their searches for ways to help their children? In most cases, as I recall, these parents wrote that they found improvement in their children's behavior and ability to function, IF they were on diets that restricted their intake of processed foods.

Way way back in my 20's, I got my college diploma in early childhood education, and worked many years as a live-in nanny and in daycare. Even back then there was clearly a link between diet and behaviour, and more than enough evidence that food dyes had a detrimental impact on young children. IMHO many children who have been diagnosed with ADD may well have an oversensitivity to additives and food dyes (in particular the reds). We've seen this in our own grandson, whose behaviour changed dramatically when his parents cut out everything with red dye (including cough syrups).

While on my course, I did two of my required essays and projects on autism, involving a lot of reading and research. I remember reading that limiting chemical intake and sensory overstimulation helped minimize the children's stress (and subsequent behavioral reaction to the stress).

I think one of the best experts in the field is Dr. Temple Grandin, an autistic woman whose insights into autism are amazing (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_Grandin) - I found the movie about her very inspiring.

Dr Grandin is an amazing woman. I haven't seen the movie, but I have read one of her books about animal behavior that was awesome! I would highly recommend it - I need to go find the name of it.

It's "Animals Make Us Human"

Food additives can cause hyperactivity..I taught a boy who did reacted with certain "E" numbers..although diagnosed and having a clear understanding he would seek out the sweets that caused his behaviour to be out of hand..
he became a world class swimmer when he was channeled into sport.
the condition for him curtails his ability to work so sport fills a social need

Hyperactivity has a different diagnosis to autism which has a name in todays society but would be blanketed in the past when often institutional living was usued to care for the children

The continuim of autusim is vast.

I surely believe Dr. Grandin's concept, animals have emotions.
And IMO animals are smart. I personally cannot stand to see
a slaughterhouse. My dad never sent any of his cows to market;
his animals died of natural causes before being removed from
the farmland. Dr. Grandin's has a brisker personality than I;
it helps with her research. And I'm grateful to her for those 30 years of animal studies. As an animal lover, I'm thankful someone is trying to help ease the wrongful treatment some critters undergo.

I taught self-contained autism my last 6 years of teaching.
Reading all of Temple Grandin's books really helped me gain insight into what my students were dealing with.

Like you Greene learning as much as possible about autism enables teachers to work out stategy .The sheer talent shown by high functioning autistic children/adult.is amazing
Dr Grandin amongst other savants exhibit great talent.Some are musicians some artists..with great attention to detail

where is the line between a person who concentrates on one topic and becomes the expert and a person who is "wired" to think in the way autistic people do ?

My students all had their strong points but couldn't be considered 'high functioning'. If they had been they would have been mainstreamed rather than in my self contained class. My guys were more involved and couldn't function out of a highly structured environment with reduced stimulation and very structured programming. Take that away and the behaviors became a real challenge. I loved them all and in their own way they returned the affection.

Maybe the line you mentioned has to do with degree of difference between their singular strength and their over all functioning level?