Behavior Signs In Teen

[My3B's]

I was diagnosed 2 years ago and began a gluten free diet. My 2 youngest, who had symtpoms, were also started gluten-free but my 13 year old was not showing any symptoms and his bloodwork came back normal but at the high end of normal. He is now almost 15 and we had a very bad year with school this year. I was wondering if anyone else experiences these symtpoms with their kids.

He is the world's worst procrastinator, has a big problem with organization, has had trouble with "daydreaming" and not paying attention in school. Lots of "I forgot" about that assignment. Losing his planner, project etc. Just can't seem to stay focused and get it together this year. Gone from A's and B's to C's and mostly D's. He is very bright but has been making comments that we think he is smarter than he is and are simply expecting too much but every teacher comments on how he is not working up to potential. We have tried all kinds of reward/punishment strategies, nothing is helping. Chronically has an excuse and tries to put blame onto other people or situations.

There is a sub type of ADD without the hyperactivity and he seems to fit the bill but with my youngest the reason we all got diagnosed was his very severe ADD/ADHD lack of impulse control behaviors, now far improved with gluten-free. I am wondering if this type of ADD may also improve with a gluten-free diet.

He is small for his age and has not started puberty yet. He has an appointment next week and he will have the celic panel run again to see if the numbers have increased. No gastro symptoms.

Anyone else experience this type of thing.

[eatmeat4good]

From the age of 7 my son exhibited these same symptoms. ADD without hyperactivity. It came on suddenly though and prior to that was a very normal happy healthy child. He was spacey and daydreamy and couldn't focus. He stopped wanting to be touched and hugged. He sort of functioned like a zombie when he was awake and he slept a lot. All the Dr.'s would say is he needs to exercise. I tried everything. He didn't have gastrointestinal problems with this, but gluten was defintiely the problem. Last October I realized I had Celiac disease and my symptoms quickly started going away. I wondered if his were related. I put him on gluten free diet a month after I started and there was an immediate and drastic change in his personality and functioning. He was acting normal by December...it only took 2 months. He lost his whole childhood to the neurological symptoms of Celiac all because he didn't have gastrointestinal problems. I feel sick about it. He is 16 years old. All we can do is start living our lives now. And that is what we are doing. He can run and exercise and think and he got A's in his second semester this year. I thought I had lost my child. And I did for a long long time. I wish more people knew about the neurological symptoms....gluten ataxia was also present, but no teacher or Dr. ever thought it was anything but uncoordination of adolesence. It makes me sick. I should have googled more. Thank God for this site...he would not be normal yet if not for Scott. Eliminnating gluten made all the difference and very rapidly too. I hope you will take your son gluten free even if his tests don't come up positive. The lask of organization is gone and so is the spaciness and lethargy. It is an amazing difference. I wish I had known. Best of luck to you and your son.

[dilettantesteph]

I have two teenaged children with gluten sensitivity. Their school performance is definitely affected by gluten. At the beginning of this school year my son had problems with gluten cc for about 2 months before we figured it out. The teachers of his two advanced courses wanted to kick him out, he was doing so badly. Now, at the end of the year, with the gluten cc issue solved, he has straight A's.

The problems are all the things you mentioned. Not handing things in, not realizing that they have to do assignments, not paying attention in class etc.

I just hope that my daughter can manage to stay gluten free enough when she is on her own in college in another year. It is a big job since they are both super sensitive.

[Medusa]

We found out my eldest was having problems concentrating in school after she got physically sick from cc in the school meals. Only then did her teacher say that no work got done after lunch and that she seemed to be in a dream all afternoon... I started sending a lunchbox with her and her weekly test results improved dramatically, from barely scraping through to full marks. I wish her teacher had talked to me earlier, instead of just getting mad at my daughter for being "lazy and forgetful"!

I always wonder how many other kids are suffering the same fate...

Good luck!