Food allergies and behavior

Found this link while searching for someone else. Thought it was quite interesting since many members here have children diagnosed with ADHD.

[url="http://www.nutramed.com/children/learning1.htm"]http://www.nutramed.com/children/learning1.htm[/url]

The Problems at School
The school profile of children with delayed pattern food allergies, involves a typical set of learning and behavioral problems. Teachers observe inattention, fluctuating performance, restlessness, distractibility, or aggressive behaviors, or remark on the quiet, withdrawn, disinterested nature of the child. Often the child is criticized for laziness or attention seeking, or the parents are blamed for undisciplined behavior. Psychological evaluation often reveals average to above-average intelligence with attention deficits. Some will appear clumsy, with awkward handwriting which varies from day to day, often appearing disorganized or tremulous. The more seriously afflicted children will fail to learn properly and will require assessment for learning disability and some form of remediation. If the behavioral aberrance is marked, they may be referred to school psychologists or psychiatrists. Difficulties in learning language skills top the list of learning problems and the diagnosis of dyslexia is often made. The irritable, restless child is considered "hyperactive" and may be disruptive in the classroom.

These children display quick mood shifts, tearfulness, aggressive behavior, and may, on occasion, be antisocial and violent. The symptoms of depression and hyperactivity may co-exist, alternate, or appear separately. Disruptive behavior in the classroom may be associated with refusal to follow instructions, trouble with classmates, and aggressive, sometimes violent behavior in the school yard. The failure-complex has life-long implications, as the child's personality forms around the dysfunctional patterns. With persisting illness and failure, low self esteem, social maladaptation, and antisocial behaviors develop and may be the presenting problems. Unpleasant, oppositional behavior in the younger child grows into delinquent patterns in early adolescence, and, later, antisocial or criminal behavior, if uncorrected.

(Not saying whether this is accurate or not, but worth thinking about)