The short answer is: No, there isn’t a simple treatment for Autism based on simple diet, lifestyle, or supplement changes. There are countless books, blogs, and social media influencers claiming to have unlocked something, but it never translates to something broadly useful.

There’s a long history of these claimed fixes. They follow popular trends that come and go. They’ve been attached to everything from eliminating dyes and food colorings to every possible alternate diet out there.

Placebo effect is a large part of it. People feel better when they feel like they have some control over their condition. They buy into the popular narrative and then they really do feel better, even if nothing has actually changed physically.

It’s also common for people with major medical diagnoses like Autism to start thinking that every one of their symptoms is attributable to Autism. Some of these people might have gluten intolerance as a separate issue, so going gluten free improves a number of issues for them. Instead of attributing the improvement to improving their gut problem, they assume they have treated their Autism.