Can there possibly be anything in this?

Last week I had coffee with a friend, I noticed that her milk came in plastic bottles.

She told me that it was milk from Guernsey cows which are “cows of one colour”. Her son is autistic and she has read some research that shows it can help if you drink milk from such cows. I asked if it had made a difference and she said she’d been doing it for a year and he has had a better year.

The more I work with autistic children and adults the more I realise that we are just at the beginning of understanding autism. I believe that the concept of the Autistic Spectrum will develop and be subdivided into many recognisable types of autism and each type is likely to respond to different treatments.

Parents of autistic children are desperate to find something that will help. This means that even the most benign treatments quickly become emotionally disputed and there are numerous doubtful claims which have the potential to do harm.

When I look at my friend’s little boy who is now writing stories, joining in PE and making friends at school, could it be due to the milk? it’s very difficult to tell. My friend feels she is doing something to help him. And Guernsey milk tastes good in coffee.