The number of children diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorders has escalated from 1 in 250 to 1 in 58 last year in the US. Although often described as ‘genetic’ obviously the genes haven’t changed, so what’s going on in the environment that’s driving this rapid breakdown in neurodevelopment? Paul Shattock OBE has spent his life researching autism, and is the Chair of the ESPA (Education and Services for People with Autism) and former director of the Autism Research Unit at the University of Sunderland. There he showed that many autistic children had ‘casomorphins’ and ‘gliadorphins’ – opioids created from wheat and milk when the gut is leaky – in their urine. This is but one of many factors linked to increasing risk for ASD and other neurodevelopmental problems. We’ll be having a frank discussion about everything from vitamins to vaccines, essential fats to environmental toxins - learning from a man whose dedicated decades to finding out what’s going on and how to help children and their families. For more information about nutrition and brain health go to the mind health topic on my website or see Optimum Nutrition for the Mind.