Products: Testimonials
To learn about other families’ experiences with Neocate products and how diet and nutrition intervention has been helpful for some children with autism and GI symptoms, see the parent testimonials below.
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E028 Splash Improves Mac’s GI Issues
Better Nutrition Helps Autistic Boy Better Focus on Developmental Therapy
 Patient History: Premature at birth, respiratory problems, and GI issues, along with several developmental issues - the Dawson family was bound for many hospital visits with their son Mac. Around 15 months of age, things became even harder when it became more difficult to get Mac’s attention and make eye contact him. Mac had been in therapy for months, and was seen by several doctors, but as the months went on it became more apparent Mack was not developing like other kids his age.
By the time he was two years old, Mac’s mother Amy became concerned that it was more than developmental delay causing problems for her son. His social skills were limited, his behavior was changing and his cognitive thinking was not on par with his twin sister. After more doctor visits, Mac was diagnosed with autism.
For three years, Mac suffered from gastrointestinal issues, including reflux, vomiting and loose stool. Due to his many impairments Mac was failing to thrive and not obtaining adequate nutrition even though he had been 100% tube fed from birth.
Nutritional Management and Outcome: At about age two and a half, an allergist diagnosed Mac with multiple food allergies. The allergist did not believe Mac was allergic to dairy. Months later, Amy and Mac met a new doctor who advised an elimination diet to determine whether dairy was causing problems for Mac. That night Mac was taken off dairy. Tears of joy came to Amy when he called her “Mama” the very next day.
Soon after the diet changes and to ensure Mac was getting all the nutrition he needed to thrive, a pediatrician recommended that Mac start taking E028 Splash, a nutritionally complete, amino acid-based drink. E028 Splash provides the daily recommended intake (DRIs) of vitamins and minerals needed for growth and development and has shown to relieve GI symptoms in 3 days¹. Mac saw relief, had no painful GI symptoms and had improvement with his autistic symptoms. For example, Mac stopped staring off into space as though in a trance.
“He went from throwing up eight to ten times a day and needing respiratory medications three times a day to rarely throwing up in a month and not needing any respiratory medication at all,” says Amy.
After starting the E028 Splash, Mac had better bowl movements, gained weight, had better muscle tone, became more verbal, made more eye contact and began making better progress with his developmental therapy. Mac is finally thriving.
“You can really tell he’s happier because he’s not in pain anymore,” says Amy. “It was like going from having my son be lost to me to not having my son be lost to me anymore,” says his mother Amy.
Six months after starting E028 Splash Mac visited one of his specialists, an orthopaedic surgeon, who saw him just before he switched to E028 Splash. In her outpatient report Mac’s doctor wrote: “Mac is unbelievably different than even 6 months ago in terms of his overall motor function. He is very active. He is also very vocal and says a number of words. Mac is very well nourished.”
Summary: E028 Splash improved the health and behavioral and cognitive skills of Mac, an autistic three-year-old who suffered from gastrointestinal issues. Many children with autism have GI issues; however healthcare professionals do not always link the two together. Once he was no longer suffering from the painful symptoms of his GI issues and began receiving the nutrition he needed, he improved developmentally and became a whole new little boy and became a part of his family.
E028 Splash Relieves GI Issues for Jeannie’s Child with Autism
 Patient History: From birth, Mariah Nelson suffered from painful gastrointestinal issues. At only a few weeks old, she exhibited severe constipation that led to hospitalization. The gastrointestinal issues quickly escalated to include acute flu symptoms and excessive projectile vomiting.
At the same time, Mariah displayed no interest in eating and feeding her was an enormous challenge for her parents. The unwillingness to eat, in conjunction with the excessive projectile vomiting, led to Mariah’s dehydration. She was severely underweight and not receiving the proper nutrition that is critical for growth at her age.
Within her first two years, Mariah showed multiple signs of developmental delay, including an inability to speak. At age three, her physician diagnosed her with autism.
Nutritional Management and Outcome: Mariah’s physician prescribed several medications for her digestive disturbances, but she showed no improvement. Mariah’s mother, Jeannie, attempted numerous home remedies such as castor oil to help alleviate the constipation. Jeannie also tried feeding clinics and mashing up her daughter’s food in an attempt to make it more palatable, but Mariah continued to suffer. In fact, at one point, Mariah was hospitalized for severe flu symptoms three times within a five-month period.
The pediatrician prescribed reflux medication and recommended the family completely overhaul Mariah’s diet. Jeannie removed all casein and gluten from Mariah’s diet and substituted all dairy products with soy-based products. Mariah showed some improvement after the diet changes, but not enough. She was still vomiting several times per day.
When she was five years old, Mariah’s pediatrician referred the family to another pediatrician at the University of Minnesota. At this point, Mariah weighed less than 40 pounds.
The new pediatrician immediately recommended E028 Splash, an amino acid-based drink box for children with GI issues. Knowing Mariah’s feeding issues as well as the child’s sensitivity to taste and texture, the doctor recommend the Nelson family begin feeding the E028 Splash to Mariah with a syringe.
Within two days of starting the E028 Splash, Mariah was drinking on her own. Shortly after, she showed significant growth, weight gain and improved muscle tone.
Now seven years old, Mariah still does not speak because of her autism. However, because she is better nourished, she is stronger, healthier and has shown a dramatic improvement in her ability to pay attention. She no longer suffers from sever projectile vomiting or acute flu symptoms. Recent biopsies show that her gut has healed.
“Some days E028 Splash is all she will take,” says Jeannie. “She has no desire to eat, but she will go to the fridge and take out her cup with her E028. That is her preference over anything else she could choose.”
Summary: After years of suffering from painful gastrointestinal disorders, E028 Splash has dramatically improved the health of Mariah Nelson, an autistic seven-year-old. With the GI symptoms relieved, Mariah is now happier, healthier and displays a greatly improved ability to pay attention to her surroundings.
E028 Splash Helps Solvej Catch Up with Peers
Patient History: When Solvej was a year old she began refusing food. By about 18 months, feeding her was almost impossible. She would constantly scream and become frantic if her parents even tried to put her near a high chair.
What most kids eat in a week, Solvej would eat in a month” says her mom Jenny. “When a normal kid would eat a whole banana, we would be lucky if Solvej even had a bite.”
Because she was suffering from malnutrition, Solvej also began to fall behind other kids her age on her growth and development. She was just learning to crawl when most kids were beginning to walk. And when other toddlers were beginning to put sentences together, Solvej was not yet speaking.
Nutritional Management and Outcome: Jenny took Solvej to several pediatricians, but none of them could determine the cause of her eating problems. They said Solvej would eat when she was hungry, but Solvej never ate.
Jenny was finally referred to a developmental pediatrician who recommended that Solvej try E028 Splash, an amino-acid based medical food for children with gastrointestinal issues.
“We saw immediate results with E028 Splash,” says Jenny. “Within two days of starting the medical food, Solvej was a happier kid. By the end of the first week she began walking.”
After beginning E028 Splash, Solvej quickly caught up with other children her age. She began walking and her language skills dramatically improved. Within six months, she went from not talking at all to speaking in full sentences.”
“While we’re not sure what exactly was causing Solvej’s feeding issues, we’re sure her quick turnaround has something to do with getting the proper nutrition from E028 Splash,” says Jenny.
Summary: After refusing to eat any type of food, E028 Splash provided Solvej with the nutrition she needed to thrive. Since she still refuses to eat many foods, a box of E028 Splash at every meal ensures that she gets the calories and nutrients necessary for any growing child.
“E028 Splash has made a huge difference,” says Jenny. “We now have a happier child and a happier family.”
E028 Splash Helps Chloe Thrive
Patient History: When Chloe was 2 years and 5 months old, she began exhibiting signs associated with autism spectrum disorder, including a decrease in socializing and diminishing eye contact. At 3 years old she was diagnosed with severe autism.
In addition, Chloe refused almost all foods and therefore wasn’t getting the nutrients she needed to grow and thrive. Her eating habits caused her to become extremely thin, moody and tired.
“It was stressful on the entire family,” said Chloe’s mother Shelley. “We needed to find something to get her the needed nutrients, fats and calories so that she would be healthy and have enough energy to focus on her ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) therapy.”
Nutritional Management and Outcome: Chloe’s parents first took her to a neurologist to rule out any physical problems she may have. She was then seen by psychologists who diagnosed her with autism spectrum disorder, but were not able to help in healing or treating her.
In an attempt to get Chloe speaking again and engage in social activity, she started ABA therapy, but her parents didn’t see much progress. Her parents also tried giving Chloe supplemental drinks to get extra nutrients in her, but this only resulted in Chloe waking up numerous times in the middle of the night and mood changes.
Chloe eventually started seeing a biomedical doctor who specialized in helping treat children with autism. The doctor ran a variety of tests and discovered that Chloe was highly allergic to milk.
The doctor recommended that Chloe try E028 Splash, an amino acid-based drink box for kids with severe milk allergies and related gastrointestinal issues. Chloe began drinking 1-2 boxes a day and within a week her parents noticed drastic changes.
“Once Chloe began taking E028 Splash she started acting more alert, spoke more and in general was a happier child,” said Shelley. “In addition, she made significant improvements in her ABA therapy because she was able to focus and was finally sleeping through the night!”
Summary: E028 Splash significantly improved the health of Chloe, a child diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder who also suffered from milk allergies. Once Chloe began taking E028 Splash and receiving the nutrition she needed, she was able to focus on her behavioral therapy.
“E028 Splash allowed Chloe’s body to heal,” said Shelley. “Chloe is now a happy girl and we will keep her on E028 Splash as long as she needs it.”
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