I hope so, too! Although, when DD was a toddler, another child used her tricycle after eating a granola bar. Then DD used it and she got hives up to her elbows on both arms.

We don't eat out anymore because DD had a reaction to some (supposedly peanut-free) Indian food. DD had hives for three days.

She wears her Epipen around her waist and eats at a peanut-free table at school. The whole thing absolutely scares me to death, especially when I can't seem to get through to her teachers. Just this week, DD brought home a goodie bag from her teacher. It had two mini candy bars in it labeled "May contain peanuts." To me, it might as well say "May contain cyanide!" So if I am a little touchy on the subject, I hope you will all understand

In the book that I mentioned earlier, Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnoses in Gifted Children and Adults, Dr. Webb has a Chapter entitled "Allergies, Asthma, and Reactive Hypoglycemia." (Chapter 8). Here is a quote from page 169:

"Rogers' analysis of data collected by Silverman on children with IQ scores above 160 revealed that 44% suffered from allergies, compared to 20% of the general population and that almost 10% suffered from asthma.

In our clinical experience, approximately 30% to 40% of highly gifted children suffer from allergies, usually to food of some type or to common chemicals. Silverman (2002) concluded from a 20-year clinical sample that the most frequently occurring allergies reported for gifted children were milk and milk products, sugar, corn, chocolate, caffeine, eggs, and red food dye."

I also found a link to an article in Living Without Magazine about corn allergy, if anyone is interested. It discussed allergy-induced autism.

http://www.livingwithout.com/features/vault_corncrazy.html

Oh yes! Completely! And we worry for your DD, too.

I think the hardest part is that allergic kids are out there in the world without you. I'm not a control freak (well, not entirely anyway... ), but that part of DS7's allergies to tree nuts filled me with dread. And all we can do is do our best to prepare them and hope that they remember to ask the right questions and accept only the right answers...even when faced with some yummy treat that they REALLY want.

*sigh*

So scary!

Sorry, but this is another example of what I am talking about. The top 8 food allergens are actually peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, soy and wheat. Things like sugar and caffeine are not proteins and cannot be true allergens. Certainly, people can have adverse reactions to these things. But lumping them together with true allergies makes very little scientific sense.

Maybe these should be referred to as sensitivities rather than true allergens? Kids being sensitive to a product is very different than having a true life threatening reaction. So I definitely understand your being a bit touchy about the subject!!! I would be too.

My kids have skin allergies and regular seasonal type allergies but no food allergies as of yet (and hopefully never!) I guess Kriston is right and all you can do is educate your child about the dangers. You would think educating the adults in their lives would help too but what do you do with teachers sending home candy with peanuts in it????!!!! Good grief!!!!

I don't know. DD is fairly responsible about her allergies, but I just don't understand why the teacher would put this stuff in her bag. We have been round and round about this with the teacher, so it's not like she isn't aware of the issue. Somehow, people just feel compelled to force junk food on my kids.

Anyway, this is getting way OT. Sorry about that.

Sorry too!!!!!

Cathy, I don't know if this will make you feel better or worse, but I have a friend whose daughter is also severely allergic to milk and peanuts. Actually all dairy. People just don't pay attention. When she was at my house my DD5 who was 4 climbed up into the cabinet and took out some gum and gave her a piece. And we had been watching them closely, it happened in a second. Luckily the gum had nothing she was allergic to .
Her school drops the ball all the time, they just aren't mentally programmed to be on the alert about the allergies all the time.
I am sorry you are in this situation, I can't imagine how hard this is, especially when they are little.

Oh, incog--I know there are many others in the same boat. That's one reason why it's so frustrating. Public awareness is very low.

Thanks for your understanding

I think people confuse neurological reactions with immunological reactions. And clearly, one can influence the other. In very preliminary evidence, kids w/ early onset autism and regressive-type autism each have different immunologic profiles from each other as well as from normal kids.