As a mother at the helm of a (mostly) gluten-free kitchen, I find it hard not to reflect on how I got here when Mother's Day rolls around.

For me, a celiac diagnosis was almost an "accident" that came with an autism diagnosis. Scrambling to find the best treatments and interventions for my son, I asked his pediatrician about the gfcf diet. I had read book after book and Web site after Web site at this point and was geared up to try the gamut.

What I found out quickly was this diet is not always an accepted treatment in the medical world. Perhaps it's because the doctor knew how daunting it could be to take these foods out of my son's diet, or perhaps it is the lack of studies available on it (here's one I found). Anyway, her skepticism became a blessing, when she prescribed a slew of allergy tests and threw in a celiac panel at the last minute after I asked if an allergy test would pick up any intolerances, particularly to casein (dairy) and gluten.

What started out as an afterthought was the only "positive" result. Soon, we were visiting the GI doctor, obtaining a diagnosis and cleaning out our kitchen.

About six months later, we took out dairy, reintroduced it after a few months, and then quickly took it out again. It was clear to us that our son has a strong behavioral reaction to dairy, although the blood tests didn't show any intolerance.

The fortunate thing about a celiac diagnosis, if someone with this autoimmune disease can find a silver lining, is no one can dispute the medical significance. If you have celiac, you must delete gluten. There is evidence in the intestines that damage has been done. Another silver lining is that you can maybe find it in family members, who might otherwise be suffering with an undiagnosed disease.

And fortunately for us, our son has taken to this diet pretty well. He's a picky eater, but over time has come to accept all kinds of healthful alternatives, such as Lundberg Spinach and Wild Mushroom rice. We still have some heart-breaking moments, like when he has to eat his "special" pizza at a birthday party, or the kids in his class are dipping chicken nuggets while my disappointed son nibbles on gluten-free pretzels. It hasn't been an easy road, but it is the right one to travel for the sake of my son's health.

So, here we are. We are completely gluten-free and casein-free for more than a year and a half, and I can confidently say that our son is a healthier and happier boy. He still has some behaviors associated with autism (self-stimulating sounds, repetitive language, etc.), but some of these have been greatly reduced since implementing the diet (hand flapping, spinning, tip-toe walking, tantruming). Whether they are related, or a result of other treatments only time -- and frankly, more research -- will tell.

But for now, he's happy, he's healthy and I'm one proud mom.

Note: This study (among many others) reveals research indicating there is no link between autism and celiac. It's an interesting read.