Cathy A... I can't even get my in-laws to treat my son's or my allergies seriously! (fifteen years of watching everyone else eat Thanksgiving dinner!) We are allergic to wheat, corn, eggs, dairy, and soy. My son also appears to have a latex allergy. I've all but given up on complete strangers, or even people who should pay attention like school officials. Most glue, paint, tape, modeling clay (almost all art supplies!) have either wheat or corn in them, and I keep going round and round with school administrators and teachers about it. So I completely understand as well!
I've even gone round and round with doctors who tell me that true dairy allergy is very rare and that my other allergies to anything in the garlic family are just sensitivities. But I've learn that if I'm exposed to something and start to have a reaction, then taking Benadryl stops it immediately. It has to be an allergic reaction if an anti-histamine blocks it.
My point was that "gifted kids can be misdiagnosed because they have an allergic reaction that results in them being distractible, having high activity levels, showing temper tantrums, or being impulsive." I realize that this is in a different league from anaphylactic shock, but it may be a concern to others here. True allergic reactions can cause bizarre behaviors in some people. I witnessed this today in fact when my son came home from day camp with a rash across his face and in an extremely impulsive, aggressive mood. All from playing with play-do. An hour after taking benadryl, the rash was gone and he was back to his sweet little self.
And from the point of view of watching everything my DS8 (today is his birthday) eats and knowing that he can't eat at restaurants or treats at school (and cooking everything from scratch... try making a wheat-free, egg-free, dairy-free birthday cake that an eight year old will eat), then I feel your pain. Allergies just come in all shapes and sizes.
