PETA is now blaming autism on dairy consumption

Oh, for fuck's sake, PETA.

Just when I thought you were ready to start making smart and funny advertising, you pull more of this shit.

Their claim:

More research is needed, but scientific studies have shown that many autistic kids improve dramatically when put on a diet free of dairy foods. One study of 20 children found a major reduction in autistic behavior in kids who were put on a casein-free diet (casein is a component of cow’s milk). And another study done by researchers at the University of Rome showed a “marked improvement” in the behavior of autistic children who were taken off dairy products.

Freethoughtblogs.com says that these studies are actually the work of the Autism Research Institute, which is described thusly in Wikipedia:

Quackwatch includes the Autism Research Institute on its list of "Questionable Organizations".  It holds to the medically-discredited belief that autism is caused by vaccinations.It also suggests chelation therapy, a treatment which is dangerous enough to have caused multiple deaths.

PETA also manages to rely on anecdotes from people who are convinced their autistic children improved by eliminating dairy:

Then I realized that Miles’ ear infections had begun when he was 11 months old, just after we had switched him from soy formula to cow’s milk. He’d been on soy formula because my family was prone to allergies, and I’d read that soy might be better for him. I had breast-fed until he was 3 months old, but he didn’t tolerate breast milk very well—possibly because I was drinking lots of milk. There was nothing to lose, so I decided to eliminate all the dairy products from his diet. What happened next was nothing short of miraculous. Miles stopped screaming, he didn’t spend as much time repeating actions, and by the end of the first week, he pulled on my hand when he wanted to go downstairs. For the first time in months, he let his sister hold his hands to sing “Ring Around a Rosy.”

Sound familiar? It's the Jenny McCarthy School of Medical Research!

If PETA wants to promote a dairy-free diet because they don't believe animals should be forcibly milked for human sustenance, then why don't they just say that? Instead, they continue to make questionable health claims about diet.

Clearnet has pulled the billboard.

Thanks to Jerome for the tip.