Autism and Illness: an Informal Poll
As I've delved into this question, I've directly asked some major researchers why there is an apparent correlation between autism and illnesses ranging from gastrointestinal disorders to ear infections to fevers. I've received a wide range of answers to that question - among them "there's no evidence to support that children with autism are sicker at all." In fact, some researchers suggest that even issues like sleep disorders and bowel issues are no more prevalent among children with autism than among the general population.
As it happens, my son with autism is (touch wood) a healthy child. But I'm guessing that I may be in the minority.
So here's my question: is your child with autism physically ill on a chronic or regular basis? If so, what are the issues you're coping with? Do your child's doctors believe that these ailments are related to autism - or that they're completely separate?
Thanks in advance for your thoughts!
Comments
I believe some things are autism- related. For instance lack of sleep. I can say for my child most of his other issues are not autism- related yet they are. For instance, due to his mouthing of non food items, he caught every germ known to man and then some and when he was younger, he was sick all the time. If my child didn’t mouth non food items, he’d have not gotten sick. The mouthing stopped when a handy school nurse introduced the word “germ” to my son, which in turn became a fear for him. I being the mom that I am, happened to point out just where germs were: every non food item he put in his mouth. Guess what? Each year we spend less and less time in the doctors office. He did have gut issues when he was younger, partly due to the mouthing, and partly due to IBS. I do know via all his medical testing that Irritable Bowel Syndrome is hereditary and autism or not, my child still may have this. Also, some intestinal issues can have known causes, and unless test by a GI doc, one will not know if it’s autism related or medically related. We choose the GI tests, which found common things many kids can have. Surprisingly, my son has only had about 3 ear infections and Friday he turns 9. My niece on the other hand who is a typical child had tons of ear infections and lost hearing over them.
My son’s doctors do credit the lack of sleep to autism and so do I, just as he doesn’t feel pain, can ignore he’s hungry or thirsty, he also ignores the need for sleep. For me, one of the harder things to deal with is my son’s lack of sleep. I happen to need sleep LOL! He also is not at all independent so when he’s awake, you better be too. There was a time my son only slept 2 hrs of a 24 hrs period. I have never known a child like that, not to ever sleep. Without medication, he’d never sleep!
The cycle is vaccine -> routine illness -> antibiotic -> vaccine -> illness -> chronic illness -> impaired development -> autism. My son started with thrush/jaundice at 8 days old as I was vaccinated with MMR at delivery (no rubella titer). I was not consulted and it was given with other blood coag. shots. I remember thinking when the nurse later mentioned it – “how can that be good?” Little did I know. Antifungal meds for Chase at 8 days -> failed breastfeeding b/c candida transfer so irritated my skin and then his gut problems started. Formula after formula caused problems. Same story for MANY MANY families. When will they listen to facts? Antibiotic use is documented to cause repeated ear infections/problems and vaccines increase the cycle of depressed cellular immunity. So sad. These kids are ill as a result of pediatric practice – not routine infectious illness.
Gastro problems are just common in children in general. Many of the families on the spectrum whose children have gut problems would have had those problems without autism but communication problems complicate it.
Lactose intolerance is common all over the world. Also some children are allergic to soy or milk proteins in some formals.
Also acid reflux should be checked for very common.
Lack of sleep is part of autism but I am lucky after my child throws her big tantrum she usually does sleep.
I feel I am happier because of it.
I agree with Sandy that mouthing is a problem with germs but can also be a source of toxins.
My son had thrush with in just a few days aftr being born, while I was nursing and he had yet to have a vaccine. Yeast is within everyone and there’s no way around that and when my mom nursed us waaaaaay back when, we had thrush too and she did not vaccinate. Thrush can happen regardless of autism or vaccines.
Ear infections are actually caused by the tubes not draining properly, and to heal an infection takes longer due to antibiotic over-use and infections becoming more and more resistant to antibiotics. Ear infections are not so related to autism in my opinion, many many children suffer from this.
My son’s mouthing yes very much could be a source of toxins if not watched. You know, he didn’t just mouth, he broke off his teeth too biting these objects. I could offer all the cool sensory toys out there, but he’d go for a fork or chair leg.
I didn’t put it all together until recently (my son is now 3.5 with a diagnosis of PDD_NOS at 21 months) but he has been sick an incredible amount compared to his NT 7yr old sister. And when he gets sick, he gets really sick. Now sometimes he gets sicker form the medicine than from the initial illness. Our saga began at 2 months when he needed a chest xray and was diagnosed with reactive airway.He was having the regular schedule of vaccines and now began long trail of anti-biotics. I began giving him wheat and airy and solid food at 8 months and by his 8 month visit I was prompted to ask his Pediatrician why he always had a runny nose and a cough. He began to have repetitive ear infections, the fluid never drained, his speech wasn’t coming and then we found out at 18 months he couldn’t hear because of the fluid. At his 15 month visit I said to the NP “I’m not worried about him developmentally, I’m worried about his health. He had 4 vaccines that day, one was the mmr. He was sick solidly through to his 18 month visit where his pediatrician actually looked visibly panicked. Between the 15 and 18 m. visit he had been in the ER for Croup and had been on serial anti-biotics. I had stopped nursing at this time (!) He also had a terrible stomach flu. A covering physician mentioned “this little boy is very, very sick!” He had bronchitus, reactive ariway and his ears were consistently infected. At this time he began spinning wheels, staring into space, ignoring (not hearing) his name, spacing out on the washing machine and was incredibly irritable.He was diagnosed on the spectrum at that time. He’s had three sets of ear tubes, his adeniods out, pneumonia, asthma, chronic diarrhea. Our biggest struggle is keeping him well enough so that he can get something out of all of his therapy. We have had much more result from bio-med treatment than from behavioral work. You can just tell from looking at this little boy that he doesn’t feel well, doesn’t have any energy and really resents being dragged to do things he’s just not physically up for. If you ask me-there is something physically, sytemically wrong with him and I am so tired of hearing “just add more ABA” Hope this helps. Alison MacNeil
On the sleep issue – one researcher told me that it was possible that kids with autism really sleep as much as other kids, but that they are much more likely to get up and wander around when they wake during the night. Certainly seems possible in some cases – but there also seem to be a lot of families coping with chronic exhaustion!
Lisa (autism guide)
Epilepsy or abnormal eegs (up to 60%) of ASD population. Low muscle tone (hypotonia). Gastro issues. Sensory dysfunction. All seen with great regularity in my house and in many autisms generally.
http://www.amazon.com/Autism-Its-Medical-Management-Professionals/dp/1843108348/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1209504526&sr=8-1
My 8 year old son is autistic and generally a healthy kid. Other than
having a very rigid diet consisting
of pasta, and McDonald’s french fries
and chicken nuggets (which send him
promptly to the bathroom) the gastro
stuff you talked about…no ear infections, just seasonally allergies,
and ecsema until he was 3, otherwise a
healthy, but very LARGE soon to be 9 year old LOL…with all the other issues
that come with his autism, I say silent
blessing everyday that he is not dealing with health issues.
My eldest has multiple allergies (but then so do I) Keratoconus which we have been told is often a direct result of multiple allergies, asthma, eczema, psoriasis and poor muscle tone. He fitted after the MMR and his general health went down hill from there. He suffered a collapsed lung after recurring infection when he was 6 year old and still has recurring infections. He also has some serious bowel problems. No one has EVER looked at any of his health problems as being connected to his autism but I feel that they all are. I am convinced that the constant drip drip of antibiotic played a big part in his health issues but at the time we were not even aware that he was autistic as he was not diagnosed until he was 13.
My youngest has cyclical vomiting syndrome, something he has had from being tiny but I kept getting told that all babies vomit – yes but not like that. He also has eczema and is joining his brother and myself with the multiple allergies slowly but surely. He can have spells of wonderful health followed by prolonged bouts of ill health where for months he catches one thing after another.Anything he does get is usually complicated. He was admitted to A&E with chicken pox after it invaded his nasal passages and he was also very poorly with what we call slapped cheeck here but you may know as 5th Disease. Other kids were off school for a couple of day he was off school for 6 weeks.
These researchers should come research my kid, I know he cant be the only one LOL! When he was younger, flip a coin as to when I finally got him to sleep…. 11 PM, 2 PM… I fell alseep before he did. We did do a sleep study, didn’t amount to beans other than it was confirmed, my kid doesn’t sleep LOL!
One silly doctor said it’s obvious he didn’t need as much sleep as other kids and I said I begged to differ. This kid would wear out all his muscles before he was 10 at this rate! And besides that, researching this myself, who knew your body did so much while sleeping??
I applaud your motive in permitting the autism community to share information. Right off the bat I would like to give advice to make this sharing of information more constructive, and reinforce the positve aspects of sharing this information.
First if something over 70% of identical twins share autism, then one could assume roughly 70% is genetic, and 30% is “birth defect” such as a twisted umbilical cord, in utero trauma such as viruses, strokes, chemical exposure, etc. If your child is profoundly retarded, has facial or ear deformities, deafness, blindness, etc. then be sure to mention it is likely from in utero trauma or some less common genetic cause when you start listing co-morbidities (illnesses shared with autism).
“Autism” is a symptom, not a disease- for instance the gentleman who was the Hollywood inspiration for “Rain Man” has a very specific brain defect; the main bundle of nerve fibers connecting the two hemispheres of his brain did not develop properly, so he has a birth defect which caused many profound changes, and some of them are traits common to “autistics”.
Many of us know our autism is very likely genetic; I am professionally diagnosed with Asperger’s, have a brother professionally diagnosed with Asperger’s, and some of my sons appear to be on the spectrum, as do some of my other siblings, parents, uncles and cousins. In my family, there seems to be a very profound pattern of nervous system ailments.
I have never understood the argument regarding whether high functioning autism and Apserger’s are the same thing or not. I have personally known many engineers with autistic children, and have seen much anecdotal evidence of this familial connection between autism and Asperger’s. If it seems pretty obvious there is a genetic connection between autism and Asperger’s, and we each have our place on the spectrum, then the HFA/Asperger’s argument seems little more than arguing over where the exact center of the spectrum is.
Sharing my comorbidities, I have always startled easily, one of my sons startles easily, and after years of teasing/torture (depending on your point of view) I have reached the point where I startle so easily and so intensely, that when I am startled I break my ribs, my thumbs, tear tendons and muscles, and I have even shattered a tooth. Two of my siblings are on social security because they cannot handle the stress of normal employment. Two have heart problems that seem related to nerve malfunctions.
Studies have shown adults with Asperger’s not following expected sleep patterns, and I too have sleep problems which indicate unorthodox sequences of the sleep states. I also have the unusual ability to work several days straight with nothing but power naps for a minute or two at intervals. I can also disregard pain and function fairly normally with untreated broken bones.
I have had thyroid problems, problems with bones seeming to break unusually easily. I am extremely susceptable to the nitrite in cured meats; I can eat it day after day with no problem, but stop eating it for even a single day and whammo- I have a horrible migraine-like puke your guts out headache.
Why else is this forum important?
Now since we know that many autistic people do not show activation of “mirror neurons” under medical test, we have a non-subjective marker- we are different. We have studies showing transient differences in skull size, and distinct ratios of gray matter to white matter, and the relative size of the amygdala.
Our DNA controls our growth by creating proteins and turning them on and off at precisely the right time. What happens if a protein turns on too early, or too late, or stays on too short a time, or too long? If there is variability in the timing that these proteins turn on and off, it helps explain the breadth of the range of autistic symptoms.
Proteins often code for more than one type of growth. Many genetic diseases can now be recognized just by looking for certain facial defects. Similarly many genetic defects share many health problems simply because of one defective or missing gene; one defective or missing protein, so the community of people with autistic traits likely caused by gene anomolies should share their co-morbidities. We could better understand our uniqueness, but even better it could permit researchers to spot a pattern, identify a protein, and perhaps create medicine which targets the source of the problems, rather than just symptomatic relief. Sharing symptoms and illnesses in a public forum is a wonderful idea, and could really help. One caveat; like many people with Asperger’s I am proud of my mental prowess, and do not wish to be cured of my intelligence, concentration and impressive memory.
Bill~ you know you mentioned something about the startle. My son has never had this and still doesn’t. Not that it means much but he also has rarely yawned. It’s interesting that you have an over active startle effect.
My 12yo son with AS has always been reasonably healthy. He seems to get sick much less than peers, and for shorter duration. He’s never had an ear infection, no allergies to speak of, no skin conditions. He does get GERD that we keep in check, but that runs in the family. No other GI issues. He does have loose joints but so far they haven’t been an issue.
I have an 8 years old son with autism, we have always been suffering with his sleep disoredrs, tell now, my life is very different from other parents who have typicaly developed children.
He used to have a lot of gastrointestinal problems which is less now, but not curred. He gets very sick often, I think he has a law immune system, comeparimg him with his siblings and peers.
We didn’t realize that children with autism have these symptoms in common, we thought why he has many health issues, as I read more I realize that children with autism have a different immune system.
I’ve got 4 kids. 2 of each. They’ve all had their share of illness, but none of them have had even close to the same degree of sickness as my little guy with ASD. By the time he was 2 months old, he became ill and needed 2 years to recover. Chronic runny/stuffy nose, cough, constant ear infections (and antibiotics) and URI’s. As he got a bit older, he suffered from terrible insomnia, moderate facial eczema and still later (and currently) from GI problems (foul smelling diarrhea). He’s only 4 now. He’s also the only one of my children to have suffered from any these ailments. I believe that many, though not all ASD children share these traits of weak immune functionality. Coincidentally, my son’s URI’s and ear infections ceased when the immunizations were complete. Also, within a week of removing dairy from his diet, the eczema vanished. GI testing has shown very high levels of inflammation. My 3 other kids don’t know what it means to suffer the way our 4 year old has. For my child, there is a most definite connection between health, or lack thereof in the beginning of his life, and autism. Mainstream medical doctors need to start connecting the dots…
I’m a mom and a lactation consultant and I believe breastfeeding is a factor in this complicated issue. My PDD/aspergers son was very difficult to breastfeed, wouldn’t latch, we had to work exhaustingly hard to get him on the breast. I feel that this is more common than acknowledged, and that autism spectrum children are less likely to be successfully breastfeed, and more likely to get supplements that expose them to increased allergies. …both factors that can increase the likelihood of infectious disease.
My son, despite having a very mild case of asthma, and cat allergies, is otherwise very very healthy. At the age of 11, we count one ear infection and about 3 mild colds in his whole life.
I have 4 children. My oldest son has classic autism and was showing signs of it before he was even vaccinated..we have his peculiarities on videotape as a baby. Also, because of the vaccine controversy we did not vaccinate our youngest until he was almost 3. Guess what? Despite not being vaccinated he was still diagnosed at 2 as being on the spectrum. I think in our family the genetic link is obvious and vaccines had nothing to do with it. As far as their health, all of my kids have had ear infections, antibiotics, viruses, diarrhea and constipation. My typical son had the non-stop ear infections & antibiotics as a baby. He’s 9 now and excels more than anyone in the family at sports and academics. Broad statements just don’t work with people with autism.
if one of the thoughts surrounding autism is that there can be an environmental “trigger” and that a child with AS can have sensory, self-regulation and “input” issues with the world as a whole, it makes sense that some AS kids get more sick more often….while some don’t. My child doesn’t get sick that often but when he does, he gets very sick. He gets a high fever when his seasonal allergies bother him. He can often takes two weeks to recover from a bout of allergies during which time his developemtn “stops” and his ability to tend to tasks are obviously impaired significantly.
My Asperger’s son can not go swimming without getting a swimmer’s ear infection and he is sixteen. Then it is several trips to the doctor’s office because the first set of drops don’t work. What really concern me about my son is the lack of sleep he gets and then his ability to do his homework. He always seems to be so tried. He also suffers from a lot of stress and anxiety and that has to put a toll on his body. He is young now, how will the anxiety and stress effect his health later on?
My 18 year old son has enjoyed good health. He gets sick, but no more frequently than a NT child. He’s a very picky eater (french toast, pizza, peanut butter & cheeseburgers), but with vitamins twice a day I don’t think his diet has adversely affected him.
Our story in a nutshell. He was released from the hospital by mistake bilirubin
was above 18. Returned with jaundice for four days (twice as long as usual) to get his numbers down. He nursed perfectly until the 4th month (teeth ouch), I did supplement. We’ve been through all the home videos. Nothing pops out from them but memory puts some hand flapping in there somewhere before 18 months but there is a huge rise in hand flapping after 18 months on video. He has been very healthy all along other than normal stuff. Some sleep issues but nothing overwhelming to date. Eats great, has GI issues like NT brother from time to time. Sugar sends them both to the moon so not too much of that around our house anymore.
My now 15 year old had two ear infections as a toddler, not sleeping issues as a younger child, large intestine issues, and limited diet. But, nursed well for 21 months, no vaccines, a little fall allergy developed when we moved to a different state, (assume there is a tree or something more common around here than where we are from). So overall very healthy.
My just-turned-22-year-old daughter is very healthy and I believe it is because she has taken vitamin supplements for years. She did have repeated ear infections when she was younger and had tubes in her ears. She eats a limited diet and has some GI issues, but I believe those are related to her diet. She also takes supplements to counteract lack of fruits and veggies. Any other problems, such as allergies, are shared by the rest of our family (three siblings, two parents)and are not too serious. But she has never been sick more of ten than the average person and much less than some.
My son has autism. He doesn’t get sick any more often than our other 3 children. As a matter of fact, he has had less ear infections and sinus infections than his little brother. He seems to get stomach bugs a little easier than some kids, but less than his big sister did at his age.
Jonathan started having night terrors when he was 18months old. He had one ear infection his whole life. Otherwise he is very healthy. He has had the odd cold that his siblings and he catch from school and a case of chicken pox. In general very healthy. Once we got him on a schedule the night terrors went away. Now if he wakes at night he knows to stay in his room and play his gameboy or listen to his cd player.
Our five year old son with autism is sick practically every other week. It always starts the same, too, with a bout of vomiting, followed by fever, and then a few days of coughing. He definitely gets ill much more frequently than my neurotypical daughter. What’s interesting, is that I ended up on this page because I Googled “5 year old” + “sick all the time.”
He mouths quite a bit and has a generally poor, limited diet. We’re not sure how to fix either. Genetically, he has a maternal grandmother that was bipolar and a developmentally disadvantaged aunt.
Alison McNeil,
GET YOUR CHILD OFF OF WHEAT, DAIRY, YEAST TO START. EVERYONY OF YOUR CHILD’S SYMPTOMS INDICATE ALLERGIES TO ME. AND DO NOT LET ANYONE GIVE YOUR CHILD THE ALLERGY SCRATCH TEST. GO TO AN ENLIGHTENED WHOLISTIC/NATURALISTIC DOCTOR AND LET HIM/HER DO A KENESIOLGY DIAGNOSIS. AND IF YOUR CHILD IS TAKING MEDS, YOU SHOULD FOLLOW UP ASAP WITH ACIDOPHILUS!