Okay, maybe not what you wanted to look at at lunchtime, but very important to understand, if you have a child on the spectrum. Why in the world am I writing about this topic? Because many kids suffer through constipation, not only off the spectrum, but on. It is important to know the difference between straining and non-straining, as I feel it can affect a childs' behavior. I can honestly state it does for my guys. They have both been seeing a GI specialist lately.. and have always had problems with their bowels, whether they were way too loose for too long, or too difficult to pass, stomach pain, etc.. And now, they are on a miralaxtype laxative taken every day. It is my understanding that type 4 on the chart is the most ideal, but it should float, not sink, which means there is plenty of fiber in the diet. Both my guys have suffered from 1 and 2, although when very very young, it was more like 7 and 6.. really bad
diapers! Anyway, what prompted this poop mission was not because of a poor diet.. My guys really do eat healthy, and get plenty of fiber. We switched from white bread to whole wheat, which was a challenge.. apples, bananas, carrots, celery for snacks, whole wheat pretzels, etc.. Trying to stay away from the unbleached white flour foods as much as possible, keeping the carbs low, as well as sugar. But even with all the diet change, we still had constipation. Yes, we drink water and skim milk too.. So, needless to say, our GI specialist told us that kids on the spectrum suffer from constipation more frequently than the like. The Official journal of Pediatrics confirms this as well.
"Constipation is a frequent and significant problem in children with autism and continues to remain underrecognized. It is particularly marked within the rectosigmoid colon, often in association with acquired megarectum. The absence of any correlation between the clinical history and the degree of fecal impaction in autistic children confirms the importance of an abdominal radiograph in the assessment of the degree of constipation. Effective treatment may potentially alleviate behavioral problems and disturbed sleep pattern in autistic children."
Did you get that last sentence? Amazing.. But is it true.. Well, I personally can attest to both my ASD kids having tremendous stomach issues, bathroom issues, and constant sleep problems. Our oldest woke up in the middle of the night, every night, from age 2 till age 4. He had to have a colon polyp removed at age 7. Not the usual norm. Our youngest had been waking nightly, and this was BEFORE we saw the specialist. Since they both have been on the laxative, daily movements, #4's, AND no nightly wake ups. None. I have noticed significant difference in our younger sons' ability to manage his, "crazies," and his attention. I don't know about you , but if I skip a day, (not to be gross), I feel very "off." Can only imagine what a child on the spectrum feels like, especially if they cannot get the words out to explain how they feel. Yes, I know gross post, but it needs to be talked about.
Hello, my name is SPD Mom. I'm a 37 year old self-employed US.