A Few Ailments of Autism

We, like many parents with children on the Autistic Spectrum, have and are dealing with different digestive issues with our kiddos. We have gone through many different issues since the boys were tiny. We had to start off with soy based formula because the milk based upset their stomachs and came out quicker than it went in. They were constantly gassy with regular formula. This led us to believe (in the beginning) that they might have been allergic to milk. Once they were a year old we had a rast test (short for radioallergosorbent test - a blood test used to determine what substances a person may be allergic to). We found out, in our case, that the boys were not allergic to milk, but rather, they each had airborne allergies, and Daniel had a high enough count to show he was allergic to peanuts and eggs. [We have also found out that the RAST test does not show one-hundred percent that there is an allergy, it only shows the possibility or likely hood that there is an allergy]. Precautions should always be taken when there is an allergy - possible or proven. When our kiddos are big, and old, enough to handle it, we will have the skin tests done to be sure either way. Hopefully we will not have any anaphylactic reactions (a severe rapid reaction by the whole body to an allergen) before then. Generally there is not a lot of time to treat a severe allergic reaction, therefore, a person should always verify an allergy with their doctor, who will generally prescribe an epipen or EpiPen Jr (to be carried on their person at all times), sometimes a prescription for prednisone (depending on the type of allergy) and always, benadryl should be kept on hand:

                    

I have researched a lot of the issues our boys have had, and after digesting it and weighing out what appears to be right with what is wrong... I have come to the conclusion that there is so much more to learn about autism and it's effects on our kiddos. This blog is not the end all - be all - of autism information. I am trying my best to negotiate our path through learning about autism for our boys, and hope to pass on what I've found, and in the process learn as much as I can.

Many people with asd (Autistic Spectrum Disorder) have some or several of the following issues (there are others, but for now...) :

• medicine or food allergies
• eczema or other skin ailments
• mal-absorption issues, digestion problems, gastrointestinal issues
• sleep problems (getting to sleep or staying asleep)
• problems with lights (i.e., too bright, flashing or pulsing), sounds (i.e., too loud, sharp, piercing or some music), textures of food, clothing or objects
• Pain throughout their bodies
• High pain threshold, lack of or diminished feeling of pain (from the outside)

Eczema and skin ailments are generally handled with lotions, special soaps or prescriptions. Mal-absorption, digestion and gastrointestinal issues are usually properly diagnosed and treated by a gastrointestinal doctor. Pain throughout the body is expressed in a variety of ways, sometimes screaming, lashing outward (pinching, biting, scratching, kicking, punching, etc) and sometimes self-inflicting pain (though not generally on purpose) [hitting or throwing objects, banging head, hitting  oneself, etc.]. Problems with lights, sounds and textures have to be handled on individual basis' and cared for as they arise. Pain throughout the body also has to be handled on individual basis as it comes to light. It could be physical, mental or phantom, but it is very real and needs to be addressed. A high tolerance or high pain threshold has to be watched very closely. We had an issue where one of the boys fell on our sidewalk, cried for a minute (because it scared him) and shook it off. It was only when we saw blood dripping off his hand did we realize that the scrap we initially saw was more like scratches through the skin, allowing slow bleeding. Kind of like when you pick a scab and the blood builds up until there is enough to drip.

Sleep problems are best worked out as a family and with the doctor (at least we have found this to be a good way for it to be handled). We had already made a "bedtime schedule", so we already had a routine in place to calm down for half an hour, then turn lights off to allow for another half hour of relaxing. Then the tv is muted, and they would generally be asleep within half an hour. Our boys would then wake up a few hours later and then... be "on" -  they would be fully awake for anywhere from 2 - 4 hours. We would have to be up and let them wind down on their own before we could go back to bed. This would happen anywhere from 3 - 6 days a week. We had already made a "bedtime schedule", so we already had a routine in place to calm down for half an hour, then turn lights off to allow for another half hour of relaxing. Then the tv is muted, and they would generally be asleep within half an hour. We began with melatonin, which helped the boys go to sleep quicker, they seemed to be able to get into a deeper sleep. Now, they would sleep through the night between 3 - 6 days a week. It still wasn't perfect, but it helped.

Keep safe with your eyes open and remember we all have things to learn. Hopefully we can help each other learn and grown every day. God Bless.