While Autism is defined as social and communication difficulties, there are a number of medical problems associated with the condition.
Sleep Difficulties: This could be a delayed sleep onset, taking more than half an hour to fall asleep. Or it could mean waking multiple times in the night or very early in the morning. These need the right sensory intervention, which can often be counter-intuitive to normally recommended sleep hygiene measures ( detailed on another page). It could also include Melatonin prescription, which is the natural hormone that our bodies need for sleep, which is often low in children with ASD and other neurodivergent conditions.
Gut issues: The sensory difficulties often lead to a lack of awareness ( not an absent sensation), of when to 'wee' and 'poo', due to poor interoception. This combined with the tendency to food allergies, commonly cow's milk protein allergy, can lead to long term problems with constipation. This is poorly understood till the child begins to complain of abdominal pain, nausea and poor appetite. Increasing water intake or fibre in the diet is usually unhelpful as that is not the problem causing constipation. Hence, it will need to be treated with laxatives and bowel training.
Poor Immune Function: Children with ASD and ADHD are more prone to infections and fall ill more often than the neurotypical child. This is not an immune deficiency that can be measured in blood tests. However, it is well recognized that they will need more rest and time off school to recover.
Allergies: This is common in the population, but there seems to be a higher incidence of dairy allergy and hay fever symptoms etc. in this cohort of children.
Epilepsy: Some children will have a higher risk of absence seizures or other epileptic presentations. This often has to be differentiated from sensory overload, where children will zone out for a few seconds.
Hypermobility: Most children with ASD seem to have some level of hypermobility. This leads to them complaining of aches and pains in their arms and mainly legs, after a day of activity. This improves with exercise or as they grow older. Sometimes, it can be associated with other syndromes.
Restrictive Eating or Food Faddism: As part of the sensory difficulties, children can end up being very picky eaters. This can lead to both being underweight or overweight. More details on ARFID in a special section. Some children can develop an eating disorder or end up with complications of obesity.
Headaches: These are common and need to be reviewed to see if they are migraine headaches, in which case they can have different treatment. Tiredness, change in routine, gut issues, bruxism, poor sleep, allergies etc. can all lead to headaches and hence it is important to treat the other issues well.
