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Information disseminated by Autism South Africa is for information purposes only.
The onus rests with the reader to explore and investigate the relevant information and alternatives for each individual.
Information disseminated by Autism South Africa is for information purposes only.
The onus rests with the reader to explore and investigate the relevant information and alternatives for each individual.
Information sent out does not imply that Autism South Africa underwrites or endorses any particular therapy, intervention, method or medication. Autism South Africa assumes no responsibility for the use made of any information provided herein.
GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT PROBLEMS
It has been claimed that up to fifty percent of children with autism experience persistent gastrointestinal tract problems, ranging from mild to moderate degrees of inflammation in both the upper and lower intestinal tract. This has been described as a syndrome, autistic enterocolitis, by Dr. Andrew Wakefield; this diagnostic terminology, however, has been questioned by medical experts. Constipation, often with overflow, or encopresis, is often associated with developmental disorders in children, and is often difficult to resolve, especially among those with behavioral and communication problems. Click here strategies to deal with constipation.
'LEAKY GUT' THEORY OF AUTISM
This high prevalence of gastrointestinal tract problems has led some to claim this is one of the causes of Autism. Many autistic individuals have permeable intestinal tracts, often referred to as ‘leaky gut.’ Suggested causes for this include viral infection such as measles, an overgrowth of yeast (candida albicans), and a reduction in phenol sulfur transferase which normally lines the intestinal tract. Some proponents of the leaky gut theory also theorize that heavy metals could be a cause.
CONSTIPATION AND AUTISM
Gastrointestinal problems are commonly linked with autism and Asperger's syndrome. A typical definition of constipation is bowel movements that occur less than every other or every third day, bowel movements that are large and hard, and, perhaps most importantly, bowel movements that hurt.
Constipation is one of many co-morbid problems that many children on the autism spectrum may suffer from. Many studies attest to this: a study of 103 children with autism reported that moderate or severe constipation was more frequent in the autistic group than in the control subjects (36% vs 10%)*. They also noted that 54.4% of autistic children had moderate to severe loading (an accumulation of feces in the rectum and colon) or acquired megarectum (an enlarged rectum due to chronic overloading) compared with 24.1% of control subjects.
Another interesting finding was that consumption of milk was the strongest predictor of constipation in the autistic group. That doesn't mean milk causes constipation but it may support the belief that the gastrointestinal systems of persons with autism handle milk products differently (click here for more information). Another study of 137 children with autism and found that 24 percent had a history of at least one chronic gastrointestinal symptom**.