Is autism all in the brain?

Following some of the other threads exploring how we manage autism and live in a world not made for us. We've talked a lot about things like burnout, exhaustion, in ther threads we've talked about sensory issues and digestive problems. But does autism only manifest in things that in old fashioned terms could be called our "nerves".

What if it creates other changes in our bodies, like in my case an increase in allergies? The physical changes might not be huge or particularly profound, until something triggers them, like a medication or an operation. I know for myself there are certain medicines that just don't work, like valium, I can take 4 times the prescribed dose and it does nothing, 60ml IV and it lasted about 30 mins then I started fighting again, and I walked home, I should have been flat out, sleepy and maybe a bit happy. This was at the dentists by the way, I really don't like the dentist! I've been told I heal like a child, my recovery time from surgical wounds is about half what it would normally be for most adults.

I think this is something thats overlooked, to me it makes sense that if our brains are differnt, then it will not be unreasonable for there to be physical changes in other areas too, not just in how we interact with the NT world around us.

 Personailised medicine is somethng that's only just being explored, its's starting to be better explored and understood in groups, such as how things like cycle cell anaemia only effects certain groups. One of the problems with medical research are the numbers of variables there are and how these variables are managed and minimised. This has led to medical testing largely being done on young healty white men, they don't have a menstral cycle to get in the way, they won't be pregnant and a whole bunch of other stuff. So basically they've been the baseline for all medicines Would it be such a surprise if these medicines didn't work as well or had unintended consequenses for other groups, such as different ethnicites, genders and neurologies?

Parents
  • So I think one answer to your question is already presented in the second sentence, and that is the digestive system is a proven difference between Autistic individuals and others. GI issues are extremely common, Ex. I have a client with Autism who has a long history of digestive issues and just was diagnosed with having a failing gallbladder. I myself occasionally suffer cycles of GERD-like and IBS-like symptoms that usually last about a month and then mysteriously disappear. It’s common enough that it has led some to believe in a connection to the mythical “leaky gut syndrome” and Autism.

    I do believe that NT people in general react to medications and chemicals differently than others. I’ve heard a claim - and I believe in it due to personal experience - that some stimulants such as caffeine have little to no effect on some NT individuals, particularly those with ADHD. A few energy drinks (ex. Red Bull and 5-Hour Energy) I can feel a little effect from, but generally coffee and all other energy drinks don’t help me feel more awake at all. I could drink a Monster and go straight to bed. However, this particular example would likely be a primarily neurological difference, so I don’t feel like that adequately answers your question.

    That’s the extent of what I’ve heard for comorbidities with Autism or physiological differences from NTs that are not necessarily neurological, intellectual, or cognitive in nature.

Reply
  • So I think one answer to your question is already presented in the second sentence, and that is the digestive system is a proven difference between Autistic individuals and others. GI issues are extremely common, Ex. I have a client with Autism who has a long history of digestive issues and just was diagnosed with having a failing gallbladder. I myself occasionally suffer cycles of GERD-like and IBS-like symptoms that usually last about a month and then mysteriously disappear. It’s common enough that it has led some to believe in a connection to the mythical “leaky gut syndrome” and Autism.

    I do believe that NT people in general react to medications and chemicals differently than others. I’ve heard a claim - and I believe in it due to personal experience - that some stimulants such as caffeine have little to no effect on some NT individuals, particularly those with ADHD. A few energy drinks (ex. Red Bull and 5-Hour Energy) I can feel a little effect from, but generally coffee and all other energy drinks don’t help me feel more awake at all. I could drink a Monster and go straight to bed. However, this particular example would likely be a primarily neurological difference, so I don’t feel like that adequately answers your question.

    That’s the extent of what I’ve heard for comorbidities with Autism or physiological differences from NTs that are not necessarily neurological, intellectual, or cognitive in nature.

Children
  • I know that GI issues seem to affect a lot of people with autism and theres increasing evidence of a gut-brain link, but, are we more likely to suffer with GI problems because we're autistc, or because we're stressed from living in a largely hostile environment?

    I don't function with my coffee in the morning, but I can't drink it after breakfast or I'd be awake all night. I've never had red bull or monster, they don't smell very nice to me, but cola will keep me awake.

    I know there seems to be little research, but is that because there's been research and it's failed to find any differences or because no ones asked the question and done any research?