Published on 12, July, 2020
My son exhibits this behavior several times a week: he starts laughing with no apparent reason, it looks like some sort of euphoria laugh as if he took drugs. Then after 20 minutes he bursts into tears and keeps doing that for like another 20 minutes. We consulted about this behavior with our local doctors but all they say something like "Well, what did you want? He has autism." For some reason, it seems to me that there could be other causes for that behavior though. Has anyone experienced something like that?
There is a condition that this reminds me of, and according to the mayoclinic they describe it as "Pseudobulbar affect (PBA) is a condition that's characterized by episodes of sudden uncontrollable and inappropriate laughing or crying. Pseudobulbar affect typically occurs in people with certain neurological conditions or injuries, which might affect the way the brain controls emotion."
I'm sorry your GP responded like that. It doesn't sound helpful. If these bursts are from overload, is it possible to examine the household surroundings? Lights, Sounds, Smells, Fabric, or even Diet.
I immediately think biological, but hopefully just something external and not internal. Maybe you've already made sure his bedroom lights are incandescent and use unscented cleaning products and have no candles in the house (unless you handmade them with beeswax and a few drops of pure essential oil), and then there's also a period of time where it's quiet or he spends time out doors with out headphones in a park. As for fabrics, oddly petroleum/plastic based fibres like polyester can make me feel as if I'm suffocating. He may not be aware that certain fabrics cause stress - this sounds a bit much, but it can be worth exploring.
Anyway, if this is your normal environment is similar to above, it's possible to look into sugars, fibres, proteins he's intaking daily and if there might be allergies in the family? Hopefully it's just sensory overload, which is an easy fix!
Someone else has discussed this on here before. I imagine its extremely rare.
https://www.theautismdada.com/the-hyper-boy-meltdown/
I don't have these. I have the traditional ones :)
I hope it's not too late but my 14 y.o girl is experiencing that too. She will be laughing and become loud and risky like she's high. She won't be able to sit still either so she'll be buzzing with energy walking around. How did you cope? Any ideas?