aspergers and chronic constipation

Some of those foods listed are not ideal for a sensitive digestive system. They are mainly refined carb and contain gluten which can play havoc with some people's systems (whether or not they are diagnosed celiac). Eating that type of food makes me ill very quickly. 

A nutritional therapist would be able to go through your son's diet and advise on changes - which obviously would need to be brought in slowly. The Institute of Optimum Nutrition might be a good place to start www.ion.ac.uk/.../about 

Probiotics, ground linseed, and Aloe Vera juice may also help - all things that are fairly inexpensive and could be sprinkled on food/mixed with drinks, without much fuss. 

Having something to do, while one waits for it to happen can help. It can take a while to relax and let it happen. Books, comics, magazines, puzzles, can all help someone be patient and wait for nature to take it's course. I am speaking from experience here, waiting alone with nothing to do, is very boring.

Also ready to eat, dried figs help. They are very sweet and tasty and effective.

Very good points Socks, 

  Also medication can affect bowels. Painkillers in particular cause the natural perastalsis (Wave Movement) to be disrupted or even halted.

Do seek advice and as socks suggests, keep a food diary.

Cx

Yes, bowel problems are common in ASD but there may not be a simple explanation. Anxiety can cause constipation but constipation also upsets the mind and body. It's a vicious circle and one of the worst things is getting to a state where you worry about the constipation.

There are acute problems that can arise with chronic constipation and you need to do something to change this habit. I suspect that his diet will need a rethink - mind over matter only works if everything can go along with it. Have you seen the advice on fussy eating at www.autism.org.uk/restricteddiet ?

NHS Choices also has good advice on constipation...

www.nhs.uk/.../Introduction.aspx

The long term affect of constipation is also not good. Healthy intestines need to be kept moving so that they can keep themselves in good order.

If he is going to be seen in hospital then I expect that they will want a food diary to see what he actually eats in a day.

It seems from what little I've read and heard, that bowel problems are quite common in those with ASD. The bowel, after all, is the seat of emotion and the retention may be a physical manifestation of an anxiety.

I'm not sure what to suggest here, but you may like to watch the attached video, where this lady mentions angst and the link she's made with bowel issuses, particularly Crohns etc.

www.youtube.com/watch

If I come accross any more subject specific info, I will post it for you.

Regards

Coogy

puffin said:

He loves all fruit (thankfully) and uncooked vegetables and salad, also wholemeal bread and rice cakes his main dietery problem is protein all from turkey dinosaurs or pizza and hot dog sausages well cooked, no rice or pasta, try as i might.

Fruit is generally good for most people in moderation. For some people, a number of fruits cause problems. I have found that my stomach reacts badly to apples, strawberries, tomatoes and a number of other fruits and vegetables. Pollen Fruit Syndrome seems to be the thing that explains this. www.allergyuk.org/.../oral-allergy-syndrome

The high sugar content in fruits can also be an issue as it can cause the same digestive problems as drinking a lot of sugary drinks.

Uncooked vegetables are harder to digest than cooked vegetables. We used to eat a lot of raw cabbage and salad but have found that my guts work better with a supply of well cooked veg.

Rice and pasta are great energy foods but not of much value in terms of fibre or vitamins or anything else. I wouldn't worry about him not liking them. Baked beans are a good source of protein and good for digestive transit as long as the tomato sauce doesn't give him problems

My son is now 16 and has had problems since the age of about 8 years old.  He went from being very regular to not going, sometimes for 3-4 weeks.  Eventually the laxatives that he had been on for years (would not advise this by the way, but was ill informed by a G.P.) stopped working.  Has since been on a combination of two different types but I do not give him them daily as I feel they may have already damaged him and he is incapable of going without a laxative.  I leave him for as long as I feel is possible to try to encourage him to have a bowel movement on his own but it is a massive worry and I usually end up giving him the laxatives for 4 days, then he goes. He doesn't seem in any pain but does not communicate very well and seems to have a very high pain threshhold. A warm bath seems to help.  

suggest if it is stress related, hot baths and walking to relax, and a little orange juice in water., should help

Thank you autism two,

 i had not thought of that, you could have a point as my sons problems are mainly in times of stress or illness.  I had not considered the constipation a secondary problem caused by stress .   Why not i do not know?  I will look into it further.

Thank you

Puffin

is it constipation caused by tension in the stomach(stress) ?  the constipation may be secondary not primary cause

Thank you for your comments and suggestions.  i may try encorporating numbers into my sons toilet routine i had not made the connection, but yes you may have something there, worth a try.   As i mentioned most of the time he is ok, goes daily, but with daily medicine.   If he misses a day due to illness or away from home and routine changes he fears trying to go and holds on.  i will try the time and number connection , thank you for that idea.  i fear the hospitals suggestion will simply be increase the already high dose of medicine which i know will only cause complications for the future, ( reliant on the medicine).

He loves all fruit (thankfully) and uncooked vegetables and salad, also wholemeal bread and rice cakes his main dietery problem is protein all from turkey dinosaurs or pizza and hot dog sausages well cooked, no rice or pasta, try as i might.

Thank you all for taking the time to reply.

Hi - sorry to hear about your son's toilet troubles.  Apart from getting the usual healthy balanced diet + drinking enough fluids, you could perhaps up the fluids, fruit + veg a bit if he was willing.  Exercise can be gd for the digestive system.  I think you're right to go back to the hospital to see if there's anything more they can do to help.

 My son is v number-orientated.  Your son may be the same with his comment about day 10.  Are there any other numbers he especially likes?  What I mean is that if he had a fav number cd this be used to encourage him to go : it cd be related to a day in the wk, a time of day.  My son has a lot of things relating to numbers in his mind.  Some numbers he prefers more than others + tends to respond positively when these numbers are incorporated into some of his routines to get the routine established.  

Azalea said:

i guess as a spectrum disorder you could be at one end of the scale or the other?!