Published on 12, July, 2020
Hello everyone,
My 15 year old autistic son has had stomach problems for about a year including upset tummy and stomach pains.
He has had extensive tests by an experienced paediatric gastroenterologist who has previously seen other autistic patients and who is simpathetic and knowledgeable. The tests have not identified any physical illness or problem. They have said that in their experience, the next step is to try Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to help provide advce and tools for dealing with the issue which they think may be a result of anxiety and / or stress.
We are happy to try this, but has anyone had a similar experience and can anyone suggest any other therapies or approaches that may help with these ongoing issues?
Thank you.
NAS94555 said:My 15 year old autistic son has had stomach problems for about a year
Good information to help us come up with some suggestions would be:
1 - has his diet changed in the run up to the onset of symptoms? Is it a healthy, balanced diet? Has he been testd for allergies?
2 - Are there any major environmental changes for him in the run up to the onset.
3 - Has he showed maked increase in any of his autistic behaviours in the run up to the onset? Stress through hormonal changes in puberty could be a strong candidate here - lots more testosterone amongst other hormones and all the social pressures that come around this age.
Hi Iain
Thanks for your reply.
The diet has remained consistent and is healthy and balanced - plenty of fruit and veg,meat and fish. Nothing unusual or new, and nothing particularly unhealthy. He likes the occasional fizzy drink or sweet thing but he is a fairly typical teenager in this regard I think .
Allergy tests have not revealed any issues including gluten or lactose.
It has been a year of building up to GCSEs at school so potentially this could be an issue. One of his friendships has been a problem but the stomach issue was around before this.
I will investigate whether increased hormones could be a factor, thanks.
NAS94555 said:It has been a year of building up to GCSEs at school so potentially this could be an issue. One of his friendships has been a problem but the stomach issue was around before this.
This would be my primary suspect.
Remember when you were this age - the pressure of exams as they dictate your career options, your friends changing - more competetivness amongst males and the newfound attraction of, well, whatever sex he is attracted to (being closet gay could also lead to serious anxiety I guess).
If the start of puberty aligns with the onset of the problems then this is an obvious marker - think when he started growing fuzz on his top lip, got taller, got socially embarrassed by you etc.
It seems gluten, dairy and sugar are all contributors to dietary distress for autists so it may be worth reducing these if at all practical for a while for him.
I would do some internet searches on this relationship as there is a lot of info out there.
For now, get him to keep a food diary as an academic study and keep records of the magnitude of pain, discomfort, frequency etc of his bowel/stomach so you have a load of data to take to a dietician should you need to. This will save a lot of time and may even show unexpected corrolations of events.
The tests are not all that helpful, sadly. There are millions of people who aren't allergic to gluten who nevertheless benefit 100% from removing it from their diet. Often the same is true with other foods too. While stress can certainly contribute to an upset stomach, if it's happening often, it's more likely to be down to some kind of reaction to a food being eaten.