Dizziness

Stress can make me feel very spaced out sometimes, but am wary of attributing everything to it, as so many physical things can also cause it - inner ear infections, low blood sugar/blood pressure, food allergies, electrolyte imbalance, anaemia etc. 

The worst dizziness I ever experienced has been from the SSRI antidepressant Seroxat (which really should be banned IMO) and another time, a reaction to turpentine I used at college. Felt like I had stepped off a fairground ride, and could hardly stand up. 

Longman - interesting point about vestibular sensitivity, I get bad motion sickness and hated car journeys as a child. 

My son has dizziness, very badly. His body dosn't seem to know where it is in space or time. He frequently falls as a result. He's a big lad and when he comes down it's fairly traumatic to his body. Bruises, gashes and the like.

This seems to be made worse by his hypermobility of the joints. They also include significant pain which makes walking any distance a real issue. Some days are worse than others, but the frequency of his falls/Dizztness etc certainly seem to have increased the older he's got.

If your son has had all the tests to rule out anything sinister then it's about learning to manage it and the anxiety that can accompany or indeed preceed it. My son takes Magnesium and cramp tablets to help with the cramps and pain, but is also learning about his own boundaries. He won't chance riding a bike for example and he has to remember to take his tablets however. That can be tricky, as he often needs prompting.

It maybe that being away has brought on an episode for your son.

I think Longman has a good point. Looking at triggers etc.

This video talks about anxiety and the presenter talks about her issues with dizzyness,

www.youtube.com/watch

Coogy

My daughter gets dizzy quite a lot and she has aspergers.

She gets very stressed and anxious in certain situations. The more she stresses the more dizzy she becomes. 

she also zones out and disassociates herself from her surroundings which can be frightening for her xx 

You get dizzy when your eyes give different information from sensors in your ear that regulate balance. With  autism these differences may be more markedly affected. It is referred to as vestibular sensitivity. Vestibular issues are common with autistic spectrum.

It can be manifested by feeling disorientated or sick, and may make it harder to play sports, or go on a car journey.

It might help to better understand when and why it might occur, and for him to understand the reasons so he can inform his spur of the moment reading of sensations. Being able to tell yourself not to worry can counter the effect. That way he may be able to cope better.

A lot off aspects don't seem to be grasped by the medical profession. It is my opinion that this arises because of an obsession with the Triad of Impairments, which is a diagnostic tool, and excludes things which could be confused with other conditions. One of the most obvious of these is sensory sensitivity which overlaps with schizophrenia. Hence definitions of autism talk about the Triad of Impairments, and oh, by the way, they may have "sensory issues".

Most people on the spectrum suffer daily from sensory issues - unusual pain, sound, smell, visual distortions, but to the medical profession it is just an "also ran" - they don't see it as an issue because it isn't part of the triad.

Which is a gloomy situation for most people on the spectrum. Most of the medical profession (and NAS) overlooks sensory issues, although there is a section on the NAS website, if you search long enough, that includes vestibular sensitivity (under hypo and hyper-sensitivity). But the fact it takes longer to find it reflects why NAS has so little understanding of its importance