Hello! This is my first post on here. I have a beautiful 5 year old son, who has been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder in April after almost two years since the referral, millions of appointments and many different professionals to meet. We knew he is autistic since he was 3 years old when he became a lot quieter in his communication and his habit of eating non food things got worsened. They call it PICA. Every single appointment, I have explained the concerns about PICA and although some of them have given me some BASIC information about PICA, they didn’t seem to know a lot about PICA. They just repeated what doctors said , “he might be low on iron.” “He is missing all the nutrients.” “He’s anxious” etc. It is always “might” and not “definitely” if you know what I mean. So he’s been tested many times. His levels are “normal”. I asked for them to do tests on his gut as I believe there’s something to do with his gut. Like how he behaves a bit impulsive before he does a poo. But doctors said I worry too much! I feel I am not being heard. When he hasn’t had poo for 3 days (max) , he tends to behave differently from how he normally behaves like slapping and fussy. Like eating bits off the floor! When he has poo every day or every two days, he’s calm and happy. Really settled. When he doesn’t have a poo for a long time and then finally have a poo, he does try to touch poo. I’ve researched a lot on seeking activities like play doh, baking to reduce his habit of touching poo. I’ve explained to him about touching poo. He said, “smells different.” His PICA isn’t as bad as how it was when he was 3 but he is still trying to eat some things. He used to try eating all the disgusting things! He used to have a chewy necklace every single day. Now he doesn’t even touch it since March 2026! But I’m unsure what to do about his gut and PICA. He’s eating a lot of carbs and puddings but he does eat beans and meats. He takes multivitamins syrup every day. Doctors keep saying he’s fine and his levels are fine. So I wonder if any of you have experienced this situation? Is there anything that I am missing? If so, let me know please. Sorry for the long message!
