I scheduled an appt for my son today for allergy tests. I have read more info in the last two weeks then I have in the last few years. I have also paid close attention to what other autistic children are going through physically.
Here is the thing, When Phillip was diagnosed with autism, like a lot of kids, it was early intervention time. Never did I hear from anyone, lets rule out health concerns first, then decide what to do. No, I am not saying you can address autism with a simple blood test, but I am learning some physical symptoms are not always associated with autism alone. In fact it may just be some autistic traits are a physical side effect of something we have missed by focusing on autism alone.
We may have blood tests done and be told, nope..not one allergy and that's fine, but if I don't do it and I have missed something then even early intervention therapies would be a waste of time.
My son is skinny, very light weight for his age but he wasn't always so little. I look back at his pictures and I see a chubby little guy. When I talk to the doctor about his weight we have always had the same conversation. He is a picky eater, I can't give him vitamins because it messes with his system and it risks weight loss. The one comment that has always grabbed my attention is..well, you are skinny to.
Yes, I am skinny to but does that mean he is just built that way? Maybe or maybe not, but just simply looking at me doesn't rule out a possibility his body isn't processing, and I don't mean just his mind. Picture a large women bringing her child in for a check up. The child weighs in off the charts, would a doctor address it or would they look at mom and say...well, your overweight to. For some reason I just don't think that would go over well.
So my new approach to my son and the medical community is one thing at a time physically. Rule out or in anything that may be disrupting the way his body can process, because he can't tell us if that's the case. Maybe, just maybe his body is trying to tell us something and everyone is so hell bent on getting him to meet social expectations, the physical expectations aren't being met.
Constipation seems to be a major problem for kids with autism, and for our son it certainly is. Is that really an autistic problem? Could be but what if it's not. Autism is a neurological difference, right along with many other things people face.
I have ADD and I will apologize now if you are eating your lunch but the best way to get the point across is to ask, if someone who has ADD has unorganized bowel movements. You see to assume constipation is because of autism, is a little silly to me. I do know when the constipation begins...the autism intensifies. His mind reacting to what is stressing his body, and I am convinced in this day and age we are putting our bodies through an enormous amount of stress.
Remember the old saying our moms and dads used to say.."your like a human garbage disposal" In our society now, the answer to that would be.."no, I am more like a chemical dumping ground" We can't assume all the toxins we consume won't effect our bodies physically. After all, it's proven to in labs everywhere.
Like many people with autism, your body can't directly communicate with you...or can it?
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