Could somebody please try to explain this behavior

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My 10 yo son is LFA and I've advised with a gastroenterologist in the past so this may be related but I'm still scratching my head. It seems that whenever my son needs to have a bowel movement his behavior becomes VERY erratic. I've suspected that it may be encopresis and like I said I spoke with a GI specialist who agreed but what gets me is that he may not even been experiencing constipation or diarrhea at the time. Sometimes when he has a normal bowel movement he STILL becomes INTENSELY emotional - and even then it's completely dependent on his mood.

Some days he's actually VERY happy about it but seeks isolation and engages in self soothing that results in smearing/throwing. He'll try to hide in a room by himself or pull something over his head. If I catch him after he's done the deed he's giddy and defiant, laughing maniacally and saying "throw poopy!" If I get to him before he does it he'll get really frustrated and my nonverbal son will find the words to say "daddy leave" or "daddy go" or "daddy bye bye" or my personal favorite: "see ya later!" Well, I know what's coming - the smell is unmistakable - but if I tell him to go to the potty he'll say "no" and if I try to lead him he will resist. Then there are the times when out of the blue he just becomes completely inconsolable and we're scratching our heads only to see him go into the bathroom and use the potty. It's confusing and frustrating.

I won't even gross you out on the state of the stools but suffice it to say that it varies as well. Some days a normal BM be preceded by the worst tantrum. Other times what come out of him seems to be so foul that even 10 years of diaper duty won't keep me from reaching for the air freshener and his behavio AFTERWARDS becomes very intense and unpredictable. .

Is this typical behavior for encopresis? The GI doctor I spoke to had limited experience with autism. If it is then I guess I need to break out the Miralax and the Lysol and rubber gloves.

I don't intend to be controversial AND I know that he is a colorful personality, but have you considered consulting with Dr. Arthur Krigsman ? Two of my (online) friends went to see him and he was able to help their children a lot. One child had never had a "normal" bowel movement in his life, and she claims that he "fixed" the problem in 60 days. Due disclaimer, I have never seen him and do not intend to take my child there unless something drastic happens, but he seems to be quite popular in the autism community.

Is Justin on a GF / CF diet ? Have you considered probiotics and digestive enzymes ? What about stool softeners ? Also, you may want to get him tested for allergies just to make sure he is not eating anything that he shouldn't be, even if there are no adverse reactions. My son never had severe allergic reactions to wheat or milk, but allergy testing revealed sensitivities to these, and he is on a modified diet as a result. If he is eating anything that he shouldn't be, that may cause GI problems as well. Finally, genetic testing might show mutations that he may not tolerate or be unable to digest certain foods. 23-and-me is quite reasonable, and you can have the tests interpreted by Livewello for $20. This may help you get some answers that you are seeking.

Good luck !

One of my kids smears poo and likes to put things (a bucket or a blanket or something like that) over his head too. His behaviour is always pretty erratic (one minute he's laughing his head off and then the next he's screaming and banging his head..) so it's hard to say if it's related to having a BM, but I know he doesn't have a history of constipation or anything. I've been told that the poo smearing and things over his head are just "sensory autism behaviours". Does your son tend to be a sensory seeker or avoider (other than in these situations)?
My son is usually a sensory seeker but the bucket over his head seems to be an avoidance behaviour, and he will go through periods of time where you can't touch him & he takes off all of his clothes, even though most of the time, he wants you to hug him. Again, the explanation I've been given is "this is an autism thing". My son has epilepsy too and his neurologist believes that some of his erratic behaviour changes are related to it, rather than just autism. Anyway, I don't really know but I thought I'd comment since I recognise a lot of what you described although I don't know if it's related to having a BM.