ASD is a Brain-Body condition, not just neurological

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I have increasingly come around to this way of conceptualising autistic conditions.

http://www.clinicalneuropsychiatry.org/ ... erbert.pdf

The higher incidence of auto immune illness, - allergies, coeliac, etc in the spectrum community really suggests that the standard idea of "a neurological disease" is not only sorely deficient, but it is obscuring a much bigger picture and hampering the search for effective recognition and treatment of the physical impacts of autism.

I think we need a Health Brain-Body Forum on WP, I think it is a very important omission to date.

I don't agree. Everyone on the spectrum is very different.

The gut dysbiosis theory has been debunked many times.

I have never had any kind of intestinal problems.

Be wary of holistic medicine, it's a very corrupt industry. I dabbled in it for a long time. It failed to give me any relief.

You obviously didn't read the reference article. It's a far bigger issue than dysbiosis. Please do; I'd like to start a comprehensive discussion on the brain/body issue. Even if you just read the summary, that would be helpful to this discussion, thanks.

Oh I have been reading these types of articles for years. Far more than what's good or normal for the regular person. I am well familiar with the theories.

Autism is much more than a leaky gut (not a real condition) or unhealthy flora balance. I believe a lot of Autism is caused by a wiring difference.

Last edited by B19 on 04 Feb 2015, 8:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Read it - no one is saying that there are not neurological differences. On the other hand, if you know all there is to know, for ever more, there's no need to consider any new information is there?

I agree. I have written elsewhere on WP that many diseases and disorders can be induced and mimicked by external factors like drugs, diets, unrelated injuries and other environmental influences. So, why wouldn't a certain number of ASDs be induced and mimicked, too (while taking nothing away from those whose ASDs aren't induced and mimicked)? But, which external factors have that kind of influence in ASDs?

We don't really know, because we don't allow the question to be investigated, let alone answered.

So, I say "create the new forum." Let's see where this idea takes us.

Thank you Aspie Utah I needed that dose of sanity just then.

It could be that the genes for gastrointestinal conditions often go along with the genes for ASD. I know I definitely have gastrointestinal problems, though I think a lot of them may be due to stress ulcers and acid reflux.

Actually, this article seems to meet basic criteria for validity - reputable journal, reputable research institute, and the article itself doesn't seem to rely on any special pleading, circular logic, false assumptions or skewed data sets.

I'll have to re-read it a few times, just to be certain, but it would seem to have more substance than any of those "types of articles that you've been reading for years".

I want to know what the connection is with epilepsy. (I know not everyone on the spectrum has epilepsy by the way- it's something that interests me because my son has epilepsy and autism). Epilepsy is a neurological disorder though. Neither of my kids has any gut problems, but I'm not opposed to studying that- personally I wonder if there are a few "autisms" (actually similar to how there are several epilepsy disorders), because some kids regress, some don't, some are speech delayed, some aren't, etc..

I've always had minor gut problems.

The "gut" connection with autism is very old--almost as old as Kanner's work itself.

I used to read case studies where, very frequently, the person with autism:

1. Possessed language and social skills, which suddenly regressed when around age 2 1/2.

2. Had gut problems.

3. Had insomnia.

I have read widely on this baffling issue. There are different theories, though the one I am most convinced by is that ASD brains have more electrical connections in the brain (quantity) and the electrical impulses work faster (speed). So buildups occur more readily. I don't have any references to hand though serious work has been done on this. I have had seizures for years, but never full blown grand mal epilepsy; I think it's surprisingly common on the spectrum to have seizures, and it gets insufficient attention IMO...

While there is debate on gut flora there is fairly wide consensus on the neurological impact of autism on the nervous system and by default muscular control. Nuero-motor impact is widespread ranging from mild coordination and visual perception issues to severe epilepsy. It may have something to do with the higher than normal nueral network connections in the autistic brain.

It's 99.8% brain. Genes are a messy thing p, as every human has mutations

Well I read the summary and it's over my head. But I can say that lactose and gluten have a nasty effect on me.