I know this may be a myth, but....

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...do you have GI tract difficulties? I'm not sure if it is related to autism or Asperger's or not, but I have struggled with the issue for many years, and I just can't find a diagnosis for it, so would it be stupid or detrimental to you if autistic colitis was a possibility? Is it a myth, or is it true, because I am too nervous to schedule a colonoscopy (plus, my mom won't let me because she thinks it's part of anxiety, though my grandma thinks it's a congenital malformation). Does autistic colitis exist?

For what its worth, my son and I both have issues in this department and me both have AS.

A lot of people have GI problems, and a number of people have AS. There is some overlap. I don't think there is autistic colitis. Could be wrong. Have you tried a gluten-free and/or casein-free diet. That helped me a lot.

I think a lot of us have digestive problems, because it sort of goes hand in hand with having bad nerves.

+1

+2

A lot of Aspies have other nerve related issues. I have porphyria (blood metabolism dysfunction). Others have celiacs, or food allergies that relate and agitate their AS symptoms as well.

I was kind of suspecting porphyria because of chronic constipation that just seems to come without warning, but I was also thinking of the idea of people with autism having GI problems, too...so, yeah.

What does GI mean ? I only find things about militaries and I do not think that's what you are talking about. Thank you.

GI = gastrointestinal

Well, personally I've never had problems in this area.

Yeah I'm very prone to visceral problems.

My son and I both under the spectrum rarely have issues with the GI tract, but I have heard of it being common for those under the spectrum.

I have a lot of GI problems, and I would go along with the "bad nerves" consensus - scientific studies do not show any excess of diagnosed GI disease with ASD, but I bet it is more unpleasant and has a greater effect on everyday life for people with ASD.

Has anyone looked at the function (and dysfunction) of the psoas muscle and how that relates to abdominal pain, and the sense of having GI problems? I have been diagnosed with IBS, gastric reflux, lower bowel inflammation and other non-specific terms that have not been very helpful. However, I also see a sports physiotherapist for lower back injury pain and she can put a finger on exactly the most excruciating point every time, and does a trigger-point release that is very effective.

It's a myth. However, digestive problems are extremely common--about 30% or so of NT children have them; so it's a difficult myth to shake when about 30% of autistic children also do. (No stats on adults.) The thing that is significant, though, is that autistics are usually more bothered by digestive problems than NTs, and that means that dealing with them when you do have them is important--with the caveat that "GF/CF diet" is not a cure-all, because milk and wheat are often totally unrelated to digestive problems. My little sister, for example, reacts badly to red meat because it's hard for her to digest; cutting out milk or wheat would do absolutely nothing for her. (I have no digestive problems.)

I'm on the spectrum, and have ulcerative colitis. But having looked into "autistic colitis," it seems to me to be a sham. This isn't to say that colitis couldn't be your problem... the two conditions can certainly coexist. Many NTs have colitis, and so do many on the Autistic spectrum. There will be a minority of both groups who have colitis.

If you do have colitis, it's a coincidence, not because you're autistic. Get it looked into though... it's extremely painful, and can lead to other health problems. And there's no reason why someone on the spectrum couldn't have colitis. Speaking as a case in point.

Sorry you're going through this.

I think it is worth looking into diet issues. Not because they may be related to your autism, but because fixing them will make you feel much, much better. Right now no one really knows how much overlap there is; we just know that sometimes people have both.