Are people with autism spectrum disorder at risk for other medical challenges? Unfortunately, the answer is yes. But that does not mean that people with autism cannot overcome these challenges and live a fulfilling life.
Early intervention, treatments, and ABA therapy can help make co-occurring medical challenges easier for children with autism.
Let’s look at the common medical challenges associated with autism. Since autism is a spectrum, everyone will have a different experience and different levels of severity.
However, it’s a good idea to know about the most common challenges if your child has ASD. We’ll also discuss how ABA therapy can help children with autism and co-occurring medical conditions thrive. Let’s get started.
1. Sleep Challenges and Disorders
Have you noticed that your child struggles to sleep through the night? Most children with ASD have sleep disorders. Eventually, lack of sleep can challenge their happiness and quality of life.
How do you help your child sleep better? The first thing you need to do is take their sleep challenges seriously. It may be easy to miss sleep disorders in children since most children don’t love to go to bed.
However, you should closely monitor their behavior around sleep in case something more serious is going on. Sleep disorders can cause children with autism to be more anxious and throw tantrums.
There is also a connection between sleep disorders and repetitive behaviors, which many children with autism deal with.
If you think your child has a sleep disorder, consult your doctor. They may refer you to a sleep specialist, or they can give you easy tools to help your child sleep better.
For example, turning off the TV and computer a few hours before bed may help, as well as staying away from scary shows. Establishing a consistent bedtime routine can also help your child fall asleep more easily.
2. Food Intolerances and Allergies
Both autism and food allergies are connected to the immune system, so it makes sense that they can often overlap. Most of the time, foods that your child has an allergy to can exasperate their autism symptoms.
Many families with autistic children choose to stay away from inflammatory foods that can cause overactivity. This includes dairy, corn, gluten, sugar, and artificial ingredients.
The best way to experiment with your child’s diet and identify food allergies is to try eliminating them one at a time and monitoring changes in your child’s behavior. You should also take note of how they behave when you introduce the foods again.
Keep a thorough journal so you can figure out which food groups your child struggles with the most.
3. Seizures
Children with ASD are more likely to have epilepsy, which means that seizures may be a regular part of their life. It’s still unclear why this is the case, but the link between the two disorders is strong.
If your child has seizures, consult your doctor right away. Seizure medications may be prescribed, as well as a special diet. Additionally, you can seek training to learn how to help when your child has a seizure.
4. Gastrointestinal Issues
Chronic diarrhea, constipation, vomiting, acid reflux, and frequent stomach aches are also connected to ASD. However, eliminating the inflammatory foods listed above may help reduce these issues.
GI problems can lead to worse behavioral issues in kids with autism, so it’s important to pay attention to them. Early intervention can help reduce both your child’s pain and their behavior problems.
How can you tell if your child is struggling with GI problems? You may notice that they cough more, chew excessively, hit themselves on the jaw, or have trouble swallowing.
Along with diet changes and medication, ABA therapy for autism can help with the behavior issues related to GI problems.
5. Weak Immunity
As we said, autism is linked to the immune system, which means it can overlap with common immune disorders. For instance, studies have found a connection between autism and asthma.
If you think your child has a weak immune system and may develop an immune disorder like asthma, talk to your doctor.
6. Skin Irritations and Conditions
Your child may complain about itchy or dry skin. It may develop into eczema or other skin conditions. Food allergies could be the culprit of your child’s skin issues. When you do the elimination diet, take note of how their skin changes as you remove and reintroduce different foods.
In-Home ABA Therapy for Autism
Another effective way to treat autism and related medical challenges is with ABA therapy. What is ABA therapy?
ABA stands for applied behavior analysis, and it specifically targets social skills, learning skills, and communication in children with autism.
In-home ABA therapy is a personalized treatment option that helps both the child and the parent. Your child will learn valuable skills in therapy, and you will learn ways to manage their behavior from professionals.
When your child is growing and thriving, it will be easier to identify other health issues as they come up. Plus, ABA therapy can address the behavioral problems that their medical challenges present.
Get Help For Your Child Today
As a parent, you want the best for your child, so it’s hard to watch them deal with difficult medical issues along with autism. However, you can catch issues early on and get them the help they need.
In addition to medical treatments, ABA therapy can treat several of the challenges that your child is facing. At Path2Potential, we offer in-home ABA therapy, so your child can thrive.
If you are searching for in-home ABA therapy near me, we can help you with our services in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Arizona, and Florida. Contact us today for a free consultation.
We also offer Remote TeleTherapy services as well.
Sources:
https://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/video/video-autism-spectrum-disorder
https://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/mental-health-autism
https://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/autism-spectrum-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20352928