Pediatrics Looks at Gastrointestinal

[Anonymous]

Finally!…I’ve
been trying to get my son’s plethora of doctors to recognize that the
reflux/GI issues are the cause to his “behavior” and sleep problems. I
have also been trying to convince his doctors that the reflux and
developmental delays are connected. His GI flat out told me “there is
no connection”. Ha, in your face Dr.A-Hole!

I hope these Doctors start waking up and actually help our children who are suffering so.

http://mail.google.com/mail/?shva=1#…60070459f450ae

Pediatrics Looks at Gastrointestinal Disorders and Autism

January 4, 2010

Prepared by Rebecca Estepp

Two reports were released yesterday in the American Academy of Pediatrics medical journal, Pediatrics. Both articles focused on gastrointestinal disorders in individuals with autism. The first report entitled Evaluation, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Gastrointestinal Disorders in Individuals With ASDs: A Consensus Report
is a review of available medical literature surrounding autism and
gastrointestinal symptoms from a panel of experts. These experts came
to the following conclusions:

•
Medical disorders, including gastrointestinal problems, occur commonly
in individuals with ASDs, but because symptoms may be atypical these
medical conditions may be undiagnosed.

• Individuals with ASDs whose families report gastrointestinal symptoms warrant a thorough gastrointestinal evaluation.

•
The care of individuals who are non-verbal or have difficulties in
communication or who display self-injurious or other problem behaviors
present special challenges. Nevertheless, the approach to evaluation
and diagnosis of possible underlying medical conditions, in particular gastrointestinal disorders, should be no different from the standards of care for persons without ASDs. (emphasis added)

•
The communication impairments characteristic of ASDs may lead to
unusual presentations of gastrointestinal disorders, including sleep
disorders and problem behaviors.

•
Management of co-occurring gastrointestinal problems in individuals
with ASDs usually begins with the primary care provider and may
eventually warrant multidisciplinary consultation.

•
Anecdotal reports that restricted diets may ameliorate symptoms of ASDs
in some children have not been supported or refuted in the scientific
literature, but these data do not address the possibility that there
exists a subgroup of individuals who may respond to such diets.

•
Integrating behavioral and biomedical approaches can be advantageous in
conceptualizing the role of pain as a setting event for problem
behavior, facilitating diagnosis and addressing residual pain symptoms
to enhance the quality of life.

The second report, Recommendations for Evaluation and Treatment of Common Gastrointestinal Problems in Children With ASDs.
provides health care providers guidelines in treating abdominal pain,
chronic constipation, and gastroesophageal reflux disease. This report
recognizes that the expression of gastrointestinal disease can be
diverse in individuals with ASDs. It also concludes that unusual
behaviors can be a result of gastrointestinal disorders.

TACA
views these two reports as giant leaps forward for treatment of
gastrointestinal symptoms that cause unnecessary pain to many
individuals with autism and their families. This landmark paper will
pave the way for pediatricians across the country to start treating
children suffering through different gastrointestinal maladies. We
sincerely hope this is the first step towards individuals with autism
receiving the medical treatments they need and deserve.

[Anonymous]

this article is discussing children with autism spectrum disorders, not children in general—–are you concerned that your son is autistic?

i have heard that some children are delayed because of reflux, but quite often it seems to stem from not getting enough “tummy time”. we were really fortunate in that even though sylvia’s reflux was more severe than most and required a fundo, she didn’t seem to have any developemental delays. she seems to be a little behind in reading in kindergarten this year, but nothing that has her teacher concerned. (i don’t think they should be teaching kindergarteners to read, anyway!!) she is above grade level with her numbers.

i hate to sound negative, but i don’t think that this is a good article to show your doctors unless you are concerned that your child is on the autism spectrum.

[Anonymous]

Yes. My son has developmental delays and has been diagnosed with PDD-NOS, which is on the autism spectrum.

For us, the reflux and developmental issues go hand and hand. All being caused by vaccine injury starting with the flu shot I received when 6 months pregnant with him. When he was 2 months old he received 8 vaccines in which 3 of those still contain mercury.

I’m not trying to start a debate of any kind. I just want to pass along the info we have learned.

[hellbennt]

I don’t see this as a debate (& I don’t think Christine is seeing this as a debate either)…

I find this topic to be fascinating and Sheri, MFPIx2, is really on top of all of this information. I sent her an email w/ the link to this post asking her to post, but she’s really busy…I can try her on facebook…

[Anonymous]

I find it interesting too. And I hope they come up with some answers and treatments that work.

I always add a disclaimer when mentioning vaccines. Not because I thought, she thought I was starting a debate. But, just to protect myself because this is such a sensitive issue.

Thanks for passing it along .

[Anonymous]

what is PDD-NOS? now that i know your son has delays, i see why the article interests you. if i understand it right, it sounds like some peds have ignored the possibility of GI problems in autistic children assuming the behavior was caused by autism rather than considering other problems—-did i get this right?

my sister has a liver disease—but she also had a number of other problems and it seemed like a lot of doctors wanted to blame everything on the liver disease and ignore the possibility that there was something else going on—-it has been really frustrating for her—–sounds like you must be going through something similar.

if it helps any, one of my kids appeared to be autistic when he was little. we worked with him and had him in a developemental preschool for 2 years and then a private preschool—-and he eventually worked out of what-ever problem was going on with him—-but it took a few years.

[Anonymous]

PDD NOS is something Developmental Delay – Not Otherwise Specified…it is one of the autism spectrum disorders…..

[Anonymous]

Sorry to come to this discussion late. Thanks for sending me a message Laura!

Beth, GI disease (reflux and other issues) are absolutely connected with the behaviours, sleep issues and developmental delays that we see throughout the autistic spectrum. My son Ben was diagnosed with autism, but is now indistinguishable from his peers. Mostly thanks to specialized diet, treating his bowel disease, and other biochemical issues. Vaccinations were also very much an issue for him. So was antibiotic use and many other things…

I’d be happy to help you in any way I can! My daughter Paige also has severe GI disease. She too began to regress into autism, but we have managed to reverse that regression mostly through treating her gut.

For us, a GFCF (gluten-free, casein free) diet has been very helpful and in addition to that removing other problematic foods. We have also worked very hard at re-balancing the gut flora (LOTS of probiotics, sometimes antifungals and antibacterials/antiparasitics as needed). Digestive enzymes have also been great. Are you familiar with biomedical treatments?

[Anonymous]

Thank you for your response .

My son is 2.5 yrs. old. We have tried different diets several times including the TED. About 3 months ago we found a functional doctor here that we have been working with. Josh has been on a GF/CF, no HFCS and no food dyes for about 3 months now. We are also doing B-12 injections once a week. And of course Probiotics.

He has been doing very well on this (although the reflux is still there). He gets ST, OT and PT – His PT is ready to discharge him because of the vast progress he has made in such a short time!

I also believe GI issues are related to sleep, developmental issues, autism, ect. The problem can be finding a doctor who agrees. My sons last GI (a very highly respected and recommended GI out of University of Miami) told me flat out that there is no connection between his developmental issues, sleep and reflux. I just don’t get how so many docs. are missing this.

We are just about to start a new, ground breaking treatment for my son called IV Lipid Exchange. The thought is that we will restore the brain at a cellular level which will in return help heal his gut. This dr. was a pediatric doc in the area for 20 years before turning to functional medicine 3 years ago.
Here is the link to the treatment.
http://www.beckerhilton.com/index.php?page=Autism-Therapy

I would love to know more about what has worked for your kiddos. My sons reflux has gotten much worse since his last set of molars are cutting through. He is currently on Nexium 40mg. a day. I hate this as I know Nexium and other PPI’s cause leaky gut. Any ideas how to get him off of the meds?

Thanks for all of the info. I really appreciate it .

MFPIx2 wrote: Sorry to come to this discussion late. Thanks for sending me a message Laura!

Beth, GI disease (reflux and other issues) are absolutely connected with the behaviours, sleep issues and developmental delays that we see throughout the autistic spectrum. My son Ben was diagnosed with autism, but is now indistinguishable from his peers. Mostly thanks to specialized diet, treating his bowel disease, and other biochemical issues. Vaccinations were also very much an issue for him. So was antibiotic use and many other things…

I’d be happy to help you in any way I can! My daughter Paige also has severe GI disease. She too began to regress into autism, but we have managed to reverse that regression mostly through treating her gut.

For us, a GFCF (gluten-free, casein free) diet has been very helpful and in addition to that removing other problematic foods. We have also worked very hard at re-balancing the gut flora (LOTS of probiotics, sometimes antifungals and antibacterials/antiparasitics as needed). Digestive enzymes have also been great. Are you familiar with biomedical treatments?

[Anonymous]

kevieb wrote: what is PDD-NOS? Pervasive Developmental Delay – Not Otherwise Specified.
now that i know your son has delays, i see why the article interests you. if i understand it right, it sounds like some peds have ignored the possibility of GI problems in autistic children assuming the behavior was caused by autism rather than considering other problems—-did i get this right? Yes, you are right on girl! I had so many docs say “I think it’s a behavioral issue”, and I would say “Yes, he is behaving this way because the reflux is causing him agonizing pain!”. They would still never believe me.

my sister has a liver disease—but she also had a number of other problems and it seemed like a lot of doctors wanted to blame everything on the liver disease and ignore the possibility that there was something else going on—-it has been really frustrating for her—–sounds like you must be going through something similar. Poor girl. I hope she figures out what’s really going on. I wish her luck.

if it helps any, one of my kids appeared to be autistic when he was little. we worked with him and had him in a developemental preschool for 2 years and then a private preschool—-and he eventually worked out of what-ever problem was going on with him—-but it took a few years. I’m so glad he is better now!
My ds is currently in a birth – 2 school program for developmentally delayed children. It is wonderful and he loves going! We see progress in him everyday, so I know there is light at the end of the tunnel. If we could just get the reflux under control I think he would fly right into his age group.

bubby012010-01-13 09:25:27

[Anonymous]

Sounds like you’re heading in the right direction! Good for you.

Remember that reflux is always a symptom. It is key to find out what the cause is. In our ASD kids, there can be many contributing factors. Usually food intolerances and pathogen overgrowth (bacteria, yeast, parasites, viruses) are the most common culprits. Have you done IgG food testing? This could be helpful in finding out other foods he may be reacting to (even TED foods).

How much probiotics is he getting? Our ASD/gut kids tend to need LOTS. Ben (47 lbs) is getting 110+ billion CFUs of probiotics per day and Paige (31 lbs) is getting 95+ billion CFUs per day. I’ll actually be increasing this soon as we just can’t seem to keep her gut balanced yet.

Inflammation can also be a big, big problem for our kids. That is likely why you’re seeing worstening of symptoms with the new molars. Inflammation anywhere in the body (eg. the gums) can trigger a cascade of inflammation throughout the body. The inflammatory cytokines can wreak havoc throughout the body and brain. This can certainly worsten reflux (and also ASD symptoms).

We have been doing methy-B12 injections for both kids since November 2008. Are you supplementing folic or folinic acid along with them? That is very important. What dosage is he getting? We follow Dr. Neubrander’s protocol and give them every 3 days. Saw great, great gains with this! Particularly in the area of language.

Some of the other things we’ve found very helpful include mitochondrial support (particularly CoQ10 and acetyl-l-carnitine) and immune support (vit C, vit D, probiotics). Digestive enzymes have also been great for the gut. Enhansa is a great new product (enhansed absorption curcumin) that reduces inflammation and can also help balance the gut flora.

We also see Dr. Arthur Krigsman of Thoughtful House in Austin, Texas and he has been instumental is helping my kids’ GI problems. Paige used to wake multiple times in the night, every night screaming hysterically, almost inconsolably, from pain. She was on Neocate only (no solid foods – at the age of 2) as well as probiotics and Prevacid for the reflux. He scoped her and saw massive inflammation and tissue erosions from the lower esophagus right through to her rectum. He began her on prescription medications typically used in Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, and she made an almost instantaneous 180 degree turnaround. Sleeping through the night, happy, bubbly, wanting to eat, etc. Sometimes, treating the inflammation is key to helping them. In the meantime you still need to search for the cause, and treat it as well, but their quality of life can vastly improve along with the behavioural issues and ASD symptoms.

[Anonymous]

We have done the RAST and Prick testing. Is that IGE or IgG? We just did the testing for a second time a few months ago. Everything is negative.

This is his probiotics. Tell me what you think…He is 30lbs. Do I need to increase the dose? They have been the best so far.
http://www.futureformulations.com/store/super-immune-space-sprinkles%E2%84%A2-p24.html

It seems like with his molar cutting he has gotten a lot of the ASD symptoms back. Which is confusing to me. I thought that since getting him off of gluten and dairy seemed to eliminate his symptoms we were good. But now they have reappeared and this makes me wonder if the diet really has anything to do with it, KWIM? Maybe he’s just a really bad teether and like you said, it causes inflammation.

Your doc sounds wonderful! I wish we could find someone like him down here. The functional doc we are seeing is just starting to get into this field so we are kind of like his guinea pig. I don’t mind since we are getting the treatment for free. But, I wish we had someone who could better understand what’s going on and how to treat him.

My ds still wakes often at night, especially since teething. There was a point just before he started cutting these teeth that he was doing wonderfully and I thought about trying to get him off of the Nexium. But, then like 3 days later all hell broke loose.

Searching for the cause to his reflux has been like a second job for me. We have done many tests and treatments. The Nexium only does so much. He had a Ph probe while on it and he still showed severe reflux. The docs offer no explanation or how to heal him. I feel like I’m doing this on my own most of the time.

Thank you so very much for your info. You have been most helpful and I will check out the products you mentioned.

bubby012010-01-13 16:53:46

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