Summary: A long-term study tracking 475 children found that autistic children are far more likely to experience persistent gastrointestinal issues than their peers. These symptoms often co-occur, persist across childhood, and strongly relate to challenges with sleep, communication, behavior, and sensory processing.
The findings underscore the need for clinicians and families to proactively address gut health as part of comprehensive autism care. By treating even unexplained GI symptoms, children may experience improvements in well-being and development.
Key Facts:
- Persistent Symptoms: Autistic children had more frequent and lasting gastrointestinal issues than peers.
- Wider Impact: Gut problems were tied to sleep, mood, communication, and sensory challenges.
- Care Priority: Treating GI symptoms could improve quality of life and developmental outcomes.
Source: UC Davis
Children diagnosed with autism are far more likely to experience ongoing gastrointestinal (GI) problems than their typically developing peers.
That’s the finding of a new UC Davis MIND Institute study published in Autism. The research also found that these stomach and digestive issues are linked to greater challenges with sleep, communication, sensory processing and behavior.
The study followed 475 children between the ages of 2 and 12, including 322 children with autism and 153 with typical development. Families participated in detailed physician-led interviews at multiple time points. This allowed researchers to track both the frequency and persistence of gastrointestinal symptoms throughout childhood.
The findings show that autistic children were not only more likely to report GI problems, but they were also more likely to have multiple symptoms at once. It was also more likely for these symptoms to persist over many years. Importantly, these symptoms often did not have an identified medical cause. This highlights the need for clinicians and families to pay closer attention to children’s overall health and well-being.
“The connection between autism and gut symptoms has not been fully understood. Parents often sense that their child is having digestive issues, but can’t tell what is causing them,” said Bibiana Restrepo, the lead author of the study. She is a developmental pediatrician and a professor in the Department of Pediatrics.
“Our research shows that these symptoms are common, persistent, and can affect many areas of a child’s daily life. By identifying and treating them, we may be able to improve both physical comfort and developmental outcomes.”
Stomach problems beyond digestion
Researchers evaluated nine common gastrointestinal symptoms, including constipation, diarrhea, abdominal pain and bloating. While occasional digestive issues are common in all children, the study revealed striking differences between groups.
- Children with autism had more GI symptoms at every age studied.
- They were more likely to experience multiple GI symptoms at the same time.
- Their GI symptoms were more likely to persist across childhood, rather than resolve quickly.
These symptoms were strongly associated with other health and behavioral challenges. Children with more frequent GI issues also showed higher rates of:
- sleep difficulties
- anxiety
- irritability
- communication challenges
- sensory sensitivities
- repetitive behaviors
“This is a reminder that the brain and the body are deeply connected,” said the study’s senior author Christine Wu Nordahl. Nordahl is a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and directs the Autism Phenome Project at the MIND Institute.
“When children are experiencing stomach pain or other GI problems, it doesn’t just affect digestion. It can influence sleep, mood, and how they interact with the world around them.”
Addressing common gut issues for children with autism
Although gastrointestinal problems in autism have been reported before, this study is the first analysis of GI symptoms in autistic kids from early to middle childhood. It is also among the largest and most rigorous to track these symptoms over a decade of childhood development.
The researchers emphasize that many GI symptoms are treatable, even when they don’t have an obvious medical diagnosis. Increased awareness among clinicians, educators and families can help ensure children get the care they need.
“For parents, this study validates what many have long observed: that GI symptoms are very common in children with autism,” Restrepo said. “Clinicians should ask about these issues in routine visits, because effective treatment may help children feel better and thrive.”
The team hopes their findings will lead to greater collaboration between pediatricians, gastroenterologists and autism specialists. By addressing GI health as part of comprehensive autism care, children may gain relief from symptoms that interfere with their growth and development.
“This is not about finding a single cause,” Nordahl added. “It’s about recognizing the whole child. Supporting gastrointestinal health is one important step toward improving overall quality of life for children with autism.”
Funding: This study was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and the UC Davis MIND Institute. It was also supported by the MIND Institute Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center.
About this autism research news
Author: Nadine Yehya
Source: UC Davis
Contact: Nadine Yehya – UC Davis
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Open access.
“A longitudinal evaluation of gastrointestinal symptoms in children with autism spectrum disorder” by Bibiana Restrepo et al. Autism
Abstract
A longitudinal evaluation of gastrointestinal symptoms in children with autism spectrum disorder
Gastrointestinal symptoms are frequently reported in children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. This study sought to determine the longitudinal trajectory of gastrointestinal symptoms without a medical etiology in children with autism compared to similar aged participants with typical development.
A total of 475 children enrolled in this longitudinal study (322 autism spectrum disorder and 153 typical development groups) were evaluated at up to three time points between 2 and 12 years of age.
Nine common gastrointestinal symptoms and formal medical gastrointestinal diagnosis were assessed using a physician-administered parent interview. A rigorous symptom classification was performed by physicians via clinical consensus. The frequency and persistence of gastrointestinal symptoms across childhood were compared between groups.
Associations between gastrointestinal symptoms and measures of internalizing and externalizing behaviors, sleep problems, sensory problems, restricted and repetitive behaviors, and social communication were also evaluated.
Children with autism presented with more gastrointestinal symptoms at each time point, and they were also more likely to experience multiple and persistent gastrointestinal symptoms.
The presence and number of gastrointestinal symptoms were associated with greater impairment in internalizing behaviors, sleep, communication, sensory processing, and repetitive behaviors.
Participants in the autism spectrum disorder group reported more gastrointestinal symptoms without known etiology throughout childhood in this longitudinal well-characterized sample.
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