Autism and Airborne Allergies

[Glenn Farley]

My grandson, who is going to be 5 in August, was diagnosed 3 years ago with "mild" autism. If there is a range or spectrum that can be associated with autism and it is 1 - 10, he is a 1-2.

My daughter and her husband live in Massachusetts. They were able to secure an at home ABA program and he also has a one on one aid in his preschool. He is doing very well! (Thank goodness!) Such a sensitive child!

We, however, have seen a distinct change (in the last two years) when airborne allergy season starts. This occurs in the spring and again in the fall. When each " allergy" season ends, it is like a switch that is turned - almost an immediate change back to his original self! Regrettably, the ABA people tend to lean toward a behavioral issue (regressing) and want to increase all types of structural and rigid guidelines, but we seem to think it is more of a medical issue. May I impose - are there places or articles, etc. I can research to find out more? Has anyone heard of a link to allergies and autism?

 

[GrownupGirl]

I don't have any allergies (that I know of). I don't think autistic people suffer allergies any more than NTs, but autistic people may have higher sensitivity and a harder time coping with allergy symptoms.

 

[Catana]

There is no known relationship between autism and allergies, but the allergy could certainly be affecting the child's behavior. If the changes in behavior consistently align with allergy seasons, then it's a medical issue. The child isn't necessarily "regressing." It would make more sense to take him to a doctor for allergy testing than force more rigid structure on him from people who apparently know only one way to respond to changes they don't approve of.

 

[shysnail]

I also don't know of any association between allergies and autism. I'm curious if your grandson also behaves differently when he's ill? I wonder if what is happening is that, when he's feeling under the weather with his allergies, whether the behaviours he's being taught in his ABA sessions slip away? It takes a lot for autistic people to behave in a way that's not their normal, so perhaps when he's feeling bad with allergies, his ABA instilled behaviour simply isn't something he can keep up.

 

[Isadoorian]

Yes, there's no link between autism and allergies that we really know of. There's also no real "on or off switch" either like you say seems to happen. Autism's a neurological condition that stays with the person for life.

I'm afraid to say there's a good chance your grandson may be traumatized by the ABA Therapy in the future. I say this because I believe it may have a negative effect rather than positive because there are many other people here who're also on the Spectrum and went through it themselves and it was a traumatizing experience for them. So it seems nothing but harm comes from it.

Also, there's only 3 levels of Autism recognized by the DSM-V now. 1 being the least impactful, 3 being the most severe, however Autism affects everyone that has autism differently.

 

[Tom]

Don't know about any info on autism/allergies but think a simple medical issue is more plausible then unrelated regressions. Any child bothered by considerable seasonal allergies is going to show some reaction. An autistic one might become more noticeably agitated due to greater sensitivity to sensory overloads. Do they treat the allergies? Medications, etc? If they do, another possibility is the medication used is having a undesirable side effect.

 

[Judge]

Have to agree with the others. Forget focusing on autism and just concentrate on allergies themselves.

Yeah, I'm one who has both. Been tough all my life, though I've not sought professional help. Just take OTC Loratidine (Claratin) in small doses year round. Love the desert, but it doesn't love my allergy. Especially when it comes to sagebrush and dust. Always dust...

 

[Joshua the Writer]

Link between Autism and allergies = none. As far as I know, I am not allergic to any foods, pollen, or animals of any kind, considering those are the most common allergies.

ABA is a bit outdated anyways. If his Autism is "mild" then he most likely doesn't necessarily need it, especially if the rigid scheduling that the pros make you do prevents you from doing other things. It's best to drop it. It forces Autistic kids to be "normal." This is not healthy in any way. It's basically telling a dog not to bark or a Canadian not to say sorry.

 

[tlc]

It would make more sense to take him to a doctor for allergy testing than force more rigid structure on him from people who apparently know only one way to respond to changes they don't approve of.

Maybe they have better ways now, but I've been told that many doctors won't do allergy testing on kids. Because it involves many many painful skin scrapes.

 

[Michael Balog]

I also suffer from spring and fall allergies and I can tell you it's absolutely miserable to the point where it drains your motivation to do anything.

 

[Lysander]

To be blunt, there is no association between autism and allergies. Zero. Zip. However the symptoms of allergies, runny nose, dry stinging eyes, sneezing and coughing would make anyone irritable. If I were you I would establish whether he has allergies or not, if so, he's just cranky. It doesn't take much to put a 4 almost 5 year old in a bad mood.

 

[Crossbreed]

Hello & welcome @Glenn Farley .

Yes, there is a strong correlation for allergies and myopia in autism, and in the gifted, too. But we don't all have them.

If I understand correctly, ABA is a behavior modification approach that doesn't take into consideration the child's neurology. They are better off seeking out autism-competent providers, instead.

Finding Support Resources in the USA...

 

[Autistamatic]

There is no known causal link between autism and allergies (a slightly higher incidence has been recorded, but there are a number of explanations for that), however there is a very real link between ABA and PTSD in adults who have been subjected to it. ABA and it's derivatives are based on the works of Ivar Lovaas who, after being shamed for his use of the same techniques to "convert" gay people to being straight, turned his attention to autistic kids. Please take the time to read the following articles (as a start) and then question whether this sanitised brainwashing is the way you want your grandson to be brought up?

Does ABA Harm Autistic People? | Autistic UK

The Autistic Community does not support Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA)

Why we oppose ABA in any form

Why I Left ABA

 

[Joshua the Writer]

There is no known causal link between autism and allergies (a slightly higher incidence has been recorded, but there are a number of explanations for that), however there is a very real link between ABA and PTSD in adults who have been subjected to it. ABA and it's derivatives are based on the works of Ivar Lovaas who, after being shamed for his use of the same techniques to "convert" gay people to being straight, turned his attention to autistic kids. Please take the time to read the following articles (as a start) and then question whether this sanitised brainwashing is the way you want your grandson to be brought up?

Does ABA Harm Autistic People? | Autistic UK

The Autistic Community does not support Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA)

Why we oppose ABA in any form

Why I Left ABA

Lovaas is an evil man. We should avoid anything that is derived from his work.

Weirdly, it's not alright to force gay people to act like a straight person. However, when it's an Autistic kid, everybody seemingly wants to force him/her to act "normal." Where are people's priorities these days?