Constipation

[ZebraAutismo]

Is constipation a symptom of autism? For years I was told it was and wondered if anyone had been Told similar.

I know anxiety can trigger it but don’t think autism itself can.

 

[s3_gunzel]

I know anxiety can trigger it but don’t think autism itself can.

Given Autism and anxiety often go hand in hand, there's certainly an argument there that, yes, actually, it can be.

 

[Au Naturel]

By itself, autism has no connection to constipation. I know some autistic children have issues with how they were potty trained and may be afraid of sitting to go potty. Or maybe they don't have access to the toilet as often as they should. Others may have been raised to think of bowel movements as being dirty or shameful. This could lead to holding it in as long as possible, causing it to harden in the colon.

 

[OkRad]

It could be. There is a lot of research going on regarding Gut/Brain and autism. SO many of those with autism do have gut troubles. Here is one article to get you started

Could A Gut-Brain Connection Help Explain Autism?

 

[Tom]

Hard to see a direction connection, but possibly a frequent byproduct of co-morbid conditions, like the Anxiety that has been mentioned.

 

[MyLifeAsAnAspie]

Another area of research is mitochondrial dysfunction which has connections to both conditions. Mitochondrial is suspected when unrelated areas of the body are effected. It's not easy to diagnose and I have not seen any studies on adults with ASD for this possible cause.

 

[theporgsnest]

I had major toilet issues with this as a child, and according to my doctor at the time it can be a common problem for young children with autism, but it's no more severe than in a neurotypical child - it's more likely to stem from anxiety or fear/trauma, or even learned behaviour. I continue to have digestive issues (suspected IBS) to this day though, so it could be a correlation, but not necessarily causation.

 

[Kit]

I know bad diets can attribute to it.