Gastrointestinal Problems in Children with Autism, Developmental Delays or Typical Development

• Published in: Journal of autism and developmental disorders 2014-05, Vol.44 (5), p.1117-1127
• Main Authors: Chaidez, Virginia, Hansen, Robin L., Hertz-Picciotto, Irva
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abdominal pain; Aberrant Behavior Checklist; Autism; Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule; Autism Spectrum Disorders; Autistic children; Autistic Disorder - epidemiology; Autistic spectrum disorders; Behavior Problems; Behavior Rating Scales; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Biological and medical sciences; California; Child; Child and School Psychology; Child clinical studies; Child Development; Child, Preschool; Children; Comparative Analysis; Developmental delay; Developmental Delays; Developmental Disabilities; Developmental Disabilities - epidemiology; Developmental disorders; Developmentally delayed children; Diseases; Female; Gastrointestinal diseases; Gastrointestinal Diseases - epidemiology; Health aspects; Humans; Hyperactivity; Infantile autism; Male; Medical sciences; Medical Services; Neurosciences; Nutrition; Nutrition Instruction; Original Paper; Pediatrics; Pervasive Developmental Disorders; Psychology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Public Health; Risk factors; Symptoms; Symptoms (Individual Disorders); Withdrawal (Psychology)
• ISSN: 0162-3257; 1573-3432
• DOI: 10.1007/s10803-013-1973-x

To compare gastrointestinal (GI) problems among children with: (1) autism spectrum disorder (ASD), (2) developmental delay (DD) and (3) typical development (TD), GI symptom frequencies were obtained for 960 children from the CHildhood Autism Risks from Genetics and Environment (CHARGE) study. We also examined scores on five Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC) subscales comparing ASD children with high versus low frequency GI symptoms. Compared to TD children, those with ASD [aOR 7.92 (4.89–12.85)] and DD [aOR 4.55 (2.51–8.24)] were more likely to have at least one frequent GI symptom. Restricting to ASD children, those with frequent abdominal pain, gaseousness, diarrhea, constipation or pain on stooling scored worse on irritability, social withdrawal, stereotypy, and hyperactivity compared with children having no frequent GI symptoms. Frequent GI problems affect young children with ASD and DD more commonly than those with TD. Maladaptive behaviors correlate with GI problems, suggesting these comorbidities require attention.