Evaluation, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Gastrointestinal Disorders in Individuals With ASDs: A Consensus Report link

Recommendations for Evaluation and Treatment of Common Gastrointestinal Problems in Children with ASDs link

A consensus report was published in January 2010 in Pediatrics, with experts in the field acknowledging that certain behavioral manifestations of patients with Autism Spectrum Disorders, such as self- injury, aggression, irritability and sleep disturbances, might have a gastrointestinal basis. The experts recommend that parents and health care providers should be on the lookout for such behavioural manifestations of stomach pain, and fully investigate and treat the most common GI symptoms reported in people with ASD: chronic constipation, abdominal pain with or without diarrhea, reflux, and abdominal bloating.

Dr. Stephen Edelson, director of Autism Research Institute, which co-sponsored the study, commented: "This is truly a human rights issue; every child deserves proper medical attention--whether or not they have autism. This published report brings much-needed focus to gastrointestinal problems that are commonly associated with the autism spectrum. The conclusions of the report are clear: physicians need to be alert and responsive to such problems when treating these patients; additional research on prevalence, cause, and appropriate treatment is imperative."