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Brief Report: Association Between Behavioral Features and Gastrointestinal Problems Among Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

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Abstract

Recent reports suggest certain behaviors among children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) may indicate underlying gastro-intestinal (GI) problems, and that the presence of these behaviors may help alert primary care providers to the need to evaluate a child with ASD for GI problems. The purpose of this population-based study of 487 children with ASD, including 35 (7.2%) with a medically documented history of GI problems, was to compare behavioral features of children with and without a history of GI problems. Unusual sleeping or eating habits and oppositional behavior were significantly associated with GI problems. These behaviors, however, were frequent in both children with and without GI problems, suggesting they may have limited utility in a screening capacity for GI problems.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by a grant from the Autism Science Foundation and by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention through Cooperative Agreements UR3/CCU523235 and UR3/DD000078 as part of the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network. We gratefully acknowledge ADDM project coordinators, clinician reviewers, abstractors, ADDM investigators who contributed to the surveillance project and data collection. We also thank Dr. Lisa Miller for her helpful comments on an earlier version of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Waisman Center and Department of Population Health Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1500 Highland Ave, Madison, WI, 53705, USA

    Matthew J. Maenner

  2. Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA

    Carrie L. Arneson

  3. Children’s Hosptial of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Susan E. Levy

  4. Department of Community and Family Health, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA

    Russell S. Kirby

  5. Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA

    Joyce S. Nicholas

  6. Waisman Center and Departments of Pediatrics and Population Health Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA

    Maureen S. Durkin

Authors
  1. Matthew J. Maenner
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  2. Carrie L. Arneson
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  3. Susan E. Levy
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  4. Russell S. Kirby
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  5. Joyce S. Nicholas
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  6. Maureen S. Durkin
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Correspondence to Matthew J. Maenner.

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Maenner, M.J., Arneson, C.L., Levy, S.E. et al. Brief Report: Association Between Behavioral Features and Gastrointestinal Problems Among Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 42, 1520–1525 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-011-1379-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-011-1379-6

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