The Physical Aspects of Asperger's Syndrome
1. Introduction: Asperger's as a Medical Condition
An Autistic Mind is Accompanied By an Autistic Body
Asperger's Syndrome is a mild form, or a high-functioning form, of autism. HFA and PPD are other conditions which also share many similarities Asperger's, and for the purposes of this report, will be considered the same thing. Asperger’s and autism are often considered merely to be differences in the way a person thinks and processes information. However, the more I learn about the Autism Spectrum of conditions, the more I see that mental and intellectual differences are only the beginning. It appears that most people who are within the Autism Spectrum also share many of the same physical ailments.
Most of the physical problems faced by those on the autistic spectrum appear to be centered on the digestive system and the immune system. These systems depend on each other for their health and function, so it is difficult for researchers to determine which condition precipitated the other. The good news is that it doesn't matter -- we can treat the deficiencies and other issues just the same.
The problems usually include digestive, allergy, chemical, immunological, hormonal, and sensory related issues. When we learn the high number of physical problems that an autistic person may be dealing with, it is often surprising to learn that they have even more to overcome than it would initially appear. Untreated physical symptoms related to autism can prevent clear thought, relaxation, enjoyment of food, the ability to sleep at night, the ability to maintain eye contact, and the ability to easily be around other people. They can also be the cause of digestive discomfort and pain, headaches, recurrent infections to the inner ear or respiratory system, and brain fog.
An autistic child, or a child with Asperger's Syndrome, for example, may appear to have difficulty understanding his surroundings, socializing for long periods of time, or even sitting still for long. However, these shortcomings may be caused by more than his brain. He has very real physiological problems. He might have recurrent stomach aches, he might not be getting enough energy from his food, he might be "high" as a result of a chemical reaction his body is having with certain kinds of foods, and he might have more allergies, asthma, ear infections, and sensory sensitivities than his peers. Quite simply, living in an autistic body makes life even more complicated than it already is, and without help, it is more than any person can completely overcome.
Help is becoming more and more available of late. The
more common a disease is, the more people devote their time and research into
figuring it out. Since I am an adult with what I will can an "autistic
body", I only began learning the things which can allow life to be more livable
recently. Asperger's Syndrome was not known as a condition until after I
was an adult. Therefore I had no help as a child in living with this
syndrome, none from my parents, my schools, nor even myself. This is
something that adult Aspies have in common: none of us could help or treat
ourselves as children. We are all learning to take better care of
ourselves now, as adults. It is this search to understand my mind and my
physical health that has lead to my research into the things in this report.
Prior to learning these things about Aspie health,
there were times when I found myself wishing I had diabetes
or heart trouble instead of what I have. Not that I actually wanted those
diseases, but that those two illnesses,
in particular, are easy to diagnose, and this is because they are incredibly common in America. They are so
common that every doctor is aware of them, and many pathways to treatment and
prevention are known. I have been to many doctors in my life. They
never have answers for me. Even in the past year, for example, I went to
one doctor, who referred me to another doctor, etc. This happened with
several doctors, each saying I was perfectly healthy from their reference point,
that they couldn't locate the causes of my problems,
and that I should go see another doctor in another field. This finally
culminated with one doctor referring me to the type of doctor that I originally
started out with. It was official. Whatever was wrong with me, they didn't know what it was.
Due to the failures of all of these doctor's visits, and because Asperger's isn't something that was a diagnosis when I was a child, I have had to find my own way towards health. Even now that I know I have Asperger's Syndrome, I still have many physical problems with my body. We still live in a world in which most doctors believe that a psychologist or a psychiatrist is all that is required to help a person with a form of Autism. While this may be true for some people, this is not the whole story. There are also many physical ailments associated with this condition that are real and which also need to be addressed.
I Have Asperger's Syndrome, and It Affects More Than My Mind
I am a mother of two sons, I am a wife of 13 years, I am a smart and friendly person. I have learned how to overcome the mental limitations of Asperger's, how to socialize, and how to have normal relationships with friends and family. However, I also have a lot of physical ailments and differences that, if not addressed, will forever prevent me from becoming the person I want to be.
I am not a doctor. I have no formal schooling in medicine or psychology. I got in three years of college before I stopped to support my husband as he earned his degree, during which I covered General Studies and Earth Sciences. Geology and Astronomy are my passions. However, living in the body I have been given has forced my research into other directions from time to time.
Probably as a direct result of my Asperger's, I am an avid reader and researcher. I both enjoy it and am good at it. I remember nearly all of what I read and learn. I would believe this was normal, but my friends and family assure me it is not. Because of this talent, I have found that I have the ability to take complicated issues, large masses of information, or full books, and truncate them into a simpler and shorter form. That is what I will do here.
I also have a perspective that many parents of children with Asperger's Syndrome appreciate, in that I have spent years getting to learn my body; plus, as an adult, I can fully articulate and describe these physical experiences. I hope that I can help other parents and children, and other adult Aspies who are new in their research on this topic, to learn about the autistic body. If they may learn what is different in an autistic body, and some ways to address those differences, many lives will be greatly improved.
The things I have written here are based on my research from books, internet articles, and conversations with others similarly affected. My information on this subject also comes from my experiences with my own body and from trials and errors that I have conducted in effort to help me be more comfortable and to help my body run more correctly. I also include my personal opinions and feelings about these things that I have learned.
Where I Am Coming From
Briefly, I would like to start out by letting you know where I am coming from. I am an adult with Asperger's Syndrome. I was not diagnosed prior my adulthood because the diagnosis wasn't available. As far as anyone knew, it didn't exist yet. I went to and excelled in public school, I have had both wonderful and horrible social experiences through my life. I am a hard worker when my body allows me to be, and I am a good learner. I am a mother of two boys. I homeschool them, and do so for many reasons -- but one of them is that I enjoy it because I enjoy learning. I love my husband very much, and I am so grateful to him for his patience and teachings in helping me learn to adapt to and learn to take care of this body and brain that I have been given.
I want to teach people what I have learned as I try to heal myself. My sister has shown me how to do this. She has a son with Asperger's as well. Unlike me, he is being treated from his early childhood, which will help him learn more quickly the social lessons that took me 30 years to perfect. My sister, my nephew, and I are all going through this together. She asks me things that a parent wants to know about a child with Asperger's, and through this I have learned what those questions are. We are learning to treat him and me, and we are learning that his body and my body have a lot in common with nearly every other autistic person.
I have never been what anyone would call healthy.
From infancy through my early teenage years, I had bad asthma and other related
conditions. Modern medicine and the love and constant effort of my mother
kept me alive and going. As I became a teenager, the chronic lung
infections were replaced by endocrine disorders, severe allergies, and
unexplainable weight gain. I now know that these are all related to
Asperger's. These things still plague me to this day.
I have great hope now, though. As I begin the treatments and dietary
instructions which I will present next, I can already see them beginning to fix
my body. My mind is clearer than it has ever been, my energy levels are
increasing, I feel happier, and I am beginning to enjoy food for the first time
in my life. I believe that this diet and these treatments will allow my body to be the healthiest it
can be, and that they will allow my mind and personality to be unrestrained, so
that I can be free to be me.
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