September 19, 2022
- The National Council on Severe Autism recently published a sobering article on the dangers of pica. The piece was written by the mother of a 16-year-old girl with autism. The article details the two life-threatening emergency surgeries her daughter recently underwent to extract inedible objects from her digestive tract. This frightening situation serves as a reminder that autism can, unfortunately, be deadly. Wandering, drowning, or pica, are anxiety-producing behaviors that families and caregivers must manage with vigilance.
- New research published in Frontiers in Pharmacology suggests that the common anti-diarrhea medication, loperamide, could help treat core symptoms of autism. The drug activates the μ-opioid receptor, helping to improve social behaviors. This current study shows that old drugs can sometimes be repurposed for new treatments. However, more work is needed to further test the medication.
- School officials in Portland, Maine, are working on a plan to redeploy special education technicians to avoid switching to a four-day school week for some of the district’s 1,000 special education students. The growing number of unfilled jobs in the district means a disrupted school schedule is possible. A four-day school week comes with consequences and would extend the school year to meet the state’s minimum of 175 school days. This critical situation is not specific to Maine. Educator shortages are reported from coast to coast.
- A new study shows that people on the spectrum are more likely to experience multimorbidity, especially if the individual also presents with an intellectual disability. Unfortunately, multimorbidity is a risk factor for poor health and a reduction in life expectancy. This research identified a dominant combination of multimorbidity in their participants with autism. These included immune system dysfunction accompanied by gastrointestinal disorders and neurological diseases combined with joint diseases. This finding supports the hypothesis that an altered gut-brain relationship is involved in the development of autism, its outcome, and its association with chronic health conditions.
