What would you say if I told you that there’s a part of our population who are genetically predisposed to more medical issues than you and I?  

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They have a higher incidence of Celiac Disease, they have significantly elevated rates of physical conditions in all organ systems including digestion, the immune system, nervous system, their skin, and kidneys. 

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Compounded Issues

And on top of these physical issues, they happen to also be a unique group who, by definition, have challenges communicating. In other words, many of them can’t tell us when they are feeling pain, can’t ask for help when they have a headache or stomach pain. When they visit the hospital, they can’t guide the physician to where they need help. 

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And on top of all of this, what if I told you that our main way to help them is through intensive behavior therapy where they are often forced to sit at a table to do work-tasks repeatedly for long hours every day, even while they might not be feeling well, even while they can’t tell us about it. 

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This is a real group: 1% of the world population, which is about 80 million people. They are diagnosed with autism. Yes, I am describing the autistic population.

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The Science

By 2025, there have been dozens of studies published with evidence that autistic individuals experience more than usual physical health issues. Top sources around the world including the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), top academic journals like Molecular Autism and The Lancet, and top universities including Cambridge, Yale, and Harvard have given us mountains of scientific evidence.  

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Yet, inexplicably, the autism therapy field’s most popular treatment plans don’t address this biological vulnerability. The top three therapies most recommended by doctors and funded by governments are Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), Speech Therapy, and Occupational Therapy. None of these typically look at possible underlying health issues.

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I’m not suggesting these professionals who have dedicated their careers to helping autistic children are negligent. They are doing the best of what they know. They are working within their regulated practices. But why have underlying biological issues been almost completely dismissed?

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I Don’t Understand  

Let’s pause and review: We know that autistic people have a higher rate of physical health issues that can cause pain and discomfort. We know they also often can’t tell us about their aches and pains which go undetected. Yet, our governments exclusively fund therapies that don’t address these scientifically proven issues.  This means the majority of these special children experience education programs that require them to sit still, focus, and to do rote tasks over and over for hours a day at levels that we don’t even expect mainstream students to do. And when autistic kids want a break or protest or fuss, we’re more likely to interpret this as acting up, misbehaving, or “avoiding” trying than we would with their neurotypical peers. We rarely consider they might be truly feeling unwell, dizzy, nauseous, low-energy, emotional, overstimulated, have a migraine, or acid reflux. 

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How much could you pay attention to learning a new mathematics equation if you had a chronic migraine or upset stomach?  

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It seems odd that despite the well-reported scientific evidence, the autism therapy field keeps ignoring the physical health of autistic individuals. As an autism therapist myself, I don’t understand it.

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Over-Protection

But I have a hunch as to why. Years ago, I had the opportunity to present a lecture to about one-hundred autism professionals from hospitals, treatment centers, private agencies, and some parents. I gave an over-view of my Multi-Treatment approach which creates a highly customized treatment plan based on every individual child’s unique profile. I match a child’s unique needs to the best strategy or program I know of. I draw upon a range of therapies that span from ABA to play-therapy to speech, occupational, music, art, and adaptive fitness therapies and more. I also guide families to work with medical doctors willing to investigate their autistic child’s physical health beyond a typical annual check-up.

I encourage parents to feed their children nutritious healthy foods, but I don’t push “special diets”. I encourage parents to make sure their autistic child has regular bowel movements, but I don’t endorse extreme internal cleanses. I always work alongside medical professionals making decisions based on data from lab results.

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But one week after my lecture, I received a terse strongly-worded letter from the largest local hospital-based autism center. “Dear Jonathan, several of our staff attended your recent presentation, and we have serious concerns.” The letter went on to explain that they didn’t agree that a child’s physical health has any connection to autistic behavior. They claimed my recommendations weren’t evidence-based. And that they were putting my name on a blacklist of professionals they would not endorse or invite to speak again. 

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Because I believe in authentic communication and transparency, I scheduled an in-person meeting with the people who signed the letter. I showed-up with a list of published scientific research supporting every one of my lecture recommendations. I also corrected their misunderstandings and false conclusions. I left the meeting understanding that my colleagues simply didn’t have the knowledge that physical health affects behavior and that they were acting with good intentions to protect vulnerable families from quack remedies and false hope. But in their ambition to protect these special families, they went too far, even closing their minds to the scientific biological facts I offered to parents.

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Bright and Healthy Future   

Twenty years later, I have built physical health assessment into the algorithm of my latest autism parenting resource called ThriveGuide where parents can get customized recommendations on their autistic child’s health, social communication, self-help skills, and even on their repetitious behaviors. And we continue to hear about the above-average transformation and development that happens when children are healthy and ready to learn!  

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This week, I invite you to learn a bit more about the biological issues common in the autistic population. Find a medical doctor (who practices functional medicine). Or read one of the best books for this called The Autism Revolution by Harvard Brain Science professor Dr. Martha Herbert. And if you haven’t already, I invite you to start your own ThriveGuide to get a customized plan with autism-expert insights and recommendations. 

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I share these ideas with the hope that we advance our knowledge of this very special group of neurodivergent people who have different challenges and different needs. I share these ideas so we can Know Different.

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