ASD

[stumpnme1]

HI, I haven't posted for a while; I am on the miserly three-monthly injections and feel no better after 3ish years. However, my concern at the moment is my 11 year-old grandson who has Aspergers and is being investigated for ADHD. His dad, my son, is doing all he can to make life more acceptable for him, GS attends an excellent school for students with different needs and is not doing too badly but some of his main problems are hypermobility (his fine motor skills are severely affected) and he is unable to cope with normal learning. Perhaps his major difficulty is controlling his huge outbursts of anger, often directed at his parents. I keep reading that a b12d can perhaps be responsible for ASD type difficulties. His mother is, and has been for most of her life, severely anorexic and her intake of b12 foods just does not happen. I have tentatively suggested that deficiency in pregnancy and GS's strange eating habits may need investigating and may, just may, be part of the problem. She has no interest in my suggestion. (Mother-in-law interfering?) What do you all think? I do worry!

[clivealive Forum Support]

Hi stumpnme1 I have a similar scenario with a 7 year old step grandson who is autistic and although I have urged my stepdaughter (who has had ME/CFS for over 20 years since high school) to get herself and her son tested head and brick wall is as far as I get.

I wish you and your family well

[stumpnme1 in reply to clivealive]

Thanks clivealive. I do feel that I am perceived as a mother-in-law in the old-fashioned sense of the word! I want nothing more than that my family has the best possible care and any help that could, potentially, make all their lives a little easier as at the moment, things are not looking good. Perhaps I should just keep my opinions to myself, as my d.i.i. is not interested. Very best wishes to you and your family.

[Marz in reply to stumpnme1]

i think you are completely on the right track. Low B12 in pregnant Mums can lead to lowered cognitive ability in the offspring. I will try and find the article - not sure that it was a research paper. Surely it will do no harm for both DIL and GS to be tested to rule out such a serious condition. Is your son on-side ?

Also speaking with my Thyroid UK hat on - I have also read that Anorexia can lead to Thyroid issues - either before when Hyper and then becoming Hypo as the illness progresses. Thyroids need good levels of B12 - Folate - Ferritin and vitD in order for the storage hormone T4 to convert into the Active thyroid hormone T3.

As a Grumpy Grandma of 5 - like you I only want the best health for all the children and their parents ... it can be a struggle at times.

EDIT : - found this link below - which I have not read - I usually scroll down to the Conclusion There are many more !

academic.oup.com/advances/a...

I think funding research for a vitamin of such importance is not deemed important for the usual money lenders !

[stumpnme1 in reply to Marz]

Thankyou, Marz. I will read the article with interest. I have sent my son links regarding ASD and b12 and he sometimes seems interested. D.i.l. would, to my unmedical eye, seem to show definite signs of deficiency and is, to say the least, unapproachable. I will contact my son again but I fear that if d.i.l has said no to testing, it will be no. So so, so difficult thinking something might be of help to them and getting the cold shoulder. Whoops, sounding like 'poor me'! But I wasn't diagnosed in time and have irreversible neuropathic damage so am somewhat passionate about the topic!

[clivealive Forum Support in reply to stumpnme1]

As a step-FIL I'm even further out of the equation but I'm still surprised that my Step-DIL, who is a qualified Nutritionist, is not aware that the Step-GS's diet is inadequate for B12, iron and Folate, but then because of his autism the boy will only eat what the boy will eat.

I am not a medically trained person but I've had Pernicious Anaemia (a form of B12 deficiency) for more than 46 years.

I wish you well.