The Healthcare Effects of Autism on Kids

Introduction

According to a 2021 CDC report, one in 54 children had been diagnosed with autism by age 8 in 2016, compared to 1 in 150 in 2000 (Maenner, 2021). The rates of autism diagnosis are rising fast. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) Is a lifelong Neurological condition that affects a person's behavior, communication, and interactions. Autism has a heavy effect on a kid and their upbringing, and it can cause many health concerns. It can cause life-altering effects like having physical defects or being bullied for being different. According to the NIH, “in the ASD group, 17.4% of children were dysmorphic and by definition, 82.6% were not dysmorphic.” Dysmorphism can permanently put them in wheelchairs and cause many other devastating effects. Additionally, evidence shows that “over 60% of children and young adults with autism experience bullying. Among them, high schoolers are most likely to be bullied.” (Autism Speaks, 2024). The early deaths of kids with autism are attributed to physical conditions, including seizures, sepsis, and cancer as well as immune, respiratory, and GI conditions such as constipation, outside of other accidental factors (Sala, 2020). Autism is such a widespread condition, and it is only getting more prominent. More research is needed on this topic in order to benefit children with autism and make sure that we meet their needs. Having autism has a detrimental effect on a child's health, and it is strongly connected to the overall topic because having autism comes with its slew of health issues and concerns that need addressing. This not only affects kids with autism but also affects their parents and their doctors. We need to learn how to combat and deal with the health issues that come as a result of ASD so that we can be better prepared for the future as this figure continues to rise. The lack of attention to the negative health effects of autism on children begs the question: “What are the negative health effects of autism on the health of a child?” Autism weakens kids’ muscles, causes gastrointestinal and digestive complications, and alters the nervous system, making it weaker overall.

Muscle Weakness

Autism has a large negative impact on the strength and muscle abilities of a child. Talia Diamond, a registered and renowned Pelvic Floor Physiotherapist, assessed and worked with many children with autism. She documented their physical strength, posture, and muscle abilities, finding that there are many physical symptoms that children with autism face such as low muscle tone difficulty and poor core strength (Diamond, 2020). These complications cause many children with autism to be in wheelchairs or have other physical limitations such as trouble doing more complex physical tasks. Further supporting this finding, Martina De Witte et al, a researcher at the Institute of Child Development and Education at the University of Amsterdam found that Autism causes many muscle weaknesses including reduced core stability, which will impact all motor skills including sitting posture, balance, and stamina (Witte 2020). This shows how children with autism cannot do many of the tasks that others find commonplace like jumping, running, and skipping. These seemingly simple things add up to make their lives much more cumbersome than the lives of children without autism. Further extending this view, Sebastian Ludyga et al. of the Department of Sport, Exercise and Health, University of Basel researched the effects of autism on children in sports. He found that in comparison to healthy peers, children with ASD showed impairments in “executive function and muscle strength.” Because of this children with autism often have less athletic ability, and participate in sports at lower rates. Moreover, he concluded that higher muscle strength was independently associated with better executive function, but only in ASD patients.” (Ludyga 2021) This was the first indication that the promotion of muscle strength, for example, by regular exercise, could reduce ASD‐related executive dysfunction.