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Gastrointestinal Issues in Infants and Children with Autism and Developmental Delays

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Abstract

Controversy exists regarding whether gastrointestinal (GI) issues play a role in the symptomatology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). While some studies have found GI problems to be more prevalent in individuals with ASD, others have reported no such difference. Studies looking at the relationship between GI issues and ASD symptom severity have also had mixed results. The current study examined 112 participants between the age of 17 to 37 months. Participants comprised four groups of 28 children: an ASD and no GI issues group, an ASD with GI problems group, an atypical development and no GI issues group, and an atypical development with GI issues group. The results of the current study suggest that although the prevalence of GI symptoms was higher in participants with ASD than those without, this difference was not significant. The study also found that GI issues were not related to ASD symptom severity or developmental functioning.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA

    Xinrui Jiang, Johnny L. Matson, Paige E. Cervantes, Maya Matheis & Claire O. Burns

Authors
  1. Xinrui Jiang
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  2. Johnny L. Matson
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  3. Paige E. Cervantes
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  4. Maya Matheis
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  5. Claire O. Burns
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Xinrui Jiang.

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Funding

This study did not receive external funding.

Conflict of Interest

Deann Matson, Dr. Johnny Matson’s wife, is the sole owner of the Baby and Infant Screen for Children with aUtism Traits (BISCUIT) and sells the scale. The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

The university Institutional Review Board and the Louisiana State Department of Health and Hospitals Institutional Review Board have approved the use of data from EarlySteps for research purposes. All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed Consent

A deidentified database containing select variables was provided by the EarlySteps program for research purposes. All personal identifiers of EarlySteps participants, including name and date of birth, were removed from the database by OCDD before receipt.

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Jiang, X., Matson, J.L., Cervantes, P.E. et al. Gastrointestinal Issues in Infants and Children with Autism and Developmental Delays. J Dev Phys Disabil 29, 407–417 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10882-017-9532-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10882-017-9532-6

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