I am a special ed teacher, so yes, I deal with autistic kids. I have never heard it related to type 2 diabetes. I haven’t heard of a connection specifically, but that being said, children with autism have a higher rate of obesity due to rigid food selections.
A lot of kids who are on the Autism spectrum get fixated on unhealthy foods & lifestyle choices, which can result in Type 2 later on. & I think there is a higher correlation of children being diagnosed with Type 1 I read too. It's a rough situation that the medical field I'm sure is working on ways to improve.
My son only ate chicken nuggets for dinner for years until we got feeding therapy. He eats mainly carbs, hardly any vegetables or fruits willingly. Kids like him, with physical issues as well that hinder activity (common with autism), can contribute to childhood obesity and in turn, a T2 diagnosis.
My son has autism, and I've never heard of a connection. He is a picky eater, so it could be related as far as diet, and some people with autism may not be as physically active and gain weight more quickly, but that's not the case with my son. As he has gotten older, he has increased the things he will eat, and since he does eat some fruit and veggies, he does eat reasonably healthy. He is 17 now. Of course, if given a chance he would eat only oreo cookies and french fries!
Here's the thing, if you have met one person with autism, you have met ONE person with autism. It's a spectrum because there is a huge variety of different issues that people may or may not have. They are studying a link between the two, and it seems reasonable.
If 30% of people with autism, are overweight due to food-related issues (which not all have, but some do), lack of exercise (balance, coordination issues, flat feet, hypotonia, again a common trait but not everyone has it).. then it stands to reason that Diabetes Type 2 will become more prevalent in the autism community for those who are affected by those issues.
Answers ( 3 )
I am a special ed teacher, so yes, I deal with autistic kids. I have never heard it related to type 2 diabetes. I haven’t heard of a connection specifically, but that being said, children with autism have a higher rate of obesity due to rigid food selections.
A lot of kids who are on the Autism spectrum get fixated on unhealthy foods & lifestyle choices, which can result in Type 2 later on. & I think there is a higher correlation of children being diagnosed with Type 1 I read too. It's a rough situation that the medical field I'm sure is working on ways to improve.
My son only ate chicken nuggets for dinner for years until we got feeding therapy. He eats mainly carbs, hardly any vegetables or fruits willingly. Kids like him, with physical issues as well that hinder activity (common with autism), can contribute to childhood obesity and in turn, a T2 diagnosis.
My son has autism, and I've never heard of a connection. He is a picky eater, so it could be related as far as diet, and some people with autism may not be as physically active and gain weight more quickly, but that's not the case with my son. As he has gotten older, he has increased the things he will eat, and since he does eat some fruit and veggies, he does eat reasonably healthy. He is 17 now. Of course, if given a chance he would eat only oreo cookies and french fries!
Here's the thing, if you have met one person with autism, you have met ONE person with autism. It's a spectrum because there is a huge variety of different issues that people may or may not have. They are studying a link between the two, and it seems reasonable.
If 30% of people with autism, are overweight due to food-related issues (which not all have, but some do), lack of exercise (balance, coordination issues, flat feet, hypotonia, again a common trait but not everyone has it).. then it stands to reason that Diabetes Type 2 will become more prevalent in the autism community for those who are affected by those issues.