We know that in Autism, bowel problems are big issues, in my experience it is almost universal. Whether the child is small, an older child or even a teenager, we can usually expect some sort of bowel issue and there are many reasons for that. If you have a child who lacks the sensation that they need to have a bowel movement then that can be a problem. Some children have bowel inflammation which we know is problematic. And I see many children who are very constipated and as a result, can have many behavioral issues.
This is where the topic of posturing comes in. Posturing is where a child will lean over the edge of a piece of furniture, that can be a couch, chair, even a table, to try and bring some relief to their abdominal area. I am not talking about a child being playful and leaning on furniture for a couple of seconds and then running off to play. I have some patients who posture for several minutes and it appears that they are trying to find a comfortable position. Posturing could well be a sign of underlying bowel issues.
The child could be trying to find relief from the cramping and discomfort of constipation through posturing. If a child is not having a bowel movement everyday, that stool could be building up and causing that discomfort. Children do not typically have the strength in their arms and hands to provide relief to their abdomen by pushing on it themselves. They could also be leveraging themselves on the furniture in response to the pain from small bowel inflammation. So recognizing posturing as a potential medical problem and seeking medical attention is important.
An easy thing to do is to ask your pediatrician or family doctor for an abdominal x-ray. An abdominal x-ray will show you how much stool they have stored up in their bowel. Even if you child has a bowel movement everyday, there still could be much more stool there that needs to be released. And an x-ray is a good way to know for sure what is going on.
Once again, behaviors such as posturing can make us aware of underlying bowel problems that need to be addressed by a doctor. Any sort of posturing on furniture, or even laying or rolling on the ground to put pressure on the abdomen, can be a sign that there are issues to be addressed. If constipation is the problem, there are various remedies, including magnesium and other laxatives, to help. With diarrhea, you may be seeing signs of inflammation or infection and a stool test may be warranted. These are all clues to look for and posturing can be a very important one.
