migraine frequency in autism

Hi I'm the mother of a 14 year old boy with AS.  He was orginally diagnosised with ADHD when he was three.  His diagnosis was expanded in sixth grade to include the Asperger's.  Besides the Asperger's he has eosinophilic esophoghitis and GERD.  He has had three endoscopies, including a dilation of a stricture.  We only found out in the last few monthes that he has a food allergy to wheat.  I have very similiar history to my son.  I have recently been diagnosised with migraines, although I now know that I have suffered from migraines most of my life.  My question is given the genetic nature of Asperger's and also migraines if there is a high incidence of comorbidity between the two?  Also is it reasonable to think some of my son's stomach issues might be abdominal migraines?
  

[Sally44]

Hi,
My son is 7 and on the autistic spectrum.  He has had abdominal migraines since he was a baby which were very painful.  I would give him calpol and ibuprofen together (as directed by GP), but it always took a long time for it to start working and I was usually at the point of taking him to hospital before he began to quiet down.  He would be in alot of pain.  These have lessened since he grew up, but he does now get a fair amount of severe headaches which I think are migraines, although I don't think he gets the visual disturbance with them.  My mother does get the visual disturbance with migraines.  I get migraines without visual disturbance, but usually with nausea, aversion to light/sound etc.
I also have a condition called Fibromyalgia and an intolerance to gluten and dairy and my son is on a GF/CF diet although I do not know if he is intolerance to these foods and I haven't seen a dramatic improvement in his behaviour on the diet, but there has been a reduction in his headaches and he also used to have a very sore bottom, like a bad case of nappy rash, which has now gone.
How have you found out your son has a food allergy to wheat?
Another thing I have found that helped is Irlen glasses.  If your son has light sensitivity or other sensory difficulties he may be having perceptual overload which can lead to headaches/sickness.  If you google Irlen Syndrome it will tell you about the condition and where your son can go to be assessed.  If he does have Irlen Syndrome he would benefit from wearing the glasses and may need to use the overlays in school.
If your son does have other sensory differences I would recommend you google the name Olga Bogdashina and read an article by her printed in Autism Today.  If what she describes sounds like your son then you can buy her book called Sensory and Perceptual Differences in Autism and Aspergers.
I think it is very hard to give a yes/no answer to your question.  But some of the above suggestions may help you support him better or may tease out some of his difficulties.  I'm afraid I don't know anything about the other conditions you mention.

[Sally44]

Hi again,
I have just looked up the other conditions you mention.  I too get acid reflux.  I notice it particularly if I have been eating/drinking certain foods.
I think a nutricianist would be the best person to advise on what kind of foods would be best to include/avoid.  I see a private nutricianist about every 5 months and she has been the most effective professional in lessening my symptoms.

[MJIthewriter]

I get migraine like pain, but so far I haven't observed visual disturbances or nausea/vomiting...

It usually manifests itself as the intense pain on one side (usually my left side for some odd reason). Some of the worst ones cause a throbbing sensation and I get aversion to light and sound. Perhaps if there is any visual disturbance, sometimes things seem a bit brighter.

Most headaches seem to be areas like the back of my head by my neck, or the top of my head or around my eyes.  I suspect sinus headaches and that's why I got a CT scan of my sinuses today to get that looked into.  If my sinuses are not blocked, then the next step is to get an MRI of my brain to see what's up and why I get headaches...

They are probably "cluster" or tnesion headaches. My dad used to describe it being Russia vs. Canada by the location of the pain on his head.  He'd get those headaches pretty often and they would come and go, just like headaches seem to be for me.

Sometimes weather triggeres them, sometimes not.  Cold rainy days like today seem to be triggers. I have a dull headache atm.
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I don't know if  Irlen lenses would help or not. I don't know what to look for with visual distortion. Perhaps that would clue me that it either doesn't happen with me, or I don't notice it.  I'm not sure how well I'd take to colored lenses. Being picky about color I don't like any tints on my perscription glasses.  Bummer.  This makes my life a bit more interesting...  I have noticed a possible reduction since I got new glasses. It could just be I was in a temperary remission too...who knows.

I know just slight blurriness strains my eyes, so I got that fixed. I also leapt the extra $60 to get the glare reduction filter. I think it may be helping and possibly worth the extra $.

[hlmliar92]

Thanks for your post.  I also have fibro/and CFS.  My son's wheat allergy is the result of a RAST blood test.  Because of the eosinophilic esophoghitis we know he has some sort of severe allergies that is causing the strictures and swallowing issues he has.  His doctors have gone back and forth on whether he has asthma but they definitely know about the esophoguas scarring.  I don't know whether going off all GF and all dairy is going to make a difference yet, but he is avoiding all wheat because we can hear the raspy voice and clearing of the throat that occurs.  

Your description of your son's and your headaches sounds like exactly my family.  I was recently diagnosised with migraines without aura (last two monthes).  I had gone to the doctor with concerns about my fibro symptoms and this time we put together my father's history of migranes (migraines) with what was going on for me.  I get headaches alot but they aren't severe, and my misunderstanding of migraine disease meant that I didn't get a diagnosis for 17 years.  

I have been reading about children with migraines and to me it sounds alot like my son's period of zoning out, and some of his worst meltdowns.  So that was my reason for asking the question I did.    

[hlmliar92]

Your sinus issues sound like my health issues.  I have recently learned that most sinus headaches are actually migraines.  If you have never read about migraine disease you should, because its not just a bad headache but a Central Nervous System disease that is genetic.  

I don't think Irlen syndrome fits my son.  He has his definite preferences on colors though.  Red has always hurt his eyes, and staring at white walls drives him nuts.  He has transition lenses on his glasses and that helps with sun glare.  When he can get away with it he likes to wear a hat or hood--to block out noise and overhead light glare.   We also try to avoid using just plain white paper for school assignments.

[Sally44]

If he has the problems with sunlight and white paper then that is part of Irlen Syndrome.  There can also be visual distortions in print.  But that doesn't have to be the case.  It is mainly a perceptual thing.  My son wears the glasses for light sensitivity and depth perception.  Donna Williams wears them to stop visual fragmentation whereby she only sees and processes parts of things.  I have problems with night vision and should wear Irlen glasses, but I don't because I've just not got round to it yet.  If he has preferences for certain colours that is also a sign as is having problems with certain colours.  Afterall everything is made up of different colours as is light itself.
Maybe if you google 'Irlen Syndrome and autism' you might get some better explanations.