auspergers/pdd or could it be allergy related?

[mel068]

My 4 year old son has started clearing his throat about the time we moved here from a diffrent state.  It has become worse and other times seemed better.  He is going to a neurologist soon.  He has also more recently started sniffing, alot.  I have talked to his ped about some other behaviors after my aunt spent a weekend with us.  She noticed some behaviors she thought I should check into.  Some things she pointed out are: repeated asking of same question( i answered every time), wanting to walk up and down her steps outside, grabbing of his genitiles.  Some things I have noticed is his extra sensitivity to smells.  He will cry if he cannot remove himself from an offensive odor.  He can recall scents, he smells things from foods to objects. He seems a little immature during play with other children his age.  Most recently(within last 2 weeks) he has started inhaling deeply through his mouth, taking deep breaths.  I have to keep his car seat straps loose now.  Although he does this while walking around the house to.  He also turns his head to one side while watching t.v.(reminds me of a bird when they are looking at something.)  I thought about going to an ear nose throat specialist.  Do you think allergies to something in the enviroment (since most of this really started upon our move) or to foods could cause odd behaviors like these?  I just want to rule out everything.  He is due for another immunization, but I am afraid to do this until I know if all this is something to worry about or if it is just normal.  I have read alot of other posted questions and I realize allergies may not be this sites intent, but thought you may have an idea if it is possible.  Thank you very much./

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

Of the various symptoms/behaviors you describe, the two most obvious to suspect may be allergy-related are the sniffling and throat clearing (possibly the breathing change). The others likely are not related to anything in the environment. One thing to consider is the occurrence of some of the behaviors prior to the move, though you may not have noticed some of them. Sometimes it takes an observer who is not so close to the situation to be able to discern particular behavioral patterns. Some PDD-spectrum conditions contain a sensory element to them, but it may also be that your son manifests some sensory integration problems. It is likely he may need to be evaluated by several disciplines to make sense of the picture.