Prevalence of gastrointestinal symptoms among autistic individuals, with and without co-occurring intellectual disability.
Calliope Holingue, Danika Pfeiffer, Natasha N Ludwig and 4 others
PMID 37323113WHAT IT FOUND
Parents of autistic children with intellectual disability were less certain about internal symptoms like pain or nausea, but not observable ones like constipation.
Symptom frequency did not differ significantly between groups, except for vague 'other' tummy complaints.
Key findings
01Parents of autistic children with co-occurring intellectual disability reported significantly higher uncertainty about abdominal pain, bloating, nausea, and other GI symptoms compared to parents of autistic children without intellectual disability.
02There was no significant difference in parental uncertainty regarding observable GI signs such as constipation, diarrhea, or food refusal between the two groups.
03Among parents who were certain about symptoms, only 'other GI/tummy symptoms' were significantly more frequent in the group with intellectual disability; most specific GI symptoms showed no significant difference between groups.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study relied entirely on parent report; no medical testing or clinical exams were used to confirm GI diagnoses. The 'unsure' response option was used to measure uncertainty, but it is unclear if parents consulted their children before answering. The sample size may have been too small to detect significant differences in less common symptoms, leading to underpowered results for some comparisons. The study did not identify the cause of the GI symptoms (e.g., organic disease vs. functional disorder).
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was supported by the National Institute of Health.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that autistic children with intellectual disability have fewer GI problems. The study found similar symptom frequencies among parents who were certain, but parents of children with ID were significantly more likely to be 'unsure' about internal symptoms like pain and nausea. This uncertainty reflects measurement difficulty, not necessarily lower prevalence.