Autism / Autism Spectrum Support Group
Autism is classified as a neurodevelopmental disorder which manifests itself in markedly abnormal social interaction, communication ability, patterns of interests, and patterns of behavior. Although the specific etiology of autism is unknown, many researchers suspect that autism results from genetically mediated vulnerabilities to environmental triggers.
Help, my 5 year old son started his special needs school this week and he has a fairly decent size bald spot near the crown on his scalp. Have any other parents encountered this with their autistic kids and is hair loss a part of Autism or am I going to have to look at his thyroid or wonder if he is stressed? He hasn't been letting us touch his head for some time, no haircuts or brushing. Maybe the only thing that could explain it all is that he has been home with me for over a month, no daycare or school and suddenly he is at school. After talking to my sister she thinks it's been happening for a while as surely you can't lose that much hair like he has in a few days.
I am also not sure if Autism, in some cases, might not be caused by undiagnosed and untreated hypothyroidism of the mother during pregnancy.
The best thing overall is to get him tested. For me, though, maybe the reason I was overlooked as hypothyroid my whole life was because I have autoimmune attacks on my thyroid from both directions, one destroying it and the other stimulating it to produce more thyroid hormones.
It is also likely that he is stressed or embarrassed at the hair loss, and could be stressed by untreated hypothyroidism.
One thing I was surprised at when I was finally treated, was how a huge burden of bodily stress was lifted off of me.