Would you worry if your childs weight was

[Fel1x]

On the 50th centile and the height was on 95th centile?
Ds1 is nearly 5yrs old. He has asd and has always had a slightly limited diet and been skinny. More recently he seems to be eating less. Today for example he ate 1 slice of toast at breakfast, nothing at lunch and half his bowl of pasta for tea. No snacks. 2yr old ds2 ate much more than him. Today is fairly average in the amount he will eat.
He says he is tired all the time. Has to be persuaded into doing anything except lying on the sofa watching tv. He very often says his tummy hurts.
I weighed him today and he is 2st 13lb. He is 114cms tall. In red book this seems to say 50ish percent for weight and 95ish percent for height.

We have paed appt next week. Not sure whether to ask to see dietician for him or of his weight would be seen as ok and I am worrying unecedsarily.
What do you think?

[pagwatch]

Fel1x

Asd is strongly linked to gluten and dairy intolerance!
Your DS sounds like my son until I put him on a gfcf diet
he may well be craving gluten ( bread pasta cereals) and then feeling unwell afterwards. Exactly what DS2 was doing

Have a look at AiA or some similar sites. Google ASD gluten free diets or ask on the SN section
DS1 is now a good weight and never has stomach problems anymore.
He used to be in so much pain that he was eating very little before i changed his diet

[Dinghy]

I would look at the gene pool - are your and his dad's families tall and slim?

And plenty of children are skinny - then they gain a bit of weight and start growing again. So I wouldn't worry, as such, but I think I would keep an eye on him.

But he seems to be eating very little (are you bumping up the calories of his food as much as you can - eg lots of butter on toast if he'll have it, frying rather than baking etc) and I think that would concern me - also the lethargy, which of course could be just hunger.

Does he have issues with texture/temperature/look of his food?

I would bring it up wiht the paed - can't hurt, can it? Plus if you can get hold of a food psychologist* - especially one who is experienced with asd - you might learn some ways of getting him to eat more.


*not sure if that's the correct term - a professional who works with children who have food issues

[kittywise]

Would I worry? Well yes I would. Not about the height/ weight thing as such, but the fact that he is always so tired and has stomach ache. Something is clearly not right.
good luck

[sorrento56]

No, I wouldn't.

DS2 is on the 75th for one and the 95th for the other and the hearing test woman tried to say he was too big .

[Dinghy]

x posts Pagwatch - maybe try dairy free spread on gluten-free toast!

[Fel1x]

Oh dear! Thanks for the info. I didn't know that.
Ds will usually always eat toast or a peanut butter sandwich and if he won't eat at all then he will always have lots of milk. He loves milk!
Would a dietician or his paed be able to test if he is intolerant? Or is it something I'd have to just cut out and see if it helps?

[pagwatch]

fel1x

is he pale? does he have dark circles? Does he sleep poorly. is he constipated/have loose stools? Does he have a big tummy? is he a classic 'picky eater'. Is his diet very high in wheat and dairy based foods?

[pagwatch]

fel1x

milk craving ain't a good sign - exceptthat if he is intolerant then removingthe foods often shows a diminishing of symptoms too.
I did this diet on my own but it is tricky and you tend to have to go through a kind of withdrawal initially.
Go ask on SN and look at a decent support website.
Someone on SN may have some advice re dieticians who can help.
I did withdrawal and re-intrduction with Ds2 which took a while but we sorted out his problems eventually.But if I were doing it again I would get some help this time.
But be aware - you can get great positive help or you can get twats dieticians who chose to dismiss the possibility and can be obstructive

I am lucky. My GP helped me monitor DS2 pre and post diet, saw the changes in him and now gives me prescriptions for gfcf foods. But it is a mixed bag

[Fel1x]

X posts. Thanks everyone else too.
He does have issues with texture and temperature too. He prefers cold things, likes raw veg etc and can't eat anything mushy at all or mixed up.
He will always eat a peanut butter sandwich or toast and always eat fruit and raw veg. He's not a big fan of high calorie stuff, leaves chips etc. He would eat lots of chocolate and ice cream of course! But I limit that as I do with ds2 to a reasonable level!

Wondering if it's something to ask gp about rather than paed?

[ProfessorLaytonIsMyLoveSlave]

I wouldn't worry about the height/weight disparity, but I would worry about the stomach ache and tiredness, and possibly lack of appetite (although IME 2yos often have bigger appetites than 5yos).

[LadyPeterWimsey]

My SIL did gluten and dairy-free (and some other stuff as well) with my nephew who has an asd diagnosis, and he is like a different child. As I recall it took a few weeks to see the effects. I remember her saying that he had always had loose stools until they did this - it took their younger kids arriving to make them realise what a normal poo in a child was meant to be like! They can now tell when he has eaten something he shouldn't because he is straight back on the loo, and when he was younger his behaviour would regress as well.

[Fel1x]

Pagwatch, he is pale, flat very skinny tummy, he has trouble getting to sleep at night but once he does go to sleep he sleeps for a good 12 hours. He poos normally I think.
He eats mostly bread, milk and fruit and veg I'd say

[pagwatch]

this is quite a good first read, if you think it may help

DS2 was eating a mostly cereal, pasta, chicken nuggets, bread, biscuits, yogurts,ice cream and sweet before I took the plunge.
He was skinny , pale and wakeful in the evening. he also seemed to have energy surges and slumps around food.

It is quite a common suggested option with children with ASD now. have you heard of gfcf with asd?

[Fel1x]

No never heard of it before. Thanks for the link. Will def read later when I get on the pc. Am on my phone right now. Thanks!

[pagwatch]

good luck. Shout if you need anything. You can CAT me if you like.

It doesn't help everyone but it changed DS2s life.

[drosophila]

DS is has food issues and he is very slim. According to the dietician they don't worry unless there is two percentile differences i.e. 25th for weight and 75th for height. I think your child may fit into that. My ds has just slipped below the 25th percentile and risen above the 50th for height and he is now on high calorie milkshakes. I have mixed feelings about this as he is pretty healthy atm.

[Fel1x]

I have just ordered that book, it looks interesting and am off to SN board to ask more questions!!

[pagwatch]

see you there