9 year old weight struggles/Cushing's syndrome?

[Mumtoboys1]

My 9 year old rapidly started gaining weight since around September 2021. He is autistic and doesn't have the best of diets and I have assumption that he has dyspraxia which could be affecting his physical abilities. Over the past year his diet has gotten a lot better and since being home educated we have been going out almost everyday and I don't see a change in his weight. It's affecting his mental health now and he deleted photos and videos I take of him because he looks 'fat' it breaks my heart.

He has a younger brother and they more or less eat the same thing except if anything his brother snacks more but is more active. They are both completely different in weight.

I've been looking up online and have came across Cushings syndrome and has made me think it could be that but I don't know if I'm just being too worried. I do think there's something else going on rather than just a lifestyle issue.
Does anyone know anything about cushings syndrome and could share your story??
Thank you

If you keep track of height and weight over a period of time, along with a detailed food diary you can run through a calorie counter, it can help pick up a picture. Cushing syndrome is very rare in otherwise well children. If unexplained weight gain is persisting (especially if not gaining height over that spell of time), reasonable to see the GP who would likely want to do blood tests for hormones (cortisol and thyroid), blood pressure, blood sugar if the story was concerning.

It is more probably his diet that is to blame instead of a rare disease.
Any change he secretly eats? at night? did you notice changes in the pantry? bread going down quicker?

Cushings has many other symptoms and is very rare.

Actively look for the other symptoms but it's likely over eating.

You say you go out but how active is he... Does he do any fast activity? If he's home ed he probably doesn't get the steps in he would at school.
You could do a food diary as an activity and actually look in detail.. if he has the same diet as sibling is activity less?

It's hard with dyspraxia to find a sport that works... We tried loads of different things with varying degrees of success
Easiest... Walking ? Get a step counter watch they're not that expensive.. turn into graphs etc running something like Couch to 5k? Then could junior park or find a local athletics club...swimming.. ? Rowing, non ball sport so def works for some

Maybe use the Olympics/Paralympics for ideas