3.5 year old autistic non verbal son has had a sudden behaviour change after vaccines

[Nataliewalsh89]

Hi, I’m going to apologise for the long post in advance but I’m desperate!

10 weeks ago my autistic non verbal son had his preschool vaccines, following these he got really ill 24 hours later he had a very high fever and didn’t move from the sofa for a full day in and out of sleep and didn’t eat, the following day he woke up without a fever but a completely different boy just overnight like a switch had flipped, since then he has continuous meltdowns from waking and through the night, he is biting me, smashing his head into the floor and walls , hitting himself in his head and face and seemingly can not tolerate anything this has been constant for 10 weeks now, before this he was happy child, quite chilled and would happily play in his own with his toys for hours and enjoyed going out and playing games with me, he is not happy anymore. I thought he must be in pain, I’ve had numerous trips to the hospital and doctors, where I’ve had to fight for them to look at him , all they’ve done is given blood tests and said there is no sign of infection I believe he needs scans and his head looking at, that it could possibly be inflammation on the brain or even an immune disorder but nobody will listen I’ve had to beg for a paediatrician appointment which I’ve got on the 28th of this month so I will be going with all my concerns then but I was just hoping anybody has had a similar experience and maybe has some advice, it is awful I’m not wanting to get up in the morning it’s screaming and self harm from the get go straight away in the morning
I don’t see how this is a coincidence it all happened overnight from him being poorly from his vaccines . He’s honestly a completely different child and it’s breaking my heart and I’m so depressed.
ive referred to all services who honestly I don’t think they know themselves and really haven’t been any support at all.
thankyou for reading 😩

With there being no pressure points of pain, no change after pain killers and clear bloods maybe it is an emotional difficulty. That's not to say give up fighting for the MRI but I would look at other possible causes. My DS is autistic, he didn't know anything was happening when he had vaccines as a baby but he did when he had the preschool booster.
Your DC has had nurses come at him, stab him with a needle and has then become unwell from the side effects, he has had further examinations and needles for blood tests and likely has no idea what is going on or why people are hurting him. That is a lot for an autistic child. You could try some social stories as well as lowering demands and giving him whatever it is that usually calms him, like the massages.

I’m not ruling out it being behavioural but to me he’s in some sort of distress and cannot tell me I can’t tell him stories he’s non verbal and has no understanding but as said previously my problem with this is that it happened overnight, the change in him was drastic and still is 4 months on. The change happened before all the blood tests ect were done. Nothing calms him down at all the only thing I can do is hold him to stop him seriously harming himself. There are no triggers whatsoever even the nursery and professionals have witnessed this and wrote on his file as such.
all I know is he went to sleep and woke up a different boy completely 4 months ago and until they have done every single test going so I know with absolute certainty that my baby is not in pain I will not accept that it is down to his autism/behaviour
I’ve spent a fortune on sensory equipment, he has no demands, I try my best to guess what he wants/needs and give it to him but none of which has worked or helped
ive had early help in along with others to see if they could see any potential triggers that I was not seeing and nothing it’s from nowhere

You fill in a yellow card report (look up online) which you absolutely should if another explanation isn’t found or if it’s found to be a known side affect but I would just hold until you have more information from upcoming paediatrics appointment and any tests. Encephalitis is a rare side affect of some vaccines and is on the list of side affects in the package insert for those particular vaccines (mmr I think but can’t recall which others). So if it is that then hold on until you know it’s that before reporting. Also the gp can make the report too I think.

Yes I’ve had a look into this but did think I’d hold on until I have more information and reports.
How would they even know which virus it would be down to though the preschool booster he had included , mmr, men c, men b, polio, tetanus and another one all at the same time on both arms 😩 when I tell people this story they look at me like I’m some tin foil hat anti-vaxxer which if I was I wouldn’t of got him vaccinated in the first place would I fffs , I have another son who is 12 and fully vaccinated and absolutely fine.
but I will be reporting of course m, I just don’t see how anything else can make sense in the way which all this has happened m, if some of these behaviours was present beforehand even if just little I would say yes of course it’s the autism then or his sensory issues but not overnight no way

I think a lot of mothers feel gaslit when reactions happen and they question it. It may just be bad timing, it may be a rare reaction but until all the tests have been done you won’t know. I would try and be as calm as you can when you tell medical professionals what happened and a paediatric specialist should know what is a rare reaction and what isn’t. They will know more about any possible side affects. You can read the package inserts online to see the list of side affects for each if you have time and want to know. GPs tend to have less understanding of reactions to medications just because their training is so general and they deal with so many conditions and medications it would be impossible.

I’m so sorry you’re going through this. It sounds incredibly stressful. Hopefully the scans will identify the issue and it can be easily treated. Hoping answers come soon. Sending you strength meanwhile.

I’m not so sure about dismissing the possible vaccine link but not in the vaccines are evil mindset but like others I would feel it was more epigenetic and it would have likely happened anyway.

There is some research that fever can trigger changes in ND children and strangely it can happen in the opposite direction too whereby children who were previously less verbal become more verbal. It is possible the vaccine spiked a fever and caused this reaction. However that does not mean children should not be immunised especially autistic children.

My DD had her first of many febrile seizures brought on by vaccine and of course it made me watch her like a hawk when vaccinating next time.

You need to make sure this is recorded as an adverse reaction. This is how these buggers are getting away with completely unsafe vaccines.

At this stage it isn’t even the cause that is important ( though it should be reported in case).

What is important that a child has been experiencing accuse suffering for weeks now without any help or real investigation.

Exactly

Just a quick update, we have an MRI booked for the 16th, I will update when I know more

I am glad they have got you an appointment @Nataliewalsh89, hopefully the whole process of getting him to sleep for the MRI isn't too traumatic for all of you. It would be good if it could be an early morning slot so he doesn't get too hungry waiting.

Does he have to fast from midnight ? God he gets so hungry in the morning too, getting a cannula in for the anesthetic will be a job I reckon, the appointment is 10.30 so I hope he’s seen straight away he will be starving, thankyou

You will have to ask them for their fasting guidelines, but at my local children's hospital the rules are no food after 0230, no breast milk after 0430 and no water after 0800. What time do you have to arrive by? When you do arrive ask them for anaesthetic cream to put on before the cannula or they can start with gas sedation then do the cannula once he becomes more sleepy.

They will be very used to children with ASD, but I would phone the admitting ward in advance to speak to the nurses because they may be able to get you a quieter space and have a play worker on hand if they know his needs and how he will behave if distressed. They sometimes phone you to do a pre-op assessment in advance, but just to be safe I would be proactive and phone them soon so that they are aware of his needs.

Thank you so much , I’m at the hospital on Monday for a pre-assessment so I will mention all of the above then and see what they come back with x

Great, they will do their best to try and make things easier for both of you. You won't be allowed to eat and drink yourself on the ward in front of the kids (sometimes they will let you hide in a room and sip water) and obviously if he isn't having breakfast then don't eat yours in front of him, but sneak your own out of sight before you to give you the energy to cope with supporting him in the hospital as it is quite stressful. I would try and make sure that both parents can be there on that day so that you can take turns with distracting him before and after because they won't let you go home straight away after he wakes up and he may be confused and unsettled when he wakes up.

I do not think the vaccines cause your sons anger. I think he is angry because of something else.

Thankyou for all your advice

Bit of a coincidence isn’t is, no professionals or my self have identified any triggers, professionals witnessing there doesn’t seem to be any, but you can believe what you want to believe but you not believing me does not help me

Please consider a fully qualified cranial oesto - if you have insurance they could cover it

Hi what is this please? I’m in the uk, so we have the nhs but we do have bupa healthcare under my partners work medical insurance

You know your child best, if you feel that something isn't right then 100% keep going until you get proper answers! Good luck x

did he have the eeg yet?

No not yet, they are unsure if he will stay still enough to have that done x

Cranial osteopath, it's like a gentle form of osteopathy used on children.

I'm sorry you're going through this. PANS/PANDAs was mentioned which I'd look into too. Hope you get answers and a solution.

My son who is diagnosed with ASD found that age very difficult. I think he was frustrated with communication, not being understood and his anxiety really grew with being overwhelmed by the world. From talking to other parents I do think think there are some stages some autistic children go through, the sensory stage and smearing for example, that I found out was quite common.