Symptoms worse when viral?

[oddgirl]

Just in case anyone here is going through the winter blues...DS (ASD and dyspraxia) seems to get much much worse from a sensory/balance/propriception/wetting himself point of view when he gets a cold/virus however mild

His behaviour becomes much worse with lots of tears/pushing his very patient sister and generally being hard work..

I can almost predict a snotty nose on the strength of the number of accident forms I have to fill in where he has fallen over at school...please tell me its not just me...and if you guys go through the same what can I do to help him other than multi vit/fish oil to boost immune system??Feel so sorry for him at this time of year..we see some great behaviour then all goes pear shaped when winter bugs arrive..

God yes. I've said for years that DS1 is 'more autistic' whenever he has a cold. He has quirky-with-Asperger's most of the time, but full-blown, nonverbal, squealing, rocking in corner autism when battling a bad cold.

Fish oil? hah! How do you hide that one to get it into your son? We still have to use Calpol for pain relief as he can't/won't tolerate pills or tablets, and it takes a LOT of Calpol to have any effect on a lad of 5 foot 10.

Thanks for reply lancelottie-I am convinced that autism research needs to take a good old look at the immune system as a causal thing-lots of auto immune diseases in our family-and as you say it feels like his autism overwhelms him when he has a cold...as for the fish oil...well DS has very low tone everywhere and I am sure the only reason we can get it into him is because he has low senstion in his mouth and not much taste sensation ...

Echinacea is a herb that is supposed to boost the immune system. You can get liquid or tablets, but I rather like Twinings Echinacea and Raspberry tea!

Dd2 is on her 3rd day of chicken pox, yeaterday she was stimming (she rarely stims) and was rocking backwards and forwards on all fours on the sofa when she fell (cue lots of screaming). Both dd's seem to have ok immune systems, last year was the worst year we had with both of them, dd2 seemed to be ill every week with some kind of virus but as soon as it was summer they were both fine.

Had to laugh at poor Lancelotties DS - i can picture him with a pint jug of calpol
First sign of colds for all of mine is diarrhoea - the joys. I agree about the behaviour, but i'm wondering if it is also to do with SAD. For our DCs that are sensitive to so many things - it can't be much fun going in and out from cold to hot rooms/outside. When the cold wind gets into your ears, sets your teeth on edge. When you can barely feel your fingers, then you go into the warm and they itch like hell. Must be sensory overload - much less difference in temperature during the warmer months.
Visually winter is different too - much greyer - less colour intensity. With no leaves and frost - footsteps seem louder. Coming out of school, it's already getting dark, so less time to play outside. More foul weather, so more being cooped up inside.
Can you tell i'm a spring/summer person

Yes!!

Can't bear the grey cold damp days. The changes in temperature are tiring for adults.

DS (6, ASD)is noticeably less bouncy during the winter. Much much more anxious too.

We get fish oils into DS by poking a sweetie in straight after. He's always been good at taking medicine in any case so we call it 'lemon medicine' (it's the liquid eye-q stuff)

thanks everyone-glad its not just us!. good point re sensory stuff auntevil-never thought it would affect him quite so badly. ironically DS seems to have the immune system of a horse so has never been that ill-thank god...if plain old colds send him so out of control, god knows what we would get with something like c pox!!
Soon be summer...