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SN children

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Original poster

Are asd children generally taller than their nt peers?

15 replies

mysonben · 15/07/2009 22:16

Just wondering whether this hold any truth at all.
I have seen on several sites that the majority of children and adults with asd/autism were usually taller and had slightly bigger heads than the average nt child or adult. True or false?

My ds is indeed taller than his peers and he does have a rather large head ... myself i'm only small, but dh is over 6 ft tall and has a "big" head too so that might account for it.

OP posts:

moffat · 15/07/2009 22:22

I wonder if it is true. I know a family of four (adult) brothers where the tallest is HFA, the second tallest is ASD, one other tall son NT and the shortest NT.

Greensleeves · 15/07/2009 22:26

my ds has Aspergers and is a diddy little thing

coppertop · 15/07/2009 22:27

Mine both have large heads but aren't particularly tall. Ds1 used to be big for his age but at the moment he's fairly average height compared to his classmates. Ds2 is also about average height.

Their dad is tall though so obviously there is still a good chance that they will take after him rather than shortarse me.

Greensleeves · 15/07/2009 22:29

I don't think my ds1 has an unusually large head, although according to one MNer the haircut I give him makes him look "a bit special"

silverfrog · 15/07/2009 22:33

dd1 is very tall, and has a massive head (although it doesn't look too big)

I often have to buy her tops in a bigger size so that they go over her head... and her coats never fit properly, because to get one that she can use the hood on (not that she ever does ) I have to buy them too big as well

coppertop · 15/07/2009 22:37

Ds2 is very annoyed that he can never have a hat with one of his favourite characters on it. Usually his hats have to be adults' ones. Dh's bike helmet is almost a perfect fit for ds2.

silverfrog · 15/07/2009 22:40

yep, dh put my cycle helmet on dd1 when he took the girls out the other day...

and thankfully dd1 has not noticed that she could have character hats (I use the term "could" loosely, of course ) as she too has adult hats.

Seuss · 15/07/2009 22:46

my ds isn't tall and doesn't have a big head (judging by the size of his riding hat!) but he does have a few friends who are tall and I would say don't have small heads.

macwoozy · 15/07/2009 22:47

Ds is tallish but I'm fairly tall myself. His head size looks normal though I do remember when he was first diagnosed at 3, the paed took some interest in his long face!
At 9 he looks pretty average now.

PeachyTheRiverParrettHarlot · 15/07/2009 22:54

Ds3 has a big head, we have to buy a size up clothes wise and take into account for costumes etc. He is however small, untilr ecently could easily pass for a toddler despite being in Yr1 (has grown a bit altely). Ditto ds1 I suppose, not such a large head but short arse and the bit-bigger head he has is made to look very big by his big head of curls LOL. All mine have spent time on the 0.4th centile though so really, were unlikely to be huge.

anonandlikeit · 15/07/2009 22:57

ds2 is tall & has a large head (but so does his dad)

jemmm · 16/07/2009 08:04

DD is a big boy - but then so is his twin sister and older brother - both NT.

I read in a book that large head size is actually linked to ASD - it was a Simon Baron-Cohen book, and I think he was actually involved in the research - as with most things on the causes of ASD, it was all a bit hazy, but I think the basic premise was that ASD chldrens brains develop faster and are therefore larger earlier - hey the research was hazy and I'm a bit hazy... I know our paed measured DS's head, and I know it's large.

macwoozy long faces are a symptom of some of the other specific ASD-type conditions - which is probably why the paed was interested.

moffat · 16/07/2009 08:25

Interesting, the family I mentioned earlier, one of the brothers with ASD has a ds with ASD who has a long face.

PeachyTheRiverParrettHarlot · 16/07/2009 09:35

DS3 has a slightly funny face shape but his long curly hair covers it so the Paed sisnt notice and decided against testing for fragile X etc- I only relaised link after I had read up a bit.

I don't regret not drawing her attention though,not as if we're having any more babies and ds3 won't anyway. Not without a miracle. We've been invited and declined genetics testing as a family, but the other boys will be amde aware its an option for them when they are older- paed has left us an open file with genetics apparently.

123andaway · 16/07/2009 09:47

DS has AS and has a large head. He is tall for his age, but then his dad is tall too.

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