My 17 yr old son

[Angie Mendel]

He wants to know why he shakes and why his stomach hurts all the time. I don’t know, I told him maybe anxious or anxiety. Has and or does this happen to anyone else? Is there something I can do to help him with these things? I have a ton of questions so y’all will be hearing from me a lot!

 

[the_tortoise]

He wants to know why he shakes and why his stomach hurts all the time. I don’t know, I told him maybe anxious or anxiety. Has and or does this happen to anyone else? Is there something I can do to help him with these things? I have a ton of questions so y’all will be hearing from me a lot!

Shakes like trembles? Like unsteady movements? On purpose or not?

Trembling/unsteady movements could be anxiety or could be a problem with motor coordination or muscle strength.

If you mean like larger movements, or on-purpose movements, it could also be tics or stimming.

It's hard to know what you mean because I can't see what type of shaking you're talking about.

Stomach pain could be anxiety or could be some kind of medical problem specifically with his digestive tract. (So many possibilities with the latter.)

Not sure how to advise you about helping him -- I think you have to try to figure out what the cause is.

Breathing exercises might help with anxiety, or meditation, or distraction, or counselling.

 

[Sir Stig]

I read somewhere that regular comorbid conditions for autism is stomach problems. I was in and out of the hospital when I was between 2 and 5 years old because of my, let's just say, explosive tendencies in the lower intestines. I've always had a sensitive stomach. I found out a few years ago that I have Crohns, so that explained a lot.

Finding out if certain kind of food makes stomach pain worse, and find substitute nutrients, is a good thing to do anyway. For me I have to be aware of too much milk, sugar, spices and certain types of fat (not allergic, but I still get "bothered" by them). One step up on the quality ladder of life is one step up.

 

[ASD_Geek]

Hello and welcome! There is so much to read through here, so it may take time for me to effectively chime in.

From what I've read, you've gotten some great advice! Learn all that you can about his diagnosis and what things he takes a special interest in. These may be key in helping to develop his self-esteem.

For what it's worth, I have an anxiety a lot. I overthink things and then worry about that... lol. I think that it's common for those of us on the spectrum.

There are some behavioral therapy techniques that can help with social skills and even anxiety to some point.

When you say that he shakes, is that something like a repetitive behavior? There is something called "stimming" which you could be referring. Those of us who do it, do it in our own way. Some of the things that I do are like rocking from side to side (and when I am laying down to sleep) and playing with my hands. People say that I have "nervous energy". Does your son do things like that?

Keep showing him unconditional love and make sure that he knows that being different is not bad. We're all unique. There is a saying that goes something like, "if you've seen one person with autism, you've seen one person with autism."

 

[Autistamatic]

Digestive problems are commonplace among autistic people, but you say specifically that his stomach hurts. Does he have any trouble eating, keeping food down or difficulty in the toilet? Those would be prime indicators of a digestive tract problem. If it's just a stomach pain, how long has he had it? If it's long term it could be anxiety, constant tensing of the stomach muscles or a symptom of something more serious. I would say it's worth getting it checked out with a medical doctor to make sure it's not something physical.
Shakes can again be a symptom of many things, some physical, some neurological and others psychological. You have to eliminate the medical possibilities before starting to look down other avenues. If you haven't done so yet, it would be worthwhile.

 

[Angie Mendel]

It’s more of a nervous tremble. With his stomach I’ve actually taken him before to have a cat scan because we thought it actually might have been his appendix. That was a few years ago. I’m sort of on information overload here. I’ve really haven’t slept but a lot of things are actually falling into place.

 

[Angie Mendel]

I mean by falling into place a lot of things about him down to his socks and clothes to his personality are all starting to make sense now that I’m aware.