Vestibular Complications and the Risk for Autism

Vestibular processing is a natural part of every human being. Our sense of balance is regulated by our vestibular systems and, until a health problem occurs, we are often not even consciously aware of it. Unlike other senses, involving smell, hearing, taste, sight and touch, our vestibular system is not one we can usually modify intentionally.

For children with autism, however, there is some evidence to point to a complication involving vestibular information processing. The concern with vestibular processing complications in autistic children leads to not only issues with balance and posture, but also affects a child's ability to manage head and eye movement. This lack of control over eye movement and head movement may, ultimately, slow the progress of therapy in the autistic child.

While there is much debate over cause and origin of the developmental disorder known as autism, most healthcare professionals agree the complication may be attributed to abnormal brain development during gestation. With amygdala and cerebellum developmental complications, many children are believed to suffer the complications of autism, ultimately leading to a variety of bioneurological deficits.

As a parent of a child who may be experiencing complications with autism, it is important to ask your healthcare professional to assess your child's vestibular processing. Should you notice complications involving balance, posture and abnormal eye and head movement, the cerebellum may be the underlying complication that has lead to these vestibular symptoms.

Once your child's vestibular complications are identified, the healthcare professionals can aide in providing treatment and therapy that may prove beneficial to reducing the imbalance and lack of control. With this improvement in the vestibular system, your child's other senses will improve and, ultimately, this may lead to an improvement in the overall complications of expression commonly found in autistic children.

In therapy, a child who is diagnosed with a vestibular complication associated with autism, there is some hope the complications of balance and control will improve, spontaneously, as your child ages. However, without early intervention, your child will experience deficits in other areas of autism that will need to be treated early in life. By focusing on the improvement of vestibular processing, you can improve the overall outcome of all therapies provided.

Autism is a complex developmental disorder that has become a widely studied childhood condition. For many children, the complications of autism are subtle and often misdiagnosed until grade school. If you notice your child experiences complications with eye movement, head position, posture or balance, ask your physician to request testing as a possible complication of autism related vestibular processing.