Head trauma and AS?

[loobylou2]

I read somewhere, a while ago, about the possibility of head injuries causing/triggering AS. Does anyone have any thoughts/experiences of this happening? The reason I ask is that my DD started to have noticeable difficulties following an accident at school where she was knocked unconcious briefly. Afterwards she started to suffer from full blown panic attacks, hallucinations/hearing voices, pronounced social phobias, food issues etc. She did have some of these prior to the injury but not to the same extent by a long way (she was 13 when she had the accident). I have brought the subject up at CAMHS and the GP and her EIT nurse and they all said that it may have had some influence and it might be an idea for her to be sent for a brain scan but this has never happened.

She had another accident at the weekend and again was briefly unconcious (literally a few seconds, no more) and she has changed again having none of her usual hyperactivity. I'm going to have to take her to the GP as she isn't well although she didn't bang her head this time, she did give it a good shake as she fell and was concussed afterwards.

Anyway I was digressing there!

Just interested to hear if anyone else had any thoughts on a connection.

[Mumble]

I read somewhere, a while ago, about the possibility of head injuries causing/triggering AS. Does anyone have any thoughts/experiences of this happening?

Ooh, a really difficult one for me this.

 

I suffered a serious head injury in 2003. I was in intensive care on life support, my Mum was counselled that it was unlikely I would make it through the night (but I did - they're not going to get rid of me that easily.... ).

 

I've always wondered if this triggered something in me as I was dx'ed in 2007 and I have had far more intense AS type 'problems' after the head injury with work, living independently, social interaction whereas prior I had managed independent-ish living, a first degree with some social interaction, my first job, mainstream schooling etc.

 

However, looking at things much more closely I did have problems throughout all of the above and my school reports and referrals to ed psychs are testament to ASD features across my lifespan. I think (although it's difficult and I'm still very uncertain) that there's a case of seek and you shall find, and I can ignore what doesn't fit a theory - for instance prior to the head injury I was mainly in situations where I was better supported or less was expected of me (child, first degree in very small, nurturing university college, first job (so less expected) in fairly supportive environment, living with fiancé who did all the house stuff, appointment making).

 

What the head injury and resultant time off where I was recuperating, learning to walk, feed etc myself again perhaps did was highlight how weak my coping strategies were and how much something could knock me into not coping and how I hadn't built up a support network and became very isolated very quickly.

 

What's interesting is that the doctors/neuros are all re-visiting my head injury since being dx-ed with epilepsy. Most of them are convinced that it has something to do with this, and I guess all neuro stuff is related to it would make sense that any type of injury could potentially make a difference.

 

As to brain scans, I suppose it's a case of asking what they could learn that could help them make a difference from it. ASD is life-long and I suspect the only way you would get a scan would be if someone were doing a research study into head injury and ASD. I understand the wanting to know for yourself but the doctors often don't work in the same way with finite resources. For me a CT scan doesn't actually show anything and they have as yet been unable to get decent MRI images from scanning my head because I literally shake in the machine as it totally freaks me out on a sensory level because it is so loud. I don't know why they don't just sedate me as they do for children rather than making me feel guilty for being scared.

 

[Cat]

 

My now 22 year old son was hit by a car while going to school at the age of 11 and he suffered what they said were minor head injuries but I have always felt that his AS exploded at this point and I do mean exploded. Until then he had always been quiet and introverted after the accident he became very aggressive. He also became much more rigid and inflexible, literal and his sensory issues also exploded. His AS was actually only diagnosed 2 years after the accident. Like Mumble I know that it was there before that but it was in no way as ‘in your face’ or as debilitating for my son as it was after his accident. I got sick of asking people if the change in my son had anything to do with his head injury. I also asked this while he was being diagnosed. I asked for MRI scans for years after the accident but was always refused them. They felt that the accident had nothing to do with the huge change in how he was presenting. I do not agree.

 

One of my best friend’s husband who was busy exploring the possibility that he, as well as their little boy, could have AS was involved in a horrific accident while he was trying to decide if he should have an assessment. He was in a coma for 10 days and his road to recovery was long and painful. He has also developed epilepsy as a result of his head injury and like my son what was before the accident very subtle is now impossible to ignore. We have both agreed with each other that their head injuries appear have really outed their AS – if that makes sense? This is something I have wanted to explore for a very long time now and this post might just make me do something about my feelings around this issue.

 

Cat

 

[loobylou2]

Wow thanks Mumble and Cat. I wasn't really expecting anyone else to have made or suspected a connection.

Mumble, I agree that its very easy and tempting to point a finger at a possible cause, primarily to have something to 'blame' for difficulties and believe me I have questioned my motives many times! She did have difficulties as a young child but nothing that really made her stand out from her peers. She went through puberty at the age of 7 so a lot of her behaviours at that age were hormone related! It was really only after her accident that she changed so completely and that was the time that she was referred to CAMHS because she was having awful mental problems. Hence my questioning of a possible connection. I think every parent of a child with a disability goes through the finger pointing stage!

Cat your story touches so many of my thoughts as well and I hope that you find some answers either way <'>

Thank you again both of you for sharing your stories with me. I guess we will never know for definite what triggered the AS, or accentuated it but it's very interesting to hear other peoples' perspectives

>:<

[Frizz]

Mmm... My DD managed to pull a roller blind off its fixings & onto her head when she was 4! She needed stitches but didnt suffer any concussion. Am I the weakest link here?!!

[madme]

Head injuries can cause personality change and lots of other difficulties- vestibular, tinnitus,,memory, dis-inhibition Its a very complex area. I'm not medically qualified just get to read reports about these sorts of things. I find it fascinating.I have come across situations where the person had a pre-disposition to a certain difficulty and it appeared to be made worse- quantum leap from there to getting an expert to say it "caused" that problem. Epilepsy is a known head injury possible future risk. There are links with ASD and epilepsy. My son suffered quite a lot of "minor" blows to his head IMO because of his hyperactivity and clumsiness. Chicken and egg?