Can Antibiotics Cause Autism?

autism antibiotics

Luke received his first of many rounds of antibiotics at the tender age of two weeks for a raging ear infection that kept us both awake at night. The doctor, a displaced French-Canadian pediatrician, assured me that the round of antibiotics that he prescribed would “do the trick,” and to follow-up with him in one week.

A week later I returned with my baby, my eyes puffy from lack of sleep. The doctor looked in Luke’s ears, shrugged his shoulders, and ordered another round of antibiotics, though this time a different strain.

“This one’s the most powerful antibiotic on the market, and will do the trick, for sure,” the doctor announced.

I returned to the doctor’s office the next week and the week after that, until I lost track of how many times I had dragged my baby into that doctor’s office.

At one point, I ventured my own theory to the doctor. “Do you think that maybe it’s allergies that are causing Luke’s ear infections, and maybe we need to see an allergist?” I asked.

“Madam, allergies do not cause ear infections!” the doctor bellowed.

I caved in to the doctor’s wisdom, and nodded in mute acceptance.

After three more years of constant antibiotics, Luke was labeled as having autism.

Coincidence? Or did the long-term use of antibiotics destroy Luke’s microbiome? (the “good” bacteria living in our guts, which is essential for development of the immune system and neural development, killing the “bad” bacteria, thus protecting the digestive system from pathogens, as well as optimizing nutrition and absorption.) This dysbiosis (microbial imbalance) breaks down gut integrity, producing toxins and causing immune and metabolic abnormalities.

A recent article in CNN stated that studies have shown that children younger than two who receive five or more prescriptions of antibiotics are at a significantly higher risk of developing conditions in childhood, with cephalosporins linked to a higher risk for autism. https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/16/health/baby-antibiotics-linked-to-illness-wellness/index.html

But what causes this? Scientists theorize that long-term antibiotics use disrupts the bacteria in a child’s gut, usually as evidenced by chronic constipation or diarrhea. This disruption alters the brain-gut axis, which, in turn, causes stereotypical autistic behaviors as well as mood disorders. It’s widely accepted in the medical field that gastrointestinal (GI) disturbances is an autism spectrum disorder (ASD)-associated comorbidity, and that people with autism have an altered bacterial gut microbiota.

So what can we do about it? The first thing I would suggest is to minimize antibiotics use as much as possible. Try to find the underlying cause, and treat that, instead. In Luke’s case, allergies were causing his ear infections, which, thankfully, some pediatricians are now acknowledging. Once we started him on treatment for his allergies, his ear infections went away.

The second thing I would do would be to put my child on a good dairy-free probiotic with at least 30 billion CFUs. Probiotics have shown to improve microbiota composition, increasing the “good” bacteria and decreasing the “bad” bacteria. This improves intestinal barrier function, keeping out those bad pathogens such as harmful bacteria and yeast, as well as improving immune responses.

I would also take dairy and gluten out of my child’s diet, as those proteins have shown to cause gut inflammation in our ASD children, which increases dysbiosis. And remember, a child can be sensitive to an allergen but not necessarily be allergic to it.

Lastly, studies have shown that microbiota transfer therapy (MTT,) a fecal transplant pioneered by Dr. Thomas Borody, an Australian gastroenterologist, can reduce autistic behaviors by up to 50% in some children with autism. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/19040909372 According to Arizona State University researchers, MTT improves gut health by transplanting strains of good bacteria, thus reducing ASD-related symptoms (language, behavior and social interaction.) I realize that it’s awashed in controversy, and I’ve never tried it with my child, but I’ve heard good feedback from ASD parents regarding its effectiveness.

I regret that I didn’t stand up to Luke’s pediatrician and follow my instincts. In today’s world, though, armed with empowerment that knowledge and research brings, we as parents can have a larger say in how our children with autism are treated by doctors, paving the road to independence, good health and happiness as an adult for our loved ones!

references:

Arizona State University. “Autism symptoms reduced nearly 50 percent two years after fecal transplant.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 9 April 2019. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190409093725.htm>.
Antibiotic use in babies linked to allergies, asthma and other conditions, study finds Sandee LaMotte, CNN

Scarlett South is author of Autistic or Toxic? How I Unlocked the Mystery of My Son’s “Autism,” and contributing writer to Autism Parenting magazine. But her greatest achievement is her awesome son, who once struggled as having severe autism, and is now an independent and productive member of society! Follow her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ssouthauthor

And to receive more autism-related news and tidbits, sign up for her free newsletter! https://www.scarlettsouthauthor.com/sign-up/

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Scarlett South is a registered nurse, an autism specialist and the author of Autistic or Toxic? How I Unlocked the Mystery of My Son's "Autism." But her proudest achievement is her adult son, whom was once considered severely autistic, with talks of being placed in an institution, and whom is now an independent and productive member of society! Scarlett is based in Florida.