Study on Head Circumference | Autism PDD

I've heard of these types of studies before. Colin's head has always measured at a minimum of the 90th percentile at his checkups, and sometimes the hundredth, even on the months that he was measuring 50-70th  for height and weight.

ETA: He is usually in the 75th-95th percentile for height, but he's definitely not heavy. As I said above, one month he was only the 50th percentile for weight. But he is on the taller rather than shorter side for his age group.
MyDearColin39255.9409490741 I read this on Yahoo news and they said that they couldn't find enough girls to do research on them. My son has always had  a big head he is in the 75% for his height, and he has very small parents, me 5'1 dad, 5'3. I guess I thought it had to do with all the meds he has been on or that my prayer for a little extra height came through

" The investigators found that the boys with autism had higher levels of two hormones that directly regulate growth (insulin-like growth factors 1 and 2). These growth-related hormones stimulate cellular growth."

It didn't just focus on male related hormones.  In fact, they attempted to include girls in the study, but were unable to recruit a significant enough number to participate.  So, my guess is that any findings would most likely apply to both sexes.  

 

Well, my dear baby J's big ol' watermelon head should have won a prize at
the state fair or quailified me for mom of the year. at least.

Just released, an NIH study regarding head cirumference in autistic boys:

http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/jun2007/nichd-22.htm

Just yesterday my one of my clients sent me an email re this and its link.  The insulin-resistance and weight issues were I think a valid point as my son is seeking the sugary and carb foods constantly.  I have to remain vigilant as he has no sense of "enough is enough" when it comes to food.  My boy definitely got the growth hormones kicking in!WOW that is so true with my son - When I was pregnat with him I had to
have an extra ultrasound because his head was measering so large- Thanks
for that info- he also is very tall and not fat but solid.Very interesting!  Alec's head is in the 90th percentile, while his height and weight are both in the 40th...so, big head here, but not heavy at all

The problem with studies like this is there are some flaws. I am married to a researcher so I pick stuff apart all the time! For weight - it is hard to say whether kids with autism tend to be overweight due to growth hormone or because of poor diets and lack of exercise. I am in NO way saying that it is the parents who are feeding their kids badly - a lot of kids with autism have sensory issues and don't eat many nutritious foods. And, a lot have balance and coordination issues and aren't good at team sports. That's why it's so important to encourage things like swimming - because our kids can do that even when they are senior citizens and keep in shape! But, it has to start young, in my opinion.

Anyway, I'm pretty sure my dd is NT - she does have a few quirks, but I think she is more NT than not. And her head is about as big as ds' and she is 3 years younger. She is 3 and wears hats for girls age 5 and up - without any problem at all! I accidentally bought her sunglasses at the Disney Store for ages 8 and up and they fit her perfectly!

my son saw the psychologist todaym his head measured 51. what are your kids measuremnets?My ds's head always measured 100%+. They at some point they wanted to
do an MRI to see what was going on. Huge head -very noticable. He also
has a high BMI, he is not overweight but solid.
Now what does it all mean?

Micki - it's funny you used the word "solid".  That's the exact word our pediatrician used to describe my boys.  People have actually been surprised when they went to lift them.  They feel like they have rocks in their bellies!  It's very deceptive. 

Both have always measured in the 90th percentile for everything.  Very proportionate and always very consistent.  There was never a sudden growth spurt with their heads.  My husband and I are tall, and they are too. 

Huge noggin here too.  My older daughter (his other mother as I call her) says it is simply his large brain. LOL.Our dd's head is rather large (& beautiful at that! ), her wt is now (post-
FTT) near the 50%, her ht still lingers around 5%....but her glorious head
always measures around 75%. I also have to shop around for nice stretchy
necklines for her.My boys are consistenly 50% percentile weight and 75% percentile height.  They are fraternal, but have same heigth and weight.  Doctor never mentioned anything about heads being big, they don't look big to us, I'd say they are probably average.  No head circumference difference, or any other size difference,  between my NT son and ASD son. 

Interesting.  That article shows something I noticed this week when we helped with my ds class at field day.  The three boys with autism were all taller than and heavier than all of their classmates. My ds is the tallest of the three at 4'2" and the others anywhere from 3'8" up to 4'.  They are all only between the ages of 4 and 5 this year so I find it funny that they are seeing this trend.  My ds head size was only 50% though on every checkup where is height and weight have always been off the chart.  My youngest ds is tall as well and his head size is in the 50% but his weight didn't even hit the chart until this month and he only came in at the 3rd percentile.

my son was born with a hematoma on his left side. it went away after 4 weeks. his head is big
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