autistic spectrum disorder and migraine

Does any one know if there is a link between migraine and ASD? My son has aspergers and i have hemiplegic migraine. He has been tested for epilepsy which came clear but continues to have 'funny turns' and im wondering if it is actually a version of migraine aura? He says his head is 'fizzy' he becomes very confused and is 'not there' grinds his teeth and rolls his eyes. He is also very motion sick and often goes very pale and shaky and feels sick or is sick.
I would be very interested to hear if any other children have similar, and the difference between what children suffer and adults xx

Migraine in children can be very different to adults - Infact there are migraine types which only appear in children - have a look under the migraine in children thread.

Also - have read through this thread - does it sound the same?

https://migrainetalk.forumotion.co.uk/t191-hello-from-mum-of-boy-with-acute-confusional-migraine

I have sent Maureen a PM as you might find talking to her a help.

Has your son seen a migraine consultant?

Tee

Hello onandoffagain,

I was interested to read your post, it must be very bewildering for your poor lad when he gets ' funny turns'.

My son has Asperger's Syndrome and suffers from Acute Confusional Migraine. He has a migraine aura of voice hearing and hallucinations and becomes agitated and confused, then proceeds into the acute phase of the migraine where he falls to the ground, writhes and screams - he is awake but unconscious at this stage in that he cannot hear you and will not respond and has no recollection of the event afterwards. He is now 12 but has had symptoms from aged 7. The symptoms worsened dramatically over a three year period - I am told that hormonal changes associated with puberty often does this. He will grow out of it and his migraines are largely -although not completely - controlled on Epilim.

I am told that the type of migraine my son has is found more often in ASD but not exclusively so and ACM itself is a rarer form of migraine. My son also had blood tests via the neurologist to exclude a genetic condition linked to both autism and Migrainous Syndrome (of which ACM is an offshoot). The triggers for my son's migraine are directly linked to his Asperger's related struggles-sensory overload and hyperacusis being the main ones.

It may be helpful to keep an eye on the triggers and symptoms. I kept a detailed chart of symptoms over a period of months which I gave to the neurologist and it helped hugely with diagnosis.

I'm not sure if any of the above helps; there is little internet information on ACM and certainly for us it was a long route to diagnosis until we finally got to the neurologist. It certainly does not need to be so - we were sent down the psychiatric route which, although at times hugely unsatisfactory ( they thought all his symptoms were "behavioural" and that he was "having a tantrum" ), all diversions need to be considered. I wish we had been able to see the neurologist sooner - my son has suffered dreadful pain for five years without a diagnosis, and has suffered the stigma of psychiatric investigation.

If you can get a referral for your son to the neurologist this would be very helpful, I hope things improve for your son,

Best wishes

Maureen

Thank you so much for your information, I feel a lightbulb suddenly appear ( not an aura! lol) I am amazed how similar my sons troubles are to yours. I thought we would sort of give up after all the eeg tests came back negative for epilepsy, I couldn't find any other diagnosis.
My son is also triggered by over sensory stimulation and anxiety. We have had the 'behavioural' stance taken for a while but I can tell the difference between a real tantrum and when he is 'not there'
Im actually really looking forward to going back to his paediatrician now and offering the chance that he look at migraine as a diagnosis.

I hope your son finds some relief, it must be very frightening for you and him to hear voices and hallucinate. x

Hello,

I'm so glad my reply has been of some help to you. Thanks for thinking of my son, now we have a diagnosis the voice hearing is not quite so frightening.

I forgot to mention: what may be of great benefit is if you could video your son having an attack. It is a very difficult thing to do I know but it gives the consultant something concrete to go on. Take the camera with you to the appointment (as opposes to transferring it onto disc and giving it to the doctor) - not all discs are compatible with NHS computers as we found out. Be clinical in documenting what you see- keep a record of his attacks if you can. Make a tick list of the symptoms-in our case it seemed to help with diagnosis. I'm happy to show you what I did if you think it might help.
I hope it goes well-remember that if it is Acute Confusional Migraine it is a rarer form, there's a chance your paediatrician may not have heard of it nor recognise the symptoms. You may have to push a little and see a neurologist instead.

Hoping it goes well for you both,

best wishes

Maureen

I am so pleased you two found each other.

Jane
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