Is your child SAD with ASD?

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This week’s article covers the following question:

My son (age 9) seems to suffer from SAD. Is this common in kids with ASD/HFA? What can be done (other than SSRIs)?

An extensive review of the current literature does not reveal a connection between Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and Asperger’s Syndrome (ASD) or high functioning autism (HFA). However, that does not rule out the possibility that there may be one. Obviously, further research needs to be performed to determine if SAD is linked to ASD/HFA.

Seasonal Affective Disorder, commonly known as SAD, is caused by sunlight deprivation, which, in turn, can cause a neurochemical imbalance in the brain. This imbalance can lead to feelings of sadness or symptoms of depression.

The symptoms of SAD appear during the winter months, beginning in September or November and continuing through March or April. A diagnosis of SAD is usually made after three or more consecutive winters when the following symptoms occur:

Depression, including feelings of misery, guilt and loss of self-esteem, sometimes hopelessness and despair, or apathy and lack of emotion;

Anxiety and tension and the inability to tolerate stress;

Decreased libido and disinterest in physical contact, intimacy, and sexual activity;

Eating disorders, such as craving sweets and carbohydrates, weight gain;

Lethargy, a feeling of fatigue and the inability to carry out a normal, daily routine;

Mood swings followed by periods of hypomania (over activity);

Sleep disorders such as oversleeping, difficulty in staying awake or asleep, sleep disturbances; and ocial problems, such as irritability and a desire to avoid social contact.

Most sufferers show signs of a weakened immune system during the winter months, and this makes them more vulnerable to infections and other illnesses.

A very popular method of treating SAD is the use of light therapy. Research has shown that light therapy is an effective treatment for SAD about 50% of the time. Specially designed lighting is used in the home, and the person with SAD is exposed to the lighting for a daily period of time. Whether this treatment will benefit someone with AS remains to be seen.

There are two types of light therapy treatment. The first is bright light treatment. The person with SAD sits in front of the light for a specified time period. The second type is dawn stimulation. This therapy takes place while the person is asleep. A low-intensity light source is set to turn on in the morning, before the person wakes up. This light gradually increases in brightness as time passes. Many people prefer the passive experience of dawn stimulation because it is more convenient and less intrusive than bright-light treatment. It may be more appropriate for AS sufferers.

In addition to light therapy, a person with SAD can spend more time outdoors in the daylight hours, thereby increasing exposure to the healing effects of natural light.

Currently, research is continuing to determine the most effective way to use light therapy. In addition, medications and counseling may also be used to treat your child for SAD. Treatment for SAD doesn’t cure seasonal depression, but it can help relieve your child’s symptoms.

As with any illness, check with your child’s doctor and a psychiatrist before trying any treatment.

Have a great day

Dave Angel

14 comments »

1. My 20 year old daughter has ADHD and Asperger’s Syndrome. She also suffers quite badly from SAD and has to double her anti depressant medication during the winter as well as using a light box.

   Comment by J Turner — June 17, 2008 @ 3:46 pm

2. My Asperger son who is 18 has always…especially in the last couple years complained about the rainy overcast and dreary days. I told my husband that I thought he might be suffering from sad. He acts and feel so much more upbeat when we have sun and blue skies! I was happy to see this article and it has confirmed my thoughts. I’ll be interested to see the other responses.
   Kim

   Comment by kim — June 17, 2008 @ 4:45 pm

3. my aspergers child is 14 and forever telling how bored he is.He can be playing a game or have company and still complain about being BORED. Is this part of the aspergers or is it just him???

   Comment by Suzi — June 17, 2008 @ 5:22 pm

4. My asperger son aged 12 has SAD. I thought it was just part of him, as I also have SAD (started much older age). Maybe his asperger’s makes him more susseptable?

   Comment by Debs — June 17, 2008 @ 5:53 pm

5. Suzi,
   Our son is 11. He is always bored unless he is the one in control. We can see it drives other kids nuts, we have tried to divert his attentions to the needs or desires of others but so far no success.

   We do not see a SAD issue.

   Dan and Lisa

   Comment by Dan — June 17, 2008 @ 11:29 pm

6. Kim, I couldn’t agree more. Nature, sun and water seems to be craved more than typical people. It’s not always easy to motive mine but, in less that 5 minutes, he gets in sync and is much more at peace. The rest of the family (including the dogs) also feel much better. So much of what helps my HFA we benefit from as well.

   Comment by Lorian — June 17, 2008 @ 11:56 pm

7. Hi Suzi. That sounds very familiar and yes it’s very possible the “boredom” is related to the spectrum. Sometimes I think they just don’t know what to do or how to act. What has been working for us social skills training (for the company part) and activity schedules for free time. Both topics are easily googled with lots of great information out there. Hope that helps.

   Comment by Lorian — June 18, 2008 @ 12:03 am

8. My son is 8 and is formally PDD-NOS only because he was one criteron off from ASD/HFA. He is the opposite - can’t tolerate exposure to sunlight or he goes crazy. When he was little he would just act drunk, but now if he is uncovered in sunlight he gets violent. The only answer is to cover him up, which a lot of people don’t/won’t understand, and the doctors just say it’s “part of the PDD” and can’t/won’t give a separate diagnosis. He’s much better in indoor light and/or dimmer light.

   Comment by Satscout — June 18, 2008 @ 12:25 am

9. How amazing! I spend each winter ‘day dreaming’ about spring and camping and lying in the sun! It’s very hard to get motivated during winter.

   Comment by Carolin — June 18, 2008 @ 6:58 pm

10. How interesting. My son 17 has ADHD and Aspergers. As a younger child his health used to go down in January and for about 3 years in a row would have to have 3-4 weeks off school. He appears to become very lethargic in the winter months and much brighter when the sun is shinning.My son also states he’s bored most of the time.

    Comment by alison — June 19, 2008 @ 5:40 am

11. After reading this article I am now certain that my 16 year old daughter has SAD. The past 3 years she has ended up failing in school during the winter because she becomes so withdrawn and depressed she ends up locking herself in her room. I have had to start homeschooling her just to get her through the year. Now that it is summer - she is like a ray of sunshine! I will have to do research on SAD so we are prepared for next winter.

    Comment by Jan — June 19, 2008 @ 9:08 am

12. The comments here are just as intersting as the article itself.

    My AS/ADHD/SID son 9 absolutely loves being outside and enjoys nature in both winter and summer. I do find that on overcast/rainy days tend to be a bit of a challenge behaviorally speaking as well as coping with bordom. Although he has his own occupational therapy room, filled with toys, gadgets, etc, he is most happy when he is outside playing with his Tonkas in the dirt. He also finds comfort in music, which is great because as a musical family we have 9 instruments. Often times he will sit at the piano or the organ and play self created tunes which directly reflect his mood. On a really bad day when his behavior is uncontrollable, I find that if I just go play the piano he will settle down almost instantly and next thing I know he is sitting beside me asking if he can play too.

    Winter does tend to be the time where we experience the most difficulty, even I sometimes have periods of times when it is a struggle to motivate myself but I do, because I have to.

    Thanks again for the article and the comments. Look forward to reading more!

    Happy Trails!

    Comment by Julie — June 19, 2008 @ 10:07 am

13. after an exhausting destressing 5yrs i am still waiting for a diagnosis for and the more i read the more convinced my 10yr old son has it. his behaviour is typical of all the stories i have just read and await someone who knows enough about aspergers to notice the sometimes subtle clues linked to what is often described as the invisible disability. my son is above average intelligent and therefore unlikely to hightlight any pain he feels lightly! i too have to peel him off his computer and tempt him to venture out of his bedroom into our cruel world!whos ignorance continues to isolate him threw there ignorance.

    Comment by stacey birkin — June 19, 2008 @ 5:58 pm

14. I also wanted to add that even with the sunlite and great days….I notice that after a great workout,my son has a tremendously different spirit about him. He has a bit OCD and cares about his fitness level very much. I am very concerned about skin cancer, but I have seriously been considering a bit of light therapy or suntanning beds for him during the winter months.He at least has a darker olive skin tone, so is a bit less suseptible to skin cancer. Kim

    Comment by kim — June 19, 2008 @ 11:25 pm

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