Allergists in West Des Moines, IA 50265

Allergies happen when your child’s body takes something pretty harmless as a threat to their immune system. This could be pollen, dander, a specific food, or other allergen. When your child comes in contact with the allergen, the immune system attacks the threat with chemicals (like histamines), which causes inflammation (like a stuffy nose or a rash).

We’ve got a whole guide about allergies that dives into this, check it out here. 

Autistic kids might be prone to more autoimmune related conditions than non-autistic kids. This includes allergies as well as autoimmune disorders. The immune system protects your child’s body from sickness, disease, and outside threats. In an autoimmune disorder, the body may confuse harmless things as threats.

Autistic kids may have more eosinophils in their body than other kids. Like histamines, eosinophils also cause inflammation while trying to protect our bodies. Research has shown autistic kids tend to have more inflammation in the brain and gut. One theory for this is that autistic kids have a lot more stress than non-autistic kids, which can cause a weakened immune system. A weakened immune system can cause your child to get sick more often than their peers.

One of the best ways to help your child manage their allergies is by staying on top of their allergy medication. Consistently remembering to take medication can be tricky, so we recommend creating a visual schedule or timer to help your child take meds. 

If your child takes a daily allergy medication, incorporate it into their daily routine using a picture schedule, rewards chart, or a medicine timer on a wristwatch. You may use a combo of all these tools to help your child gain independence and consistency in taking their allergy medications. You can also explain to your child why they take allergy medication. For example, my son understands that he takes “pink” (his allergy medicine) for his stuffy nose. He is to the point now that he will ask for “pink” when his nose is stuffy! We’ve got more great medicine taking tips in our medicine guide.