Autism 'symptoms' worse in warm weather?

[Rebecca2009]

Hi,

I already know from experience that the shift to summertime is hard for my son.  He is Very irritable when the summer heat begins, and also the change in routine with school ending makes things hard.

My question is, do any of you find your SN child gets more hyper when the weather gets even slightly warmer???  My little boy has been so hyper this week.  He woke up very early the past couple of days, yelling and running around the house.  Thankfully he is in a good mood with all of this, but it is difficult to deal with when it goes on non stop for hours on end.

Just curious what others have experienced.

[LynnS6]

It could just be for your son that the increase in light is waking him up extra early. Do you have room darkening shades? I know a lot of parents of kids on the spectrum need those because their kids seem extra sensitive to light. I know from my experience in living in Scandinavia, you do have more energy when it's light. I would look at the clock and it would be 11:30 pm, but just dusk outside, and I'd realize I might want to think about going to bed. But my body didn't feel tired. (In the winter on the other hand, you're extra tired.)

My son has a few tic symptoms, and they get worse in spring. I finally connected it allergies last fall! I don't know why it took me so long to figure out that he starts twirling/pulling his hair out in Feb and stops in about August (most of the pollen is gone by August around here because it quits raining in June). So, if there's any allergies, you might keep an eye on them.

[Eyelet]

My son is also more hyper during the summer, but in his case I believe it to be more due to not being in school then the weather. The disruption in his routine wrecks havoc on his behavior.

I try to keep him super busy during the summer months with camp, outdoor activities, the beach, etc. because too much down time makes him anxious... he needs daily exercise to be calm and happy.

[Rebecca2009]

Thanks, that helps a lot to hear from others about this!

We do have room darkening shades, but maybe we need extra heavy curtains over that or something.  And it's been rainy here so he's been stuck inside the past couple of days.  There is a running track not far from our house, I think when it gets nice again i will take him there and see if I can get him to run.

Allergies are a possiblity too, he has a few allergies.  I never made a connection to that and the extra energy he seems to have. 

I think the med. he is on is making him extra hungry too.  He just wants to eat non-stop, then he poops non stop.  It's been a tough time lately. 

[Fay]

Blackout curtains help my kids sleep much better.  Last year I finally told my DS1 that he is not allowed to wake me up before 7:15 am, and that he can wake up his dad whenever there's a problem.  :)

I've noticed significant behavior changes when there is mold in the air -- after several days of rain or when there are leaves on the ground.  I also see behavior changes when the tree pollen count is high.  

Keep in mind that schoolteachers everywhere comment on "spring fever" in all children -- it just seems to be exaggerated in some of our highly sensitive children.

[CarrieK]

Heat in general can cause anyone to become more agitated or anxious.  I find that when the summer months come around, and it starts to get stuffy in my house, I've learned to check the thermostat to adjust.  I get quite "annoyed" when it gets warm.  Where I live, it can become very hot very quickly.  Also, no routine for my son (i.e. school) = very tired mama!