This is that time of year when the days are beginning to feel really short and the decreased sunlight starts to get to me. I am a clear winner in the Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) race and have a light box on my desk to help that along. (In case you’re interested, I have the SunBox DL because it actually doubles as a nice desk lamp.)
Today was chilly and rainy and completely cloudy and pretty much parked me squarely in the blah zone. Half a pot of coffee, loud music, well not much seemed to help. To say I wasn’t very productive today is an understatement.
I picked J-Man up from school and they said he had been pretty foggy all day too. He didn’t seem really upset today or anything, but he wasn’t his normal bundle of wild energy either. They said he was just kinda there all day. That sounds familiar, and it got me thinking.
Is there any greater probability that an autistic person would also have Seasonal Affective Disorder than the general population? I looked around on the Internet but no one seems to have done any real study on that.
He may have just inherited that from me and it’s essentially coincidence that he’s also autistic. I am curious, though, that given the number of parents who give their autistic kids some melatonin to help them sleep and that research indicates that it’s likely that the lack of sunlight that brings on SAD is because of decreased melatonin production in the body, is there some sort of relation here?
I could be talking completely out of my ear here (well, I know I’m doing that), but does anyone else have the experience of their kids being kind of foggy, mopey, lethargic, or whatever in winter vs. summer? Does their behavior change in general as the seasons do, and if so, does it change for the worse or the better? (though ‘worse’ and ‘better’ are highly subjective in our world) If it did, did you do anything to try to address it? I’m not about to put an autistic kid in front of a light box without a lot of supervision considering that much light can make some people suddenly really hyper. That could turn into a big mess if you’re not careful.
This is our first post-diagnosis winter. I honestly didn’t pay attention to how the season changes affected him last year beyond the clockwork allergies we all have.
Today just got me wondering and I’d love to hear y’all’s perspective on this.
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Something to think on!
I stumbled across your blog in my searcg for info on SAD and autism. I’m starting to wonder about my son. It has been rainy and cloudy here for the past few weeks and in that time, hhis behavior has gone from bad to worse with wild tantrums. Sleep and the need for melatonin has always been an issue and his dad has SAD so I am stating to believe there is a link between the two. I’m going hunting for more information.
Laura – it’s hard to tell how everything is related much of the time. We generally try to keep notes about all these possible connections and symptoms and whatnot (or as many as we can) and then as systematically as our tired brains can muster pursue and research the various threads until we see if there’s much to them or not.
The hard part is that autism often comes with an ‘and’, where kids have autism and something else (or multiple something elses) going on. So it could be autism and SAD (like it might be for us with autism and apraxia and sensory disorders and who knows what else).
With SAD, one of the main techniques to address it is a light box (got mine from Sunbox) for so many minutes a day. One problem there – these lights can potentially trigger manic episodes in people with bipolar disorder. So it could perhaps cause negative behavioral changes in a person with autism too if it ‘excites’ their brains in some way. Who knows. I’m really just theorizing (at best) here.
So to make my long ramble shorter, the question becomes, OK let’s say there is some potential relationship there between autism and SAD. What do we actually do about it? I doubt there’s any clear answer yet. I’d be interested to see what you find out.
I know a LOT of autistic kids on melatonin. We haven’t had to as we’ve thankfully gotten J-Man’s sleep seemingly figured out now. (Hope I didn’t just jinx it.) I know several parents who’ve also incorporated other medications in to help with sleep, particularly in situations where the lack of sleep feeds a vicious cycle of wild behaviors which begets even less sleep and so on.
It’s great that you’re making these observations about the weather and his behavioral changes. If as parents we can spot the variables that affect our kids’ behaviors the most – whether it’s weather, the position of the furniture, doing something in the ‘wrong’ order, the price of tea in Ceylon, etc. – then we can take steps to address them. There are just so many variables – and often it’s the smallest thing that does it – that it’s a huge challenge to isolate the culprits and then actually figure out what to do about it.
Again, if you’d like to share what you find out, would love to hear about it.
i just stumbled on this blog and i am very glad to see it. no one in my family has ever been diagnosed with SAD but i am wondering about my autistic son. his behavior changes so drastically in the winter/summer that he has been evaluated for seizures and bipolar disorder. i don’t even know much about SAD because all of the web site info i find seems to be written about adults in that it causes depression. in the fall and winter, my son sleeps more, watches tv and plays video games constantly and is ridiculously lethargic. in the summer time, he eats more, sleeps less, is more irritable and aggressive. the up side to the spring/summer mood is that he learns faster and better and seems to be more engaged. it is confusing to say the least.
Katherine – it’s quite possible there is a SAD component to his behavior, though I’m obviously not the best person to ask. A huge percentage of humanity experiences some level of effects from the number of hours of sun during the day. The increases in levels of depression and suicide in very northern latitudes where days are very short or non-existent in the winter are well-documented. I think it’s just a biological need programmed into us.
One interesting effect of that light therapy box I use in the winter is that if you use it for too long in one sitting, you can get much more hyper or irritable. I know for people with bipolar disorder that they have to be carefully monitored at first when using light therapy for SAD as too much light can sometimes trigger a hypomanic or manic episode. It’s pretty much like trying to adjust a very sensitive thermostat, and it’s not hard to overcompensate.
I know little about the effects of light therapy on kids with SAD, though I imagine their sensitivity to both the therapies and the effects of SAD in the first place might be more prone to swings than many adults. I could be completely talking out of my ear, too.
I’m not sure what type of specialist would be the most useful to talk to about this. I know there are psychologists who specialize in SAD, but you’re right in that more research seems to exist about adults. I’d be inclined to ask around for a neurologist who might have some ideas too.
I’m often in a state somewhere between contentment and bliss during spring and fall. I’m pretty lethargic in winter – though not as much as I used to be. I’m just grumpy in summer because it’s so dang hot!
I’m a clear poster child for seasonal mood changes.
I’m interested to hear what you find out. Let us know!
Hello everyone! I am a special education teacher in Fairbanks. I’m looking at different research topics on Autism, and am considering the effects of sunlight on ASD. It’s a huge undertaking, and would love opinions from experts, (particularly parents) if you have any.
Thank you,
Lisa
Hi, my son has aspergers syndrome, last year he went through a period (about 5 months) where all his challenges were exacerbated. Oppositional tendencies turned into a constant, meltdowns, just a very difficult period. I was recently talking to an IEP advocate with an autistic son. I mentioned that my sons rough cycle started the begginning of December. She said her son also cycles into a more difficult time, & it always starts around Christmas. She thought it had to do w/ it being more busy in the household. We have Christmas w/ just us & at home, not busy. The most obvious common denominator I could come up with is daylight hours. I found this website, in an attempt to learn more. I’m hoping to avoid or at least lessen the cycle this year if it seems it’s going the same way it did last year. Would appreciate any practical knowledge w/ this. Thank you, S. Booth
Suzie – Great insights! I think the Christmas season is hard on most everyone, spectrum or not. We try to keep it very low key, too. I think starting around the change from daylight to savings time is when I’m going to start paying more attention to this. The sudden dark an hour earlier thing always throws me off at least. The shortest days of the year come at Christmas time, so there’s a logic for it to really be a problem then too. That coupled with holiday stress can be volatile! Last year it was being stuck inside so much because it was so cold for several weeks in a row that finally did us in. We all had this cabin fever, crazed mentality on top of everything else.
Even just getting 15-30 minutes of outside sun a day in the winter can really help. I have a SunBox lamp on my computer desk that I can tilt up and look at 10-15 minutes at a time a couple times a day. This helps me. For autistic kids, I have no idea how a light box should be used. There are people who should not use light boxes without close supervision (e.g., people with bipolar disorder – can trigger mania in some people), and given the neurological unknowns with autism, I’d take it easy there. With sensory input, you never can tell how our kids will react.
Let us know what you discover as the seasons progress. We’ll be keeping notes, too. And if anyone else wants to join in, we maybe could make an informal little survey out of it. If anyone has insight about how to use a light box with someone who is autistic, please pass it along!
Thanks!
Thanks for putting this out there. There are so many alternative treatments to different things. My son has trouble around time changes. I have noticed this for the past 4 years. I bought a light box for myself this year since I get gloomy in the winter. I started it on Christmas. He is having trouble with sleep again, so I used it for him this morning. I am curious how if it helps. I think kids on the spectrum often have the same issues we all have only it can affect them more.
I’ve got aspergers and I’m an adult. As a child, I used to rearange my room when the weather transitioned from summer to fall and then winter to spring.
As an adult, I’ve just now come to seriously consider having SAD. I personally deeply enjoy the fall to winter transition…always have. I feel like hybernating. That time though comes with a deep depression that has landed me in emerge on suicide watch about the same time two years in a row.
Difficulties with expressing emotions and even knowing that they are there has probably made this discovery a bit harder to identify.
It’s March now, and it’s exactly two years to the date I was last admitted the hospital. We’ve had some spring like weather and I feel alive again. I no longer go to sleep at 4am and seem to be in a typical sleep cycle as well.
I have been a teacher of children with autism for over a decade and I am amazed that there have not been more studies done on SAD and Autism. I work in the DC area and year after year I see at least a 1/4 of my class – usually much higher – significantly change starting mid December (lethargic with a flat affect or irritable with an increase in self stimulatory behaviors and a decrease in learning) and then changing again late February to early March (hypomanic, MUCH happier affect or irritable and impulsive.). I think there is a clear link and more studies should be done.
We presently live in Southern Calif and were offered a job in Anchorage. Besides leaving family we were concerned about the impact prolonged Alaskan winters (particularly darkness) would have on our son with aspergers. We have decided to not accept the position for a number of reasons but the potential link between SAD and aspergers was a definite factor. The postings were very useful.
Thanks to everyone who commented during the colder months. I personally felt better with respect to SAD this year, but I attribute that to the fact that I was outside running a lot training for a marathon. That sun exposure does a world of good.
It’s hard to tell how it affected the J-Man this year as so many variables come into play at any given time, but he has had a great last few weeks in many areas. Whether that can be attributed to longer days, who knows. Seems plausible, but there’s no way to say for sure. I do think it’s definitely worth someone studying.
@Peter – Going from sunny Southern California to Alaska would be quite a shock. I’m glad you were able to make the decision that you all felt was best for your family. With all the competing factors and pressures that come with career decisions, that’s never an easy thing to do. Glad we could help in some way with that. Good luck!
I just googled SAD and autism because lately my son has been having more meltdowns and seems generally gloomy. This was about the only thing I came up with but I’m glad that there are other parents putting the two together. We live in sunny Arizona so it wasn’t something I thought about before but the weather has taken a turn so I wonder……
Hi I’ve just found this page after lots of searching my not so little 7 year old has been incredibly difficult since the clocks changed and the weather here has been completely miserable pretty much since then, he has been refusing to participate altogether at school which he hasn’t done since he first started full-time, his one-to-one teacher can normally talk him into doing things but even she’s struggling and she is in my opinion the perkiest person on the planet! At first I thought it was just a coincidence but after reading all these comments I’m thinking maybe its not, must get more information. Thank you all xx
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