I have seen bowel problems in Autism to be an almost universal problem. From small children to teenagers, many of them have bowel issues. These issues can be due to many different things. A child often has a hard time with bowel movements because they cannot feel the need to go. Children with inflammatory bowel issues are also very common in my practice. And many behavioral problems can be tied to children who, on the other end of things, are very constipated.

Posturing is a behavior where your child seeks relief from abdominal pain by leaning onto furniture. They can lean on couches, chairs, tables, etc. in an effort to put pressure on the abdominal area and this can be a sign of an underlying bowel problem. This is different from playful behavior that children do where they lay on the edge of furniture for a few seconds and then go off. Posturing is for a more prolonged period and where they look like they are trying to find a comfortable position.

When a child does not have a bowel movement everyday the stool builds up, that causes cramping and pain. Posturing can be a way for the child to leverage against furniture as a means to relieve that discomfort since children typically do not have the arm or hand strength to push against their abdomen hard enough to find relief. Pain from small bowel inflammation can also be causing the posturing behavior, so recognizing this as a potential medical problem is wise as well as seeking medical attention.

You can ask your child's pediatrician or doctor to do an abdominal x-ray as an easy way to see what's going on. Your child may have regular bowel movements, but what comes out may only be a small portion of what is in there. By doing an abdominal x-ray you can see just how much stool is stored in their bowel. So without this easy diagnostic tool, you won't know what is going on.

So again, posturing can be an indication of an underlying bowel problem that needs to be addressed by your child's doctor. Posturing over furniture, couches, chairs, tables, even lying on the ground to put pressure on their abdomen can be signs that should be followed up on. If the issue is constipation then there are many different things that can help like magnesium or other laxatives. If the issue is diarrhea then it may be an underlying problem with inflammation or infection. You may want to consider doing a stool test. When looking for clues as to underlying health issues, posturing can be an important one with respects to bowel issues.