A DOCTOR’S DISCUSSION OF HOW FEAR WITHIN THE BRAIN CAN HAVE A VISIBLE IM- PACT ON A CHILD’S BEHAVIOR.

By Dr. Theoharis C. THEOHARIDES, MS, MPhil, PhD, MD, FAAAAI

Children on the spectrum often display no fear of what we may consider dangerous circumstances, such as crossing a street, but show intense fear to noises such as a vacuum cleaner, a blender or a fan. The result of such “sensory overload” can extend to smell and taste, resulting in behaviors such as food avoidance, closing the ears or eyes, or unusual movements and vocalizations.

History of allergies, fear and the brain

In other words, children do not “misbehave” requiring behavioral modification to “return” to a “normal” behavior, but reflect a state in the fear center of the brain, the amygdala, that has been “reset”, forcing the body to be in a constant “fight or flight” status.

Increased evidence indicates that this dysregulation of the “fear center” is largely due to localized inflammation that results in “short circuiting” the system. This inflammatory response in the brain derives largely from the presence of “allergic-like” reactions to environmental, pathogenic and stress triggers.

In other words, the first action for parents and health providers is to identify any allergies, food intolerance or autoimmune conditions and address them appropriately. For instance, large epidemiological studies have shown that the only statistically significant comorbidity (concurrent medical condition) was asthma, atopic dermatitis (eczema) and food intolerance.