Update on Low Barometric Pressure and Autism

A couple of weeks ago, I questioned whether low barometric pressure affects kids with autism. My son had his worst day of school on the day that barometer readings in our area hit record low levels.

Since then, I did more research to see if there really was a correlation between the barometric pressure and my son’s performance at school. I found a website that gives the historical barometric levels for any zip code. I recorded the information and compared it to the scores that my son receives on his point-sheet at school every day.

The results were eye popping.

Over the last seven weeks, Kai has averaged ten points better (on a 100-point scale) on days where the barometer reading is 29.90 or above than on days when it is lower than 29.90. On days with high barometric pressure, he is averaging over 90 points, which means that he is pretty focused and behaving well much of the day. However, on the days with lower pressure, he is barely averaging 80 points, which means that he is losing a lot of points for things like not staying on task and not following directions, as well as more severe behavioral issues.

We will have to see if the trends hold up over a longer period of time, but I think it is clear that the possibility of a strong correlation exists.

So, what can we do about it?

If we know that the day could be challenging, we will try to give the school a heads up. Perhaps they can be especially proactive with giving Kai sensory breaks throughout the day. Also, we are still having him wear Under Armour compression shirts; on low pressure days, it may be worth trying a double layer to see if the extra pressure against his body makes up for the lower barometric pressure.

I don’t know if that will suffice. But being aware of a potential problem is the first step toward solving it. As always, I’m open to your ideas.

Does Low Barometric Pressure Affect Kids with Autism?

I had the radio on the other day while driving back from my son’s swim lesson and all the talk was about the record low barometric pressure we were having in our area that day. Many folks were calling in and telling stories about how the low pressure system was affecting people’s behaviors.

As you may recall, my son had his worst day of the year at school that day. I had attributed his poor day solely to his anxiety about the swim lesson he would have after school. However, after doing research on the subject, I am wondering if the barometric pressure also had some effect.

Apparently this link between the weather and behavior has been known for some time. The BBC reported that “researchers in the Ukraine have found that slight low-frequency atmospheric oscillations can influence human mental activity, causing significant changes in attention and short term memory functions.”

An article in yesterday’s examiner.com said that “low barometric pressure is associated with an increase in impulsive behaviours” and that children on the autism spectrum seem to be the most affected. The article goes on to give tips on handling the situation, including using sensory integration techniques.

I’m still not sure how much of Kai’s poor behavior at school the other day was because of the weather, but it’s something to be aware of. I’m curious to hear if teachers or other parents notice a difference in their kids’ behaviors. As for me, I’ll be paying a little bit closer attention to the weather reports to see if I can detect a pattern with Kai.

Update on 11/10/2010:  I collected barometric pressure readings for the past seven weeks and compared my son’s school performance on high versus low pressure days.  See the results here.