Fever/Heat: Decrease in Autism Symptoms

At the recent Stanford University Autism Conference, Dr. Andrew Zimmerman from the Kennedy Krieger Institute spoke about fever, immune factors and synaptic function in autism. Most interesting was the validation of reports I've heard over the years from many parents of children with autism who say that their children do indeed show signs of improvement with illness. Many report better eye contact, cognition, language, social interaction while their child's autistic behaviors, ("stimming", hyperactivity) are reduced. And according to Dr. Zimmerman, some of these improvements can be seen with the application of external heat, such as hot tubs or time in a sauna. No wonder we have so many families whose children spend so much time in the family hot tub or bath! Not only does it seem to have a calming effect, but it may, in fact, help manage their behavior and improve communication. There are lots of stories out there about fevers: check out http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyld=16956039.