Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums GT Research Gifted and gut issues/intolerances

Hi there. I am really keen to hear from anyone who has a child who is gifted with gut issues/intolerances. Keen to know anyone's thoughts, experiences, theories, links to research, etc. I have a little boy who is gifted, has leaky gut syndrome, and a range of intolerances (gluten, soy, dairy, lentil, nuts). I know kids on the spectrum often have these issues (my son is not twice exceptional), but just curious about the incidence in the gifted population.

My HG+ DD11 doesn't have any food intolerances per se, but she does have a lot of stomach aches. Last fall they got really bad and she was in tears most days for a few months, so we did a full round of testing and didn't find anything particular. We think that, while it's possible she has some reflux, what it is primarily is that she is very aware of every sensation in her body. So, when she's hungry her stomach hurts, when she's just eaten her stomach hurts, when she's tired her stomach hurts, etc. We did not, however, find any link to stress, despite her doctor being sure that she must be stressed because she's grade skipped. Which is not to say that it's all in her head -- she actually does feel stomach pain. A long course of the right ulcer medication eventually worked to decrease the pain greatly, so there must have been something that caused it, though, even if all the tests were negative.

Anyway, from talking to other relatives, it seems that many of the smarter members of the family have also had this same issue. IMO it's probably part of the general hyper-awareness that a lot of gifted people have of the world around them. (BTW: no 2E issues here.)

But maybe you were wanting to know about actual intolerances and allergies?

We have three children, all with some degree of food intolerance. My husband and I as well. Of all the families of identified gifted children I know personally the vast majority have gut issues, food issues, autoimmune issues or all three in the family, usually with gifted child, but not always. Off the top of my head the incidence is 100% in the 2E families. Of my own children my child with the most severe food intolerance is too young to test, but at a guess is the most gifted and may luck out and be the only non-2e child. But she has NEVER eaten a normal diet in her life and when we have a diet mistake I see a child that would not be developing normally on a normal diet.

Not sure what the link would be. For what it is worth, DD10 HG+ is lactose intolerant and cannot have anything with red food dye (I was such a skeptic about this, but she literally swings from the ceiling when she consumes it). DS4, not udentified as GT yet, has no digestive issues.

The only link I see between my two was chronic ear infections, late speech and anemia during infancy.

My ds7 has digestive issues, had them even in infancy. He also has some sensory sensitivity issues. Ds10 has not had any digestive problems.

neither of my kids have issues but I do

DD8 doesn't appear to have any issues, but we are increasingly concerned about DS4, who frequently says his stomach hurts. I really hate the idea of going down the allergy detective road, but we may have to. He was also failure to thrive as a baby for no reason anyone could really see and has probably not gained a pound this past year.

DS3 is allergic/sensitive to dairy, gluten, soy, corn, pork, and preservatives/dyes. He also has acid reflux so he can't do a lot of berries, nor spicey, citrus, or tomato foods. He gained weight okay when he was exclusively breastfed because I ate a very limited diet, but ever since then eating/weight has been a struggle.

My 2e DD is lactose intolerant which she gets from my side of the family. She gets the dyslexia from her dad's side. DS has severe food allergies.

DD7 was born with lactose intolerance, just like her mom.