Pollen Exposure as a Cause for the Deterioration of Neurobehavioral Function in Children with Autism and Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder

Purpose: To determine whether children with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) or attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) exhibit neurobehavioral regressive changes during pollen seasons.Design: A behavioral questionnaire‐based survey, with results matched to pollen counts; an uncontrolled, open non‐intervention study.Materials and Methods: Twenty‐nine children identified with ASD and 18 children with ADHD comprised the study population. The parents of the study children completed the Allergic Symptom Screen for 2 weeks during the winter prior to the pollen allergy season under investigation. The parents of the ASD children also completed the Aberrant Behavior Checklist and the parents of the ADHD children completed Conners' Revised Parent Short Form for the same periods. The parents completed the respective forms weekly from 1 March to 31 October 2002. Pollen counts from the geographical area of study were recorded on a daily basis during this period.Results: During natural pollen exposure, 15 of 29...