Bone Mineral Density in Boys Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Case-Control Study.

Doctors compared spine bone density in 30 boys with autism to 30 boys without it.

All boys were 4-8 years old and lived in the same city.

Parents filled out diet logs and GI symptom forms.

The autism group had thinner spine bones on X-ray.

Calcium pills, milk, and tummy trouble did not explain the gap.

Even well-fed kids with autism showed the deficit.

Perez et al. (2015) tracked fracture visits in a huge sample.

They saw more broken hips and spines in people with autism .

Kelly’s finding of low bone mass in little boys helps explain why those breaks happen.

Siddiqi et al. (2019) found poor fruit and veggie intake in Indian kids with autism.

Kelly ruled diet out in their own sample, so the bone problem runs deeper than the menu.

Reza et al. (2013) showed weight-bearing exercise plus calcium raised bone density in kids with Down syndrome.

That trial gives us a ready-made fix to test: jump, run, and play games that load the spine.

Low spine bone density starts early in autism and is not fixed by vitamins alone.

Add jumping, hopping, and playground climbing to daily sessions.

Track height and ask about back pain at every visit.

A five-minute bone-health checklist can save years of fracture risk.