450,000 US children have profound Autism (extremely low Vitamin D)

Created September 2025

Profound Autism Larger Disabling Threat than 20th Century Polio

Focal Points

"Profound autism which is far more disabling than paralytic polio. I have some polio patients in my practice who struggle with braces or a wheelchair, but they have intact cognitive function, are employed, and have wonderful family lives. Profound autistic children however require life long special needs and will never enjoy what polio survivors could realize."

450,000 US children have profound Autism

📄 Perplexity AI

20,000 children were paralyzed by polo (which is not as disabling as profound Autism)

📄 Perplexity AI

Profound Autistics remain profound until death in their 40's

📄 Perplexity AI

Vitamin D Deficiency and Profound Autism: Strong Evidence of Association – Perplexity AI Sept 2025

Research demonstrates a significant association between vitamin D deficiency and autism spectrum disorder (ASD), with particularly compelling evidence for those with the most severe presentations, including profound autism.

High Prevalence of Vitamin D Deficiency in Autism

Children with autism consistently show substantially lower vitamin D levels compared to typically developing children. A comprehensive meta-analysis of 24 case-control studies involving 20,580 participants found that children and adolescents with ASD had significantly lower vitamin D concentrations than controls, with a mean difference of -7.46 ng/mL. autism+3

The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in autism populations is strikingly high:

A Turkish study of 1,529 children and teens with ASD found vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency in approximately 95% of individuals, with 58% having deficiency and 13% having severe deficiency autism
Studies consistently report deficiency rates ranging from 13% to 100% in children with ASD pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih
In contrast, vitamin D deficiency affects only about 30% of typically developing children in general populations pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih

Correlation with Autism Severity

Multiple studies demonstrate that vitamin D deficiency is strongly correlated with autism severity . Lower serum vitamin D levels are associated with more pronounced ASD symptoms and greater functional impairment. A meta-analysis found that reduced vitamin D status was associated with a 5.23 times higher risk of ASD. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih+3

Research specifically examining severe autism presentations reveals:

Children with more severe autism symptoms tend to have lower vitamin D levels doublecareaba+1
Vitamin D deficiency correlates with increased severity of core autism symptoms including social interaction challenges and repetitive behaviors doublecareaba
The association becomes more significant when using higher cutoff values (30 ng/mL) for vitamin D sufficiency pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih

Profound Autism Context

Profound autism, defined as Level 3 autism requiring "very substantial support," encompasses individuals who are nonverbal or minimally verbal and/or have an IQ below 50. Approximately 27% of all children with autism meet criteria for profound autism. goldenstepsaba+2

Given that vitamin D deficiency:

Is present in up to 95% of children with ASD autism
Correlates directly with autism severity pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih+2
Is associated with greater functional impairment pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih

It is highly probable that children with profound autism experience even higher rates of severe vitamin D deficiency than those with less severe presentations.

Biological Mechanisms

Vitamin D influences brain development and function through multiple pathways relevant to autism: nature+1

Anti-inflammatory effects : Reduces inflammatory cytokines elevated in autism
Neurotransmitter regulation : Affects serotonin, dopamine, and GABA systems
Neuroprotection : Increases glutathione production and neurotrophin synthesis
Seizure control : Helps regulate seizure threshold (relevant since epilepsy affects 30% of those with profound autism) pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih

Treatment Implications

Multiple intervention studies show that vitamin D supplementation significantly improves autism symptoms :

Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials demonstrated significant improvements in Social Responsiveness Scale and Childhood Autism Rating Scale scores pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih
High-dose vitamin D therapy (up to 5000-6000 IU daily) improves core symptoms in approximately 75% of autistic children pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih
A recent study using vitamin D3 nanoemulsion showed "significant and genuine effects" on adaptive behavior and language skills nypost+1

Conclusion

The evidence strongly supports that profound autism is associated with low vitamin D levels. Given the high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency across the autism spectrum (up to 95%) and its direct correlation with symptom severity, individuals with profound autism likely represent those with the most severe vitamin D deficiencies. The biological mechanisms linking vitamin D to neurodevelopment, combined with promising treatment outcomes, suggest that vitamin D assessment and supplementation should be considered as part of comprehensive care for individuals with profound autism.

References