Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) & Special Needs

Gut-Brain Connection

Comprehensive stool testing to help contextualize
gut-brain, immune, and digestive patterns in
complex neurodevelopmental conditions.

GI symptoms are common in children with ASD and related neurodevelopmental conditions—and research suggests GI symptom burden may correlate with behavioral symptom severity. [1,2] 

The GI360™ Profile offers a multi-domain stool profile spanning microbial patterns, short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), inflammatory and immune markers, digestive function, and potential dysbiotic organisms that may help contextualize gut-related contributors within the microbiota-gut-brain axis framework. [3,4]

Explore the GI360 Profile

When to Consider the GI360 Profile

What the GI360 Profile Measures

Clinical Applications & Evidence Context

How the GI360 Profile Supports Clinical Reasoning

How to Order the GI360 Profile

References

When Might Providers Consider the GI360™ Profile

Neurologic & Mental Health – Gut-Brain Connection1

Persistent GI symptoms: Constipation, diarrhea, bloating, abdominal pain, or variable stool patterns in patients with autism or special needs, especially when symptoms are chronic or fluctuate with behavior [1,2]

Immune or inflammatory context: Cases with concern for mucosal immune activation, intestinal inflammation, or barrier dysfunction that may warrant broader stool chemistry review [1]

Food selectivity or restricted intake: Narrow food choices, suspected maldigestion, or concern for downstream nutritional consequences that may intersect with gut function and symptom burden [3,4]

Behavioral changes with GI flares: Episodes where irritability, rigidity, sleep disruption, or discomfort appear to worsen alongside digestive symptoms and may benefit from gut-focused clinical context [1,3,7]

Concern for dysbiosis: 
Clinical suspicion of altered microbial diversity, depleted beneficial organisms, or overgrowth of dysbiotic bacteria that may influence mucosal and metabolic signaling [1,4,5]

Broader toxicant or detox questions: When clinicians are also exploring xenobiotic burden, recirculation, or metabolite-related effects and want stool data that can complement a wider functional workup [4]

Analyte ClassEveryday Exposure SourcesASD & Special Needs Relevance
Microbial diversity & dysbiosis indexDaily diet patterns, antibiotics, household exposures, illness history, and broader lifestyle factors can shape microbial community structure over time [1,4,5]Altered diversity and dysbiosis patterns have been associated with ASD cohorts, though findings are heterogeneous; a profile-based view may help contextualize normobiotic vs disrupted community patterns [1,5]
Beneficial commensalsFiber intake, breastfeeding history, food variety, fermented foods, and antimicrobial exposures may influence organisms such as Bifidobacterium, Faecalibacterium, Akkermansia, and Prevotella [4,8,9]Lower abundance of butyrate-producing and mucosa-supportive taxa has been associated with impaired barrier support, altered immune signaling, and reduced beneficial metabolite production in ASD-related literature [4,7,8,9]
SCFAsMicrobial fermentation of dietary fibers and carbohydrates generates acetate, propionate, butyrate, valerate, and total SCFAs [4,9]SCFA balance may help contextualize microbial function; lower butyrate and altered propionate signaling have been linked to gut barrier, neuroinflammatory, mitochondrial, and neurotransmitter-related hypotheses in ASD research [2,7,10]
Inflammatory & immune markersMucosal immune responses can reflect infection, dysbiosis, inflammatory activity, food-related antigen exposure, or broader GI tract irritation [1,4]Calprotectin, lactoferrin, lysozyme, and sIgA may provide context around mucosal immune activation or defense patterns relevant to GI complaints in this population [1,4]
Dysbiotic bacteria & yeastCommunity, food, travel, close-contact, and environmental exposures may influence acquisition or overgrowth of dysbiotic bacteria, pathogens, parasites, or yeast [4]Overrepresented Enterobacteriaceae, Clostridium species, or yeast may help contextualize endotoxin exposure, toxic metabolite production, immune activation, or symptom persistence when interpreted alongside the broader panel [1,2,4]
Digestive chemistry & beta-glucuronidaseDiet composition, pancreatic function, bile flow, microbial activity, and gut transit all influence stool chemistry markers [2,4]Elastase, fat absorption markers, and beta-glucuronidase may support clinical reasoning around digestion, malabsorption, and potential toxin recirculation [2,4]

ConditionClinical Encapsulation
Autism spectrum disorderLinks GI and behavioral symptoms common in ASD to altered gut microbial composition and microbiota-gut-brain signaling; evidence remains associative, not diagnostic or causal. [1,5,7]
Gastrointestinal symptom burdenConstipation, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and bloating are commonly reported in ASD populations, and stool markers may help contextualize inflammatory, microbial, or digestive contributors to these symptoms [1,2,4]
Increased intestinal permeability hypothesisReduced butyrate-producing or mucosa-supportive organisms such as Faecalibacterium and Akkermansia have been associated with barrier-related hypotheses that may be relevant when GI complaints are prominent [4,8]
Neuroinflammatory signalingElevated Enterobacteriaceae, altered SCFAs, and immune activation markers have been discussed as plausible contributors to endotoxin-related or neuroimmune signaling pathways in ASD literature [1,7,10]
Mitochondrial or metabolite stressClostridial metabolites, propionate-related models, and reduced butyrate signaling have been associated with mitochondrial and neuroactive metabolite hypotheses in preclinical and translational research [1,7,10]
Digestive insufficiency or malabsorption contextDigestive chemistry markers such as elastase and fat absorption indices may provide supportive context when selective eating, maldigestion, or nutritional concerns are part of the presentation [2,4]

Pattern recognition: 

Integrates microbial, metabolic, inflammatory, immune, and digestive markers into one stool-based profile that may help clinicians see converging GI patterns rather than isolated data points [4,5] 

Symptom contextualization: 

May help connect chronic constipation, diarrhea, bloating, abdominal pain, or food-related digestive concerns with measurable stool findings relevant to the broader clinical picture [1,2,4] 

Intervention planning: 

Can support individualized decisions around diet, probiotics, antimicrobial strategies, digestive support, or follow-up testing without implying that any single result confirms a diagnosis [4,7] 

Complementary insight: 

May be used alongside nutritional, toxicant, or metabolic assessments when clinicians are evaluating complex gut-brain, immune, or detox-related hypotheses in special-needs care [4] 

How to Order

Neurologic & Mental Health – Gut-Brain Connection1

To order the GI360™ Profile, register for a portal account. Specimen collection kits and requisition forms are available through your account portal. For clinical support or interpretation questions, contact our clinical education team.

Order the GI360 Profile

Explore Other Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) & Special Needs Lenses:

Exposure-Oriented
Connection
Metabolic
Connection
Gut-Brain
Connection
Food-Related
Connection
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This webpage is intended for licensed healthcare professionals and is for informational and educational purposes only. The test results are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease. All clinical interpretation should be done by a qualified healthcare professional in the context of the individual patient. Statements regarding associations between health symptoms and conditions do not constitute diagnostic claims.

References

  1. Martin CR, Osadchiy V, Kalani A, Mayer EA. The Brain-Gut-Microbiome Axis. Cell Mol Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2018;6(2):133-148.
  2. Qian XH, Xu S, Sun L, et al. Mechanisms of short-chain fatty acids derived from gut microbiota in Alzheimer’s disease. Ageing Res Rev. 2022;78:101612.
  3. Sanada K, Nakajima S, Kurokawa S, et al. Gut microbiota and major depressive disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Affect Disord. 2020;266:1-13.
  4. Cheung SG, Goldenthal AR, Uhlemann AC, Mann JJ, Miller JM, Sublette ME. Systematic Review of Gut Microbiota and Major Depression. Front Psychiatry. 2019;10:34.
  5. Korteniemi J, Yang B, Eerola E, et al. Systematic review: Autism spectrum disorder and the gut microbiota. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2023;148(3):242-254.
  6. Ferrari S, Malè S, Parini F, et al. The influence of the gut-brain axis on anxiety and depression. J Tradit Complement Med. 2024;14(4):237-255.
  7. Caputi V, Hill L, Figueiredo M, et al. Functional contribution of the intestinal microbiome in ASD, ADHD, and Rett syndrome. Front Neurosci. 2024;18:1341656.
  8. de Magistris L, Familiari V, Pascotto A, et al. Alterations of the intestinal barrier in patients with autism spectrum disorders. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2010;51(4):418-424.
  9. Hor JW, Lim SY, Chong KK, et al. Fecal Calprotectin in Parkinson’s Disease and Multiple System Atrophy. J Mov Disord. 2022;15(2):106-114.
  10. Al-Kuraishy HM, Al-Gareeb AI, Al-Buhadily AK, et al. Calprotectin in Parkinsonian disease: anticipation and patient stratification. J Neural Transm (Vienna). 2024.
  11. Chen H, Meng L, Shen L. Multiple roles of short-chain fatty acids in Alzheimer disease. Nutrition. 2022;93:111499.
  12. Montgomery TL, Peipert D, Krementsov DN. Modulation of multiple sclerosis risk and pathogenesis by the gut microbiota. Immunol Rev. 2024.
  13. Buscarinu MC, Romano S, Mechelli R, et al. Intestinal Permeability in Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis. Neurotherapeutics. 2018;15(1):68-74.

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