Summary Statement : From bowel movements that smell like vomit - to pain suffered during swallowing, many children with autism have bowel problems. Some might be obvious, some might be hidden from caretakers as a result of the autistic individual’s difficulties expressing (or even "processing") their pain. It is important for those close to autistic individuals to be educated on what to look for, and that testing for gastrointestinal problems might make a difference for that person’s daily comfort.