Autism Speaks report on common co morbids

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Overall, epilepsy affects a fifth to a third (20 to 33 percent) of people who have autism, compared to an estimated 1 to 2 percent of the general population. (Spence 2009) The autism-epilepsy overlap appears to be most common among people who also have intellectual disability.
(Amiet 2008) Intellectual disability – definened as an IQ score below 70 along with challenges in every- day function – affects an estimated 32 percent
of those who have autism.



researchers with the MIND Institute (University of California, Davis) documented that children with autism were nearly eight times more likely to suffer from one or more chronic GI problems than were other children. (Chaidez 2014) These GI issues included frequent abdominal pain, gaseousness, diarrhea, constipation and painful stooling. This study also linked chronic GI issues with increased severity of autism’s behavioral symptoms – including repetitive behaviors, social
withdrawal, hyperactivity and irritability. The association between GI issues and these autism symptoms may be particularly strong among nonverbal persons who have di culty communicating pain and distress, they concluded.


Many people affected by autism suffer from sleep disturbances. Most studies have focused on children. These studies consistently found that over half of children with autism – and possibly as many as four in five – have one or more chronic sleep problems. (Cortesi 2010, Krakowiak 2008) These problems include di culty falling asleep, frequent and prolonged wakening during the night and extremely early rising.
Sleep issues in those who have autism go hand in hand with daytime behavioral challenges, including spikes in repetitive behaviors, communication difficulties, hyperactivity, irritability, aggression and inattention – all of which can interfere with learning and decrease overall quality of life. (Mazurek 2016)

recent review of diagnostic records found that an estimated 70 percent of children on the autism spectrum have feeding and/or eating problems; 36 percent of these had problems classi ed as “severe.” (Romero 2016)
Eating and feeding challenges have long been reported by both caregivers and researchers. Leo Kanner, the doctor credited with first describing autism in the 1940s, included feeding problems as a de ning feature. (Kanner 1943)
A helpful point on the terminology: The term feeding disorder describes problems with eating enough or the right type of food. Among children with autism, this often involves eating only a few types of foods, eating only certain textures or colors of food, and/or disruptive mealtime behavior. These issues have many causes, including sensory aversions, anxiety (e.g.
after an incidence of choking, gagging or vomiting) and rigidity (aversion to change). Many children with autism also have motor issues that involve difficulty with chewing and swallowing. Still others have digestion problems such as slow stomach emptying.
By contrast, the term eating disorder refers to conditions such as anorexia and bulimia, which relate to problems with body image and fear of weight gain. Some research suggests an overlap between anorexia and autism in some young women. (Wentz 2005)


Epidemiological studies suggest that between 54 and 70 percent of people with autism also have one or more other mental health conditions.
(Simono 2008, Hofvander 2009, Croen 2015, Romero 2016)
In order of estimated prevalence, these include:
Attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects an estimated
30 to 61 percent of people with autism. (Goldstein 2004, Lee 2006, Gadow 2006, Romero 2016)
Anxiety disorders affect an estimated 11 to 42 percent of people with autism. (Vasa 2016, White 2009, Croen 2015, Romero 2016)
Depression a ects an estimated 7 percent of children and 26 percent of adults with autism. (Greenlee 2016, Croen 2015)
Schizophrenia affects an estimated 4 to 35 percent of adults with autism. (Chisolm 2015)
Bipolar disorder affects between 6 and 27 percent of people with autism. (Munesue 2008, Rosenberg 2011, Vannucchi 2014, Guinchat 2015, Croen 2015)

Among the most disheartening results of autism research is the persistent finding of premature mortality. There is an evidence base of more than 15 years of small studies suggesting premature mortality rates to be two to ten times higher than normal among various groups with autism. (Isager 1999, Mouridsen 2008, Gillberg 2010, Pickett 2011,
Bilder 2013) Two new, large studies provide compelling evidence that, as a group, people with autism die younger – as much as 36 years younger – than those in the general population. (Hirvikoski 2016, Guan 2017)
This research also makes clear that autism alone is not driving the premature mortality. Rather, leading causes of death include many of the medical and mental health conditions described in this report – further highlighting the urgent need to recognize and address them.
The most recent study involved the analysis of more than 32 million U.S. death certifcates, including those of 1,367 people with autism who died between 1999 and 2014. (Guan 2017) This study found that the average lifespan of someone with autism was half that of the general population – an average of 36 versus 72 years.
Accidental injury was the leading cause of death, at a rate three times higher than in the general population. Further analysis revealed that children with autism were 160 times more likely to drown than were children across the general population.
These serious findings bolster those of the other large study, out of Sweden. (Hirvikoski 2016) The investigators used Sweden’s extensive national medical registry from 1997 through 2009 to compare age and cause of death among 27,000 people with autism to those of more than 2.5 million people una ected by autism. The average age of death for people with autism was 54 years, compared to 70 years for those without autism.
Suicide and epilepsy ranked behind only birth defects as the most common causes of death, with rates eight times higher than the Swedish national average. However, the rate of premature death for those who had autism was higher across nearly all causes – including diseases of the circulatory, respiratory and digestive systems,
as well as mental health and behavioral disorders. While overall premature mortality generally increased with intellectual disability, the suicide rate was signficantly higher among those with normal to high intelligence. The researchers concluded that larger studies are needed to tease apart the contribution of intellectual disability from that of other autism-related issues.
Suicide and epilepsy ranked behind only birth defects as the most common causes of death, with rates eight times higher than the national average.
Attention must now shift to addressing the preventable and treatable issues and conditions that drive these disturbing statistics.

I can confidently say that my co-morbids of anxiety and depression are due to a childhood of misunderstandings and a lack of support. Support was hard to get back when I was a kid if you were mentally suffering. Does anyone remember "tough love?" It was around at the same time as the war on drugs. And it resulted in kids who were already struggling being locked out of their homes. (I blame Nancy Reagan for this.)

At the same time, things aren't great for autistic kids today what with ABA and the fear associated with autism.

People need to get over this desire for a uniformity of communication styles. I think society is mature enough to do this.