What Comorbid Conditions Can A Person With Autism Have?
Although a child or older person has a diagnosis of autism there may be other comorbid conditions that the individual may be challenged with. There is a myriad of comorbid conditions, some of which become evident as a child gets older and moves into adolescence.
The list of comorbid conditions below will be outlined in this blog post so you can get a better understanding of the conditions and how it can affect autistic individuals.
– Epilepsy
– Anxiety
– Depression
– ADHD
– Down Syndrome
– Prader Willi Syndrome
– Learning Disabilities
– Tourette’s syndrome
Epilepsy and ASD co-occur in approximately 30% of individuals with either ASD or epilepsy. While there is no single unifying ASD–epilepsy phenotype, understanding potential commonalities in groups of children with an ASD–epilepsy phenotype is important. There are two stages of epilepsy with onset through 0 – 5 years and a second peak after the age of 10. Epilepsy persists in the majority of patients into adult life with remission in only 16% of adults with autism and epilepsy (Danielsson et al., 2005).
Individuals with ASD suffer with anxiety and is prominent in 40% of ASD diagnosed youth. Some individuals experience incapacitating fears and concerns related to change in routine, whereas others are more flexible. Some display little interest in social exchanges, others become distressed, worried and lonely when their social attempts are unsuccessful (White and Robertson-Nay, 2009). Verbal ability, anxious thoughts and hypersensitivity forecasts traditional anxiety, whereas traditional anxiety together with ASD envisages atypical anxiety.
Depression is among the highest ASD comorbid conditions and related to considerably poorer life functioning (Mattila et al., 2010). Emotional comorbidities can also increase the core indicators of ASD. We need more exploration to improve diagnostic tools and techniques for mood and anxiety disorders in individuals with ASD. This is especially vital for those who have substantial communication challenges. Furthermore, research should enhance the development of effective treatments for depression in people with ASD.
ADHD and ASD cooccur quite often. Children with ASD and ADHD demonstrate deficits in adaptive functioning, meaning the critical living skills required to lead a functional life. These include communication, socialisation, self-help and life skills, and independence. When looking at individuals that have ASD and ADHD it is possible to conclude that ADHD may exacerbate the characteristics of adaptive functioning in ASD. They display worsened adaptive deficits and more inconsistency with intellectual capacity. Consequently, decreasing ADHD indicators in children with ASD may lead to better developments in adaptive functioning. Interventions that focus on ASD indicators alone may not be adequate to develop adaptive skills (Ashwood et al., 2015).
An increasing number of children with Down syndrome are being diagnosed as also having ASD. Recent studies indicate that about 16-19% of children with Down syndrome additionally have an ASD (Warner et al., 2014).
It is unclear if the display of symptoms that they present are similar to other children with ASD. Children with both Down syndrome and ASD show less impairment in the communication domain in imitation, use of gestures and imaginative play than individuals with just ASD.
In the socialisation domain children with Down syndrome and ASD show less deficits in eye gaze, smiling, joint attention, and response to others’ social initiations. Children with Down syndrome and ASD present needs or rituals to a greater extent than other children diagnosed only with ASD (DiGuiseppi et al., 2010).
Prader Willi Syndrome (PWS) is a rare genetic disorder characterised by mild to moderate intellectual disability, and obesity due to the constant want to eat. It is caused by a lack of paternally copied material on chromosome 15q11–q13. PWS may be linked with a myriad of behavioural disturbances, including obsessive–compulsive disorder and autism (Roof et al., 2000), temper tantrums, recklessness, repetitive speech, obsessive rituals, self- injury, as well as depression and extreme despair (Boer and Clarke, 1999).
It has been found that chromosome 15 is the most frequent site abnormalities in autism (Wassink and Piven, 2000) therefore often speculated that genes on chromosome 15 may present a vulnerability to autism. Noticeable related qualities in autism and PWS include co-occurring psychiatric conditions, concerns with food and obesity, sleep difficulties, and clear strengths in visual–spatial performance (Dykens, Lee & Roof, 2011).
60-70% of people who have an autistic spectrum condition will also have a learning disability. The dual diagnosis of autism and learning disability implies a complex communication problem. Qualitative impairment in verbal and non-verbal communication is generally recognized as a key feature of autism.
It is well researched that individuals with autism will have cognitive and social deficits. This impacts on their sensory experiences as well as their organisational skills. Although each individual is impacted differently, they may have weak central coherence, lack executive functioning and may require supports to sequence their day and tasks.
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ASD and Tourette’s Syndrome (TS) are neurodevelopmental disorders with genetic causes, more common in males and characterised by repetitive behaviours. Conversely, they have several variances, for example age of onset or the practical use of stereotypies in ASD. Studies have revealed that the co-occurrence of ASD and TS is around 4–5%, although the rates fluctuate according to the level of ASD severity.
The symptoms of both disorders comprise repetitive atypical movements and behaviours together with various behavioural qualities that are intensified by emotional states (Pringsheim and Hammer, 2013).
There seems to be similarities between executive function challenges typical of ASD and those typical of TS.
Until next time
Voula