Comorbidity in autism

Written on 18th Dec 2013 by Alex Lowery

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Comorbidity is a term used when you have at least one more condition that exists with an already existing condition. A lot of people with autism will be able to get diagnoses of something else as well. It is likely that some of these conditions are part of the person’s autism. In this article, I have made a list of other conditions that may come with autism. At the end of the article, I’ll talk about whether I think its necessary to get a diagnoses of these other things, or whether autism should just cover them all.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder

People with OCD will feel they have certain rules in their head that they need to follow. They may feel they need to make everything spotlessly tidy, they may feel they need to keep themselves extra clean, they may want to avoid touching anything where possible. They may also just feel there are certain tasks that they feel they need to do. They get really obsessive about these things. People with this condition will likely feel something bad will happen if they don’t do the things they feel they need to. They may think someone they love will die if they don’t do what they feel they must. It can get serious! You can find out more information about OCD here.

 

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder

 

People with ADHD often have problems with keeping their attention on something, and will likely have a lot of hyperactivity. A person with this condition will likely have a hard time sitting still, and concentrating on something will be difficult. This can make learning in a class-room hard. Some experts actually believe that ADHD is a part of the autism spectrum. You can find out more information about ADHD here.

Learning Difficulties

 

Some people with autism have specific Learning Difficulties such as Dyslexia, Dyscalculia or Dyspraxia (some even believe Dyspraxia is part of the autistic spectrum). There are also people with autism who have a Global Learning Disability. This is better known in other countries (like the USA) as an Intellectual Disability. This is where an individual will have an IQ lower than 70. People with this disability have difficulty in learning in every way, and are cognitively delayed. This is what would have once been called ‘Mental Retardation’. However, the term Retarded isn’t a term used in polite conversation in the UK. I prefer to use the term in Learning Disability, or Intellectual disability. At one point people thought everyone with autism also had a Learning Disability. However, it’s now known not to be true. There are actually people with above average IQ scores who still have autism. One thing to know is that you can’t use an IQ to measure a person with autism’s functioning ability. Some people can have really severe autism, but still have a high IQ.

Bipolar disorder

This is also known as Manic Depression. People with this condition experience constant mood swings that can take over their life. To read more information about Bipolar click here.

Epilepsy

This is where a person experiences many seizures (A.K.A fits) in his or her life. It’s said that one in four children with autism will develop epilepsy, usually either in early childhood or adolescence. This can happen to anyone on the spectrum, but it’s more common in those who have a Learning Disability as well. To read more information about epilepsy click here 

 

Tourette syndrome

This is where a person has tics. Tics are movements that they find very hard to control. I’m not talking about stimming here. It’s a different type of movement. Like nearly every condition, Tourette’s can come in different levels. It can be a few eye twitches, where it may not be so much a problem. It can also be serious, where you’re where you’re moving all over the place to the point where you could have an injury. In some severe cases of this condition, a person may be swearing constantly and unable to control it. Click here for more information.

Tuberous sclerosis Complex

This is a rare genetic condition that causes tumors to grow on the brain, and other vital organs. It’s only about 1% of people with autism who have this. However, many people with TSC meet the diagnostic criteria for autism. For more information, click here 

Fragile X syndrome

Fragile X gets its name because one part of the X chromosome has a defective piece that appears pinched and fragile when under a microscope. This is a genetic condition that runs in families. In most cases, the cause of autism is unknown, but this is believed to be the most common ‘known’ cause of autism. It is also the most common inherited form of Intellectual Disability. I don’t know a lot about this condition, but I know this condition often causes people to have exaggerated features of their body, such as high foreheads and big ears. For more information on Fragile X click here. 

Gluten or Casein allergy

People with autism often have a reaction to Gluten or Casein. Gluten is wheat, and a few other cereals, and I think Casein is a mainly dairy product. I’m on a Gluten Free diet. While I’m not officially allergic to Casein, I do find that I’m not a fan of quite a few dairy products. I hate most cheeses, I really dislike Butter and I’m not a fan of cream. Even when it comes to Milk, I prefer to drink rice milk over ordinary milk. For more information on the link between these diets and autism click here.

Health problems

A lot of people with autism also experience health problems. As well as being on a Gluten free diet, I’ve also got a moderate/severe case of asthma. I also get eczema, and Hey-feather, and I’m allergic to too much dust-mite as well as ordinary cats and dogs. I have a hyper-allergenic dog. I’m ok being with ordinary dogs, as long as I don’t start living with them.

Catatonia

Research by Lorna Wing found that 17% of autistic adolescents and young adults developed catatonia further research would be needed to confirm this.  This condition is has a number of symptoms. The patient will withdraw from any interaction and become very passive, may stop eating and will develop problems with completing actions, a reversal of day and night and an increase in repetitive actions. This is a very serious condition and it is important to seek a diagnosis. For a link to research on this condition see here.

 Final thoughts

Those were some of those other conditions that may be diagnosed in some people with autism. Those were just some of them: the list goes on! Now the question is, when a person’s been diagnosed with autism, should these other things be diagnosed too? Obviously, epilepsy, TSC, Catatonia and all of the health problems are in need of a diagnoses, so people with them can get the right support or treatments for them, but what about the others? Well, cases will vary, but I think for the most part, conditions like OCD and ADHD more than likely don’t need to be diagnosed, because I think they’re likely just part of the autism, so in my opinion should be treated as such. It’s known that to be Obsessive is very common in autism anyway, so I’d view a person’s OCD (if they also have autism) to likely be a part of it. As for ADHD, I find that I have a hard time concentrating for long periods of time, and I struggle to sit still for long time periods, but I’ve never had an ADHD diagnoses. I just believe that those traits are a part of my autism. Obviously if a person with autism has an extremely serious case of OCD, it may be necessary for a diagnoses. But the thing is that autism covers so many traits, that when there are common traits among those with autism (that may be criteria for another condition), I think autism should just cover it. The focus shouldn’t be on how many labels there should be, but on where the difficulties are and what support should be given. Some of you may wonder if I think a diagnoses of Tourette’s is necessary. In my opinion, that would depend on the severity. If it were really severe to the point where they can’t control what they do at all, I’d say diagnoses would likely be necessary.

Now, those are my opinions on whether the diagnoses are necessary. If you disagree with me, feel free to comment, telling me your thoughts. If you have a child who’s been diagnosed with autism and something else, or if you’re someone who has autism and another thing yourself, let me know if you think the extra diagnoses is necessary or not.

Thank you for reading.

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