Autism
  • Autism can affect the whole body. 

  • Attention Deficient Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) affects an estimated 30 to 61 percent of children with autism. 

  • More than half of children with autism have one or more chronic sleep problems. 

  • Anxiety disorders affect an estimated 11 to 40 percent of children and teens on the autism spectrum. 

  • Depression affects an estimated 7% of children and 26% of adults with autism. 

  • Children with autism are nearly eight times more likely to suffer from one or more chronic gastrointestinal disorders than are other children. 

  • As many as one-third of people with autism have epilepsy (seizure disorder). 

  • Studies suggest that schizophrenia affects between 4 and 35 percent of adults with autism. By contrast, schizophrenia affects an estimated 1.1 percent of the general population. 

  • Autism-associated health problems extend across the life span – from young children to senior citizens. Nearly a third (32 percent) of 2 to 5 year olds with autism are overweight and 16 percent are obese. By contrast, less than a quarter (23 percent) of 2 to 5 year olds in the general population are overweight and only 10 percent are medically obese. 

  • Risperidone and aripiprazole, the only FDA-approved medications for autism-associated agitation and irritability. 

Source: autismspeaks.org

 

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