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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