Features of neurodiversity can be highly variable and complex due to underlying genetic contributors, medical concerns, and psychological diagnoses. As such, neurodivergent individuals can (and do) often experience co-occuring conditions, including autism, Fragile X syndrome, Rett Syndrome, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), depression, anxiety, intellectual disability, schizophrenia, epilepsy, functional neurological disorder, gastrointestinal (stomach) issues, and susceptibility to infections [1,2]. 

​

Below describe two studies that explored large datasets on co-occurring conditions in autistic individuals. The first, Salehi et al. [1] describes the youth experience (children aged 3-17 years) and the second, Jadva and Bal [2] describes the adult experience (adults aged 18-85 years).

​​

Youth Experience 

Salehi et al. [1] examined data from the National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) which collected data on children/youth aged 3-17 years for the years 2020–2021. The dataset consisting of 93,669 participants, of which 2,568 individuals (or 3.2%) had a confirmed current diagnosis of autism. They found that 96.4% of youth with autism had at least one co-occurring condition:

• The most common psychological co-occurring diagnoses were developmental delay (64%), then behavioral and conduct problems (57.8%) and anxiety problems (45.7%); see blue arrows in Figure 1 below

• The most common medical co-occurring diagnoses were allergies (32.4%), genetic disorders (26.2%), and asthma (12.6%); see blue arrows in Figure 2 below

• The odds of co-occurring vision problems, cerebral palsy, frequent/severe headaches, epilepsy, depression, and intellectual impairment were significantly greater in females than males, whereas ADHD and anxiety were significantly lower among females with autism [1]

​