By: Hiya Shah
Epilepsy & Autism Spectrum Disorder
Right now, about 0.77% of kids aged 3 to 18 around the world have Autism Spectrum Disorder. That’s at least 14 million children. Of these, around 1 in 10 kids also experience epilepsy (Issac et al., 2025). It is crucial, then, to be aware of both disorders (Liu et al., 2022).
Definitions: So what exactly is ASD?
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), as described by Hirota and King (2023), is a “neurodevelopmental disorder defined by social communication impairments and restricted, repetitive behaviours”. It is an umbrella term diagnosis encompassing several related disorders. Simplified, ASD is a neurological condition that affects how one behaves in social situations, learns, and functions. The presence of the condition can produce a variety of symptoms, thus becoming a spectrum, as the name indicates. There are three levels of severity in ASD, in which the individual may:
– Require support (slight/subtle social communication challenges; previously referred to as high-functioning autism)
– Require substantial support (moderate/notable social communication impairments) – Require very substantial support (severe social communication impairments)
Asperger’s Syndrome and Autism Spectrum Disorder
It is important to note that Asperger’s Syndrome (among others) is now classified under Autism Spectrum Disorder by the DSM-5-TR (Autism Speaks, n.d.).
Digging deeper: Brain Chemistry as a Cause
Researchers at Yale University conducted a neurological study examining the brain chemistry of individuals with ASD. Subjects participated in a clinical interview in which a diagnostic test, the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS), was performed to evaluate autism. After the prescreen, subjects’ brains were scanned using an MRI machine. After this, participants were injected with a new radiotracer (a compound detected by, in this case, a PET scan machine) to measure brain synaptic density. Synaptic density refers to the number of connections between neurons (Backman, 2024).
This study found that the brains of individuals with ASD had 17% lower synaptic density in comparison to neurotypical individuals. Analysis revealed that social behaviour and understanding social cues were negatively correlated with synaptic density. Social communication failure was categorized by reduced eye contact and repetitive behaviours. Thus, fewer synaptic connections meant a greater number of autistic traits displayed (Backman, 2024).
Statistics: Here’s what you should know…
-The number of people diagnosed with ASD has gone up in the last few years, most likely because we’re getting better at recognizing and diagnosing it (Hirota & King, 2023). – It’s diagnosed more often in North America than in Asia or Europe (Talantseva et al., 2023).
– Boys are diagnosed with ASD more often than girls (Hirota & King, 2023). – Richer countries tend to report more ASD diagnoses than lower-income ones (Talantseva et al., 2023).
All of these point to a bigger issue: not everyone has the same access to proper healthcare or early diagnosis. That’s why learning to recognize the signs of ASD is more important than ever.
To summarize, autism spectrum disorder is categorized by:
– Poor/impaired social communication skills
– Restricted or repetitive behaviours or interests
– Delayed development
– Epilepsy or seizures
– Unusual daily habits, mood, or reactions
Autism Spectrum Disorder is diagnosed clinically. There are no valid methods to diagnose biologically or technically. Clinically, the diagnosis could include a self-assessment questionnaire or scale, an interview, and test tasks. This may even include the previously mentioned Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS; Roy & Strate, 2023).
How does this relate to epilepsy?
Individuals with ASD are more likely to experience epilepsy, among other psychiatric conditions, intellectual disability, and language impairments (Hirota & King, 2023). A meta-analysis found that epilepsy actively affects roughly 0.64% of the world (Cano-Villagrasa et al., 2024). For autistic individuals, the presence of epilepsy peaks during childhood and adolescence (Liu et al., 2022). For individuals with existing ASD, the likelihood of also having epilepsy ranges from 2% to 45%. Conversely, for individuals with epilepsy, the likelihood of also having ASD ranges from 15% to 74%. The wide range accounts for the variability that occurs due to the differences in age, sex, individual genetics and type of epilepsy/ASD (Capal & Jeste, 2024).
Causes: How is it that epilepsy and ASD often coexist?
To put it briefly, common genetic variants and mutations are a partial cause of the high comorbidity between ASD and epilepsy (Capal & Jeste, 2024).
Treatment: How do you treat for ASD or epilepsy in the presence of the other? To deliver an appropriate treatment for an individual experiencing ASD alongside epilepsy, specialists must develop a tailored treatment plan taking into account neurology, pediatrics, and psychiatry as discussed by Cano-Villagrasa et al. (2024). The patient goes through a thorough check-up to assess what will work for both disorders and what will make the issue worse. The evaluation includes an extensive review of medical history, medical scans, and tests by a team of medical professionals. It is after this that the patient receives treatment recommendations from the same professionals.
In terms of medical drug treatment, patients are often prescribed separate medications to address the symptoms of ASD and epilepsy. Depending on the epileptic symptoms and severity, this may include anxiolytics, antipsychotics, and antidepressants. These treatments normally address the symptoms that make it difficult to lead a functional life. Therapeutic surgeries are also a common treatment. New players in the field include the interstitial laser thermal therapy and Gamma Knife (GK) radiosurgery. Each targets a different area and uses various techniques to improve the conditions.
References
Cano-Villagrasa, A., Moya-Faz, F. J., Porcar-Gozalbo, N., & López-Zamora, M. (2024). Treatment options in autism with epilepsy. Frontiers in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 3. https://doi.org/10.3389/frcha.2024.1265081
Capal, J. K., & Jeste, S. S. (2024). Autism and epilepsy. Pediatric Clinics of North America, 71(2), 241–252. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pcl.2024.01.004
CDC. (2025). Autism spectrum disorder(Asd). Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). https://www.cdc.gov/autism/index.html
Hirota, T., & King, B. H. (2023). Autism spectrum disorder: A review. JAMA, 329(2), 157. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2022.23661
Issac, A., Halemani, K., Shetty, A., Thimmappa, L., Vijay, V. R., Koni, K., Mishra, P., & Kapoor, V. (2025). The global prevalence of autism spectrum disorder in children: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Osong Public Health and Research Perspectives, 16(1), 3–27. https://doi.org/10.24171/j.phrp.2024.0286
Liu, X., Sun, X., Sun, C., Zou, M., Chen, Y., Huang, J., Wu, L., & Chen, W.-X. (2022). Prevalence of epilepsy in autism spectrum disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Autism, 26(1), 33–50. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613211045029
Roy, M., & Strate, P. (2023). Autism spectrum disorders in adulthood—Symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment. Deutsches Ärzteblatt International, 120(6), 87–93. https://doi.org/10.3238/arztebl.m2022.0379
Talantseva, O. I., Romanova, R. S., Shurdova, E. M., Dolgorukova, T. A., Sologub, P. S., Titova, O. S., Kleeva, D. F., & Grigorenko, E. L. (2023). The global prevalence of autism spectrum disorder: A three-level meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1071181
Backman, I. (2024). A key brain difference linked to autism is found—for the first time—in living people. Yale School of Medicine. https://medicine.yale.edu/news-article/a-key-brain-difference-linked-to-autism-is-found-for-the first-time-in-living-people/
