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Study shows high prevalence of mental health conditions among children with autism
Nearly 78 per cent of children with autism have at least one mental health condition and nearly half have two mental health conditions or more, according to a new U.S. study from the University of British Columbia s department of psychology and the AJ Drexel Autism Institute at Drexel University (Pennsylvania).
The study also found mental health conditions present in 44.8 per cent of pre-school age children with autism. The scope of the issue among that age group had not previously been established using a large, population-based sample.
By contrast, the study found that only 14.1 per cent of youth without autism (ages 3-17) had mental health conditions.
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Are kids with autism at high risk for mental health conditions? (Getty Images)
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex brain development disorder that is associated with significant, typically lifelong, functional impairment and public health challenges. People with autism experience co-occurring health conditions that may adversely affect their quality of life as well as the complexity and cost of their care. Co-occurring mental health conditions such as anxiety, attention, mood and behavior disorders are a part of this burden, but a population-based prevalence estimate has been lacking.
Researchers now report that 77.7% of children with autism have at least one mental health condition and nearly half or 49.1% have two mental health conditions or more. This is in contrast to 14.1% and 6.2% of youth without ASD, respectively, reveals analysis from the University of British Columbia s department of psychology and the AJ Drexel Autism Institute at Drexel Univ
Caregivers answered surveys regarding the children they care for
From the 2016 National Survey of Children s Health, the research team took a survey of over 42,000 caregivers who have a total of 1,131 ASD-diagnosed children they take care of. The children with autism reportedly have different mental health conditions based on the caregivers.
Nearly 40 percent of them suffer from anxiety, 15.7 percent have depression, and 60.8 percent have behavior or conduct problems. Almost two percent have Tourette syndrome, and 48.4 percent have ADHD.
As the children with autism grew older, the research team found that their subjects suffer from mental health conditions more. They noted the significance of the 44.8 percent prevalence in preschool children with ASD because they believe that early intervention could increase mental health treatment s effectiveness.
Nearly 78 per cent of children with autism have at least one mental health condition and nearly half have more than that. Mental health conditions were present in 44.8 per cent of pre-school age children with autism a group among which prevalence had not previously been established using a large, population-based sample. Only 14.1 per cent of children without autism (ages 3-17) had mental health conditions.