WEDNESDAY, May 6, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- The prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is higher in children with epilepsy, and co-occurring ASD in epilepsy is associated with an elevated rate of intellectual disability, according to a study published online May 6 in Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology.
Mariya Saify, M.B.B.S., from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and colleagues compared the prevalence of ASD in children with and without epilepsy using data from the Olmsted County birth cohort, which included 30,490 individuals, 257 (0.84 percent) of whom had epilepsy diagnosed before age 19 years. Using three definitions, the cohort had previously been screened for ASD: research-inclusive (ASD-RI), research-narrow (ASD-RN), and clinically diagnosed (ASD-C).
The researchers found that across all definitions, the prevalence of ASD was significantly higher in participants with epilepsy: ASD-RI, 21.4 percent in those with epilepsy versus 3.2 percent in those without; ASD-RN, 14.0 versus 1.6 percent; and ASD-C, 7.9 versus 0.7 percent. Children who had epilepsy and ASD-RI were more often female (38.2 versus 25.8 percent), and they had elevated intellectual disability rates (56.5 versus 15.4 percent); they also met the criteria for ASD-RI at a younger age (mean, 7 years 5 months versus 8 years 8 months).
"These observations highlight clinically relevant differences within this group and underscore the importance of early recognition of developmental concerns," Saify said in a statement.
