Many autistic people with behaviours of concern may be in pain, says a new study.
Researcher Dr Stephen Edelson says there could be a link between the pain and a “medical comorbidity”.
Edelson is the director of the US-based Autism Research Institute.
Behaviours of concern could be linked to pain, according to a new study. Photo by Simran Sood on Unsplash
The researcher said studies have shown that the way people on the autism spectrum experience internal bodily sensations is “dysregulated”.
Many can experience a “hyper response”, which may see pain trigger behaviours of concern.
Hope for treatment strategies
Edelson believes further research on the relationship between comorbidities and autism will help doctors develop “effective treatment strategies to treat challenging behaviours”.
His research mentions a survey showing that more than 40 per cent of autistic people self-harm and display aggression.
Find if there are health needs
Viv Cooper, whose grown-up son Daniel has a severe learning disability, is chief executive of charity the Challenging Behaviour Foundation.
She said when any new behaviours of concern develop or existing ones increase “it is important to prioritise finding out if there are physical health needs (that could be causing pain) with a thorough health check”.
Whole-body disorder
Biomedical charity Thinking Autism (TA) has said there is “overwhelming and indisputable scientific evidence of autism being a whole-body disorder”.
The charity has suggested that people on the autism spectrum are “significantly” more vulnerable to mental and physical health problems.
These include immune and gut disorders, metabolic problems and epilepsy.
Life 22 years shorter
In the UK there is an annual Learning Disability Mortality Review (LeDeR). The motivation behind it is to reduce early deaths among people with autism and learning disabilities.
The latest figures from the report show that people with learning disabilities die 22 years earlier than the rest of the population.
Edelson’s research appeared in the Journal of Personalised Medicine.
Related:
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Published: 6 August 2022
