Co-Occuring Conditions or Co-Morbidities

Some children on the autism spectrum have additional developmental, psychiatric, or medical diagnoses or conditions. These are sometime described as co-morbidities or co-morbid disorders. In other words, co-morbidities are additional conditions that impact somebody at the same time as a diagnosis such as ASD.

Why co-morbidities matter:

1. When problem behaviors are found to be a result of co-morbidity, professionals might be able to provide specific treatments for those symptoms.
2. Some of the symptoms of co-morbid disorders can worsen symptoms of ASD.
3. It may be easier to target some of the symptoms associated with ASD when other co-morbid disorders are also treated.

The Related Articles offer more information about some of the more common co-occurring conditions that tend to be common in individuals on the autism spectrum.