Autism and Epilepsy
As a clinical health psychologist,
when working with clients, I focus on the interrelationship between their
behavioral, psychological and physical health problems. When working with
individuals diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum, addressing any physical problems
and disabilities is an important focus. There is a unique interrelationship among
behavioral, emotional, cognitive, social and biological components in health
and disease and these components need to be addressed and examined in order to
promote and help maintain health, prevent further problems and help to rehabilitate
in the best way possible.
With Autism, one of the more common co morbid
conditions is epilepsy. Epilepsy is a common and diverse set of chronic neurological disorders characterized by seizures. Epilepsy occurs in almost one third of
individuals diagnosed with ASD. Some
researchers say that this suggests an imbalance of neural excitation and
inhibition. If you are familiar with an individual with Autism, you may have noted
that excitation and inhibition are two problematic areas and contribute to
behavior challenges.
Management of epilepsy requires a
multidisciplinary
health care team effort and open and ongoing communication between the physician,
psychologist and other health care providers. For the person diagnosed with Autism and
Epilepsy, these co occurring conditions need to be taken into account with
addressing behavioral and psychological issues. If you are the parent, support and education about how to
manage can make a huge difference in coping with the ongoing stress and
challenges you face.
