Autism Spectrum Disorders and Epilepsy

Abstract

Epileptic seizures are frequent in children with ASD with a reported prevalence between 7% and 46%. These figures
are higher than those reported for the normal pediatric population but the true prevalence remains uncertain because studies
examining this have included comorbid conditions.Aim: Study the prevalence of epilepsy in children diagnosed with ASD.
Methods: Retrospective study of 30 children diagnosed with ASD in the National Center for Growth, Development and
Rehabilitation of Children. The clinical history and electroencephalograms of these children were reviewed. The children were
from 2 years old until 8 years old.Results: 7 out of 30 children diagnosed with ASD were also diagnosed with epilepsy or
abnormal electroencephalograms with a prevalence of 23%. These children showed more profound intellectual impairment and
regression in cognitive development than those with ASD, but no epilepsy. Conclusion: ASD in early childhood is associated with
high rate of epilepsy . These findings suggest that neurological investigative techniques such as EEG should be considered
during evaluation of children with ASD with more impaired cognition.