Autism and epilepsy

Hi. I’m a person with epilepsy. Actually, my epilepsy started as a result of complications related to child birth. My son doesn’t have autism or epilepsy, but I think you are asking an interesting question. Here’s a link to the main article that the Epilepsy Foundation has on the relationship between autism and epilepsy. You’ll notice that it links you to several others including genetic testing. https://www.epilepsy.com/article/2017/3/epilepsy-and-autism-there-relationshipI don’t think any of them answer your specific question, but there may be some factors that contributed to being at a higher risk of having a child with autism such as AEDs or genetics or some other factors other than epilepsy as a disease. If you haven’t already asked your question to an epilepsy specialist at an epilepsy center, I would advise you to do so because they may be familiar with some research studies that have taken place on this subject matter. If nothing has been done, it may be a something worth it for them to survey amongst their patients. 

Hi, Thank you for posting and for sharing your story. Some studies have suggested that there is an association between autism and epilepsy. Children with autism are (a little) more likely to have epilepsy and children with epilepsy are (a little) more likely to have autism. However, not all autistic children will develop seizures- only a minority will. Similarly, not all children with epilepsy will have autism, (only a small minority). Screening for and diagnosing both of these disorders allows for earlier intervention and treatment. Future studies looking at other population factors such as age, ethnicity, type of epilepsy and underlying cause could be helpful in further understanding the relationship between epilepsy and autism. https://www.epilepsy.com/learn/seizure-and-epilepsy-news/epilepsy-behavior-journal/select-journal-abstracts/co-occurrence . It’s important that you’re continuing to discuss your concerns with your son’s healthcare team and as Gianna mentioned, you may want to speak with an epileptologist, (epilepsy specialist) that may be able to provide additional information about the relationship between autism and epilepsy. https://www.epilepsy.com/living-epilepsy/find-epilepsy-specialist . It may also be helpful to connect with other parents who may have similar experiences, to ask questions, find & give support to each other, by visiting: https://www.epilepsy.com/living-epilepsy/parents-and-caregivers/parents-helping-parents .  Additionally, you may always contact our 24/7 Helpline, where trained information specialists are available to answer your questions, offer help, hope, support, guidance, and access to national and local resources, 1-800-332-1000, contactus@efa.org. epilepsy.com/helpline 

Thank you for sharing your story and for the information! I appreciate it