Autism,
ADHD and Epilepsy – Study Chapter
Introduction
Autism, ADHD, and epilepsy are often linked,
but they do not always occur together. Some people may have one condition, two
of them, or all three. The way these conditions affect people can vary widely
from person to person.
From both research and lived experience, it is
clear that these links are relatively common in childhood, but not everyone
with autism or ADHD will develop epilepsy.
How Common Is the Link?
Research suggests that around 8% to 40%
of autistic people may also experience epilepsy. The risk is higher when a
person also has:
An intellectual disability
A known genetic or chromosomal condition
A history of early brain injury or
complications at birth
This does not mean that autism or ADHD
causes epilepsy. Instead, they may share underlying neurological, genetic, or
developmental pathways.
What Is Epilepsy?
Epilepsy is a neurological condition that
affects how electrical and chemical signals work in the brain.
During a seizure, it can feel as if the brain
is being suddenly unplugged or overloaded, causing:
Loss of awareness
Physical shaking or stiffness
Confusion or exhaustion afterwards
Some people describe seizures as electrical
shocks or sudden interruptions to consciousness.
Epilepsy:
Can happen with or without other
conditions
Can begin at any age
Sometimes has no clear cause
Patterns Over a Lifetime
Epilepsy is often described as an unpredictable
condition.
Some people may:
Have seizures for a few years and then none
again
Have one short period (“patch”) of seizures
Experience seizures throughout their lifetime
Go many years seizure-free and then relapse
later
Seizures can start:
Before birth
During birth
In childhood
In adolescence
In adulthood or later life
In some cases, seizures may reappear during
times of hormonal change, such as puberty or menopause, though this
varies greatly.
Causes and Risk Factors
Epilepsy can have many causes, including:
Genetic conditions
Brain injury
Lack of oxygen at birth (hypoxia)
Structural differences in the brain
Unknown causes (idiopathic epilepsy)
Some genetic and developmental conditions
linked with epilepsy include:
Autism
ADHD
Rett syndrome
Fragile X syndrome
Angelman syndrome
Cerebral palsy
Other chromosomal or neurological syndromes
In many people, epilepsy exists on its own,
without any other diagnosis.
Neurodevelopmental Link
Autism and ADHD are neurodevelopmental
conditions, meaning they affect how the brain and nervous system develop
early in life.
The link between autism, ADHD, and epilepsy is
thought to involve:
Shared genetic factors
Differences in brain wiring and connectivity
Nervous system regulation
This connection has been studied for many
decades, with research dating back to at least the 1960s.
Who Is at Risk of Epilepsy?
Anyone can develop epilepsy, but higher risk is
seen in people who:
Have developmental or learning disabilities
Have a genetic syndrome
Experienced birth complications or early brain
injury
Have a family history of seizures
Epilepsy can appear and disappear at different
stages of life, making it difficult to predict.
Key Message
Everyone’s experience is different.
Not everyone with autism or ADHD will have
epilepsy
Not everyone with epilepsy has another
condition
Seizures can change across a person’s lifetime
Understanding these links helps improve
awareness, early support, and compassionate care.
(This chapter can be adapted into Easy Read,
PowerPoint, quiz, or printable formats.)
Autism, ADHD and Epilepsy
Easy Read
What is this about?
Some people have:
Autism
ADHD
Epilepsy
Some people have one, two, or all three. Not everyone has them together.
Everyone is different.
How common is epilepsy in autism?
Epilepsy is quite common in autistic children
Around 8 to 40 out of 100 autistic people may have epilepsy
The risk is higher if someone has a learning disability
This does not mean autism or ADHD causes epilepsy.
What is epilepsy?
Epilepsy affects how the brain’s electricity works.
During a seizure:
The brain’s signals become mixed up
A person may shake, freeze, or lose awareness
It can feel like being suddenly unplugged
After a seizure, people may feel:
Tired
Confused
Headachy
Can epilepsy happen on its own?
Yes.
Epilepsy can:
Happen with or without autism or ADHD
Start at any age
Sometimes have no known cause
Many people with epilepsy have:
Normal brain scans
Normal EEG or ECG results
This does not mean seizures are not real. Some types of epilepsy do not always show on tests.
How epilepsy can change over time
Epilepsy is not the same for everyone.
Some people:
Have seizures for a short time, then none again
Have one patch of seizures
Have seizures all their life
Go many years without seizures
Seizures can start:
Before birth
During birth
In childhood
In teenage years
In adulthood or later life
Causes and risks
Epilepsy can be linked to:
Genetics (conditions passed down in families)
Brain injury
Lack of oxygen at birth
Differences in how the brain developed
Conditions often linked with epilepsy include:
Autism
ADHD
Cerebral palsy
Rett syndrome
Fragile X syndrome
Angelman syndrome
Why are autism, ADHD and epilepsy linked?
Autism and ADHD are neurodevelopmental conditions.
This means they affect how the brain and nervous system develop.
The link may be due to:
Shared genes
Brain wiring differences
Nervous system regulation
Doctors have studied this link since the 1960s.
Who can get epilepsy?
Anyone can get epilepsy.
Risk may be higher if someone:
Has a learning disability
Has a genetic condition
Had birth complications
Had a brain injury
Epilepsy can come and go at different life stages.
Important message
Not everyone with autism or ADHD has epilepsy
Not everyone with epilepsy has autism or ADHD
Everyone’s experience is different
Understanding this helps people get the right support.
(This Easy Read version can be printed or turned into a leaflet or PDF.)
Autism, ADHD and Epilepsy
Easy Read
What is this about?
Some people have:
Autism
ADHD
Epilepsy
Some people have one, two, or all three. Not everyone has them together.
Everyone is different.
How common is epilepsy in autism?
Epilepsy is quite common in autistic children
Around 8 to 40 out of 100 autistic people may have epilepsy
The risk is higher if someone has a learning disability
This does not mean autism or ADHD causes epilepsy.
What is epilepsy?
Epilepsy affects how the brain’s electricity works.
During a seizure:
The brain’s signals become mixed up
A person may shake, freeze, or lose awareness
It can feel like being suddenly unplugged
After a seizure, people may feel:
Tired
Confused
Headachy
Can epilepsy happen on its own?
Yes.
Epilepsy can:
Happen with or without autism or ADHD
Start at any age
Sometimes have no known cause
Many people with epilepsy have:
Normal brain scans
Normal EEG or ECG results
This does not mean seizures are not real. Some types of epilepsy do not always show on tests.
How epilepsy can change over time
Epilepsy is not the same for everyone.
Some people:
Have seizures for a short time, then none again
Have one patch of seizures
Have seizures all their life
Go many years without seizures
Seizures can start:
Before birth
During birth
In childhood
In teenage years
In adulthood or later life
Causes and risks
Epilepsy can be linked to:
Genetics (conditions passed down in families)
Brain injury
Lack of oxygen at birth
Differences in how the brain developed
Conditions often linked with epilepsy include:
Autism
ADHD
Cerebral palsy
Rett syndrome
Fragile X syndrome
Angelman syndrome
Why are autism, ADHD and epilepsy linked?
Autism and ADHD are neurodevelopmental conditions.
This means they affect how the brain and nervous system develop.
The link may be due to:
Shared genes
Brain wiring differences
Nervous system regulation
Doctors have studied this link since the 1960s.
Who can get epilepsy?
Anyone can get epilepsy.
Risk may be higher if someone:
Has a learning disability
Has a genetic condition
Had birth complications
Had a brain injury
Epilepsy can come and go at different life stages.
Why epilepsy can feel confusing
Many people find epilepsy hard to understand.
This is because:
Scans and tests often look normal
People still have seizures even when tests show nothing
This can feel frustrating or unbelievable
A lot of time and money is spent on tests that may not show seizures. This does not mean the seizures are not real.
Tests only show what is happening at that moment. Epilepsy can hide between seizures.
Listening to people’s experiences is just as important as test results.
Important message
Not everyone with autism or ADHD has epilepsy
Not everyone with epilepsy has autism or ADHD
Normal scans do not mean seizures are not real
Everyone’s experience is different
Understanding this helps people get the right support.
(This Easy Read version can be printed or turned into a leaflet or PDF.)
People
experience epilepsy in very different ways. For some, it may start early in
life and then stop; for others, it may come and go throughout the years. Some
people have seizures only once or twice, while others have them regularly.
Sadly, in some cases, epilepsy can be life-threatening.
In my own experience, my epilepsy started from birth due to a lack of oxygen. I had seizures until I was 12 years old, then they disappeared for many years. When I was 31, they returned until I was 43 — and thankfully, I’ve been seizure-free since then. I once met someone who had their very first seizure during their first driving lesson, which shows just how unpredictable epilepsy can be. It really is a very strange condition that affects everyone differently.
🎓 Epilepsy
Quiz
(Questions
only – answers are in the next section)
1.
What
part of the body does epilepsy mainly affect?
2.
Can
epilepsy begin for different reasons in different people? Give one example.
3.
True
or False: Doctors fully understand all the causes of epilepsy.
4.
How
can accidents or injuries sometimes lead to epilepsy?
5.
What
is the main difference between epilepsy and a one-time seizure?
1.
Name
one possible trigger that might cause a seizure in some people.
2.
What
might happen to someone’s epilepsy over time — can it stop or come back?
3.
True
or False: Everyone with epilepsy experiences it in the same way.
4.
Why
is it important for people with epilepsy to have good medical support and
understanding?
🔍 What the Research
Shows About Death Risk & Epilepsy
Here
are some facts and figures:
A large Denmark cohort study found that people with epilepsy live shorter lives on average — the reduction in
- life expectancy
was about 10–12 years compared to people without
epilepsy. OUP Academic+1
- The same study
noted that mortality rates are two to three times higher in
people with epilepsy than in the general population. NCBI+1
- A systematic
review reported an average annual mortality rate of
about 1.23% in people with epilepsy in studies
included. SpringerLink
- Sudden
Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP) is a recognized cause of death in
people with epilepsy. One estimate is about 1 in 1,000 people
with epilepsy die annually from SUDEP. Wikipedia+1
- In some reports,
untreated epilepsy or gaps in care may carry higher risks of death. International League Against Epilepsy
⚠️ What to Keep in Mind
- Having
epilepsy does not mean death is inevitable. Many people with
epilepsy never die from it or live many years seizure-free.
- The risk depends
on many factors:
• how severe or frequent the seizures are
• whether they’re controlled by medication
• if there are other health problems (comorbidities)
• the type of epilepsy / underlying cause
• access to good medical care
- related to
uncontrolled seizures, doctors often emphasize good seizure management and
preventative measures.
- Mortality
statistics often compare groups — so for some individuals, the risk could
be far less than averages suggest, depending on their circumstances.
If
you like, I can gather more up-to-date mortality data (by
country, by age group) for epilepsy, so you can include a chart or table in
your Chapter 18. Would you like me to do that?
1. Introduction / Overview
- doctors often
emphasize good seizure management and preventative measures.
- Mortality
statistics often compare groups — so for some individuals, the risk could
be far less than averages suggest, depending on their circumstances.
If
you like, I can gather more up-to-date mortality data (by
country, by age group) for epilepsy, so you can include a chart or table in
your Chapter 18. Would you like me to do that?
1. Introduction / Overview
Absence seizures (also called petit mal seizures) are
a type of seizure that
- attention lapses
5. Living with Absence Seizuresbriefly interrupts
a person’s awareness.
- They usually
last only a few seconds.
- The person
may stare blankly, stop talking, or blink
repeatedly.
- They often
happen in children but can also occur in adults.
2. Signs and Features
- Staring into
space for a few seconds
- Unresponsive
during the seizure
- Eye blinking or
small movements of the lips or hands
- Brief lapses in
attention, which can affect learning
. Causes
- Absence seizures
are caused by abnormal electrical activity in the brain.
- Some children
may have a genetic tendency for seizures.
- Other triggers
include stress, fatigue, or illness.
4. Support and Treatment
- Medical
assessment by a neurologist or doctor
- Anti-seizure
medication may be prescribed
- Keeping a seizure
diary helps monitor patterns
Support at school or work
for missed moments or
- Most children
grow out of them, but some continue into adulthood
- Seizures can be
managed with medication and awareness
- Education and
support help the person stay safe and included
6. Support Organisations /
Resources
- Epilepsy Society
(UK) – www.epilepsysociety.org.uk
- Epilepsy
Foundation (US) – www.epilepsy.com
🌼 Easy
Read Version
💙 Absence
Seizures
- A short seizure
that makes someone stare or stops what they are doing.
- Usually lasts a
few seconds.
- Most children
grow out of them, but some continue into adulthood
- Seizures can be
managed with medication and awareness
- Education and
support help the person stay safe and included
6. Support Organisations / Resources
- Epilepsy Society
(UK) – www.epilepsysociety.org.uk
- Epilepsy
Foundation (US) – www.epilepsy.com
🌼 Easy Read Version
💙 Absence Seizures
- A short seizure
that makes someone stare or stop what they are doing.
- Usually lasts a
few seconds.
- People might
blink or move their lips.
- Doctors can
help with medicine and support.
- Teachers and
carers can help people stay safe.
📝 Quiz Questions
6. What is an absence seizure?
7. How long do absence seizures usually last?
8. Name one sign of an absence seizure.
9. Can adults have absence seizures?
10. What part of the body is affected by abnormal electrical activity during a seizure?
11. Name one thing that might trigger an absence seizure.
- Most children
grow out of them, but some continue into adulthood
1. How can doctors help someone with absence seizures?
2. Why might a seizure diary be useful?
3. How can schools support someone with absence seizures?
4. Name one organisation that gives information about seizure
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