New research from Norway finds a large overlap between children with attention deficit disorder/attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD, or autism), epilepsy and cerebral palsy.
Scientists in Norway studied more than 700,000 children and published the results online in Pediatrics on June 18. They found the most overlap occurring in boys age 11 and younger.
Specifically, the researchers found that:
- 17 percent of autistic children had ADD/ADHD
- 11 percent of autistic children had epilepsy
- 6 percent of children with ADD/ADHD were autistic
- 5 percent of children with ADD/ADHD were epileptic
- 13 percent of epileptic children had cerebral palsy
- 8 percent of epileptic children had ADD/ADHD
- 6 percent of epileptic children were autistic
“The findings demonstrate the significant burden of disease associated with neurologic and neurodevelopmental disorders in children, and that this burden is disproportionately skewed towards boys,” wrote lead researcher Pål Surén and colleagues in the report.
This research reinforces the obstacles that children with cerebral palsy must face every day, and how different people with cerebral palsy have different symptoms. In fact, cerebral palsy is defined as a group of movement and posture disorders caused by birth trauma or abnormal development. People with cerebral palsy often suffer from multiple conditions, as shown in this research.
Was your child born with cerebral palsy or another condition that doctors could have prevented? If so, give us a call today for a free consultation to discuss your options.
Cappolino Dodd Krebs LLP – birth trauma lawyers
