Sick of people saying that autism doesn't affect life expectancy
DROWNING -
Drowning is the leading cause of death for autistic children, according to a study from Columbia University, and people with autism are 160 times more likely to drown, either fatally or non fatally, than their neurotypical peers, according to the Autism Society of America.
Roughly 50 percent of people with autism will wander or have wandered, according to a study from the Kennedy Krieger Institute.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) describes wandering or elopement as "when someone leaves a safe area or a responsible caregiver." Wandering affects individuals who have disabilities, such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or an intellectual disability (ID). In a study from Autism Speaks, the charity explains that "wandering by children with autism is common, dangerous and puts tremendous stress on families."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SUICIDE -
A new study by the University of Queensland has found that people on the autism spectrum are three to five times more likely to die by suicide.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DANGER BY VULNERABILITY -
A 2003 study found that children diagnosed with Asperger syndrome were more likely to be victims of violence than tormentors.\6]) Violence against non-speaking autistic people is also facilitated by the fact that they are unable to talk about it and report it:\7]) in general, the more a person is considered to be "in a weak situation", or as a "severe" case, the more vulnerable they are to violence and exclusion.\8]) Dependence is an aggravating factor, especially if daily assistance is required for everyday activities such as meals and washing.\9]) The "seriousness" of the "disability" can thus be invoked to justify all types of violence, including murder.\10])
https://autism.org/sexual-victimization-in-autism/
Research and analysis has shown that children with physical or mental disabilities are significantly more vulnerable to being abducted or to being the victim or physical or sexual abuse. Children with disabilities are 2.9 times more likely than children without disabilities to be abused sexually. The most vulnerable are children who have intellectual or mental health disabilities, who are 4.6 times more likely to be the victim of sexual abuse. Sexual predators may target children with intellectual or physical disabilities as the child may be easier to control and may be less likely to fight back. Adult predators will often prey on children who appear weaker or more vulnerable which may lead them to target minors who have mental or physical disabilities.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RUNNING INTO TRAFFIC -
In a study of adults on the autism spectrum - https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.3141/2542-02, more than half reported difficulty with crossing the street independently. Autism spectrum disorders, ADHD, and other neurodevelopmental differences may be associated with some behaviors or conditions that could elevate risk of a road traffic injury, including:
- impulsivity, leading to running into busy streets, or crossing an intersection without looking for cars
- communication challenges, which may make it harder to understand safety directions
- differences in engagement and/or strong or intense interests which may distract or shift attention away from important safety observations
- elopement, or wandering, which can be 3 times more likely https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31977588/ among autistic children or those with ADHD
- medical conditions that may in and of themselves impact safety awareness, such as hearing loss, vision differences, or neuromuscular conditions (e.g. cerebral palsy)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Statistics reveal alarming trends regarding injuries in autistic individuals. According to a study, children with autism were found to be more likely to visit the emergency room for injuries than their non-autistic counterparts. Notably, children with autism aged 14 years and younger are 40 times more likely to die from injury than the general pediatric population.
Additionally, studies show that individuals with autism experience higher rates of specific types of injuries, such as head injuries, fractures, and burns. This increase can often be attributed to the unique challenges faced by those on the spectrum, including difficulties with sensory processing and movement coordination.
- Emergency visits: Higher than non-autistic peers - Increased risk of injury.
- Head injuries: More prone than non-autistic peers - Common in sensory-related situations.
- Fractures: Increased likelihood compared to non-autistic individuals - Often linked to movement coordination issues.
- Burns: Higher risk due to sensory processing issues - Difficulty recognizing when something is hot.
https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/abs/10.2105/AJPH.2017.303696
Results. During the study period, 1367 deaths (1043 males and 324 females) in individuals with autism were recorded in the United States. The mean age at death for individuals with autism was 36.2 years (SD = 20.9 years), compared with 72.0 years (SD = 19.2 years) for the general population. Of the deaths in individuals with autism, 381 (27.9%) were attributed to injury (PMR = 2.93; 95% CI = 2.64, 3.24), with suffocation (n = 90; PMR = 31.93; 95% CI = 25.69, 39.24) being the leading cause of injury mortality, followed by asphyxiation (n = 78; PMR = 13.50; 95% CI = 10.68, 16.85) and drowning (n = 74; PMR = 39.89; 95% CI = 31.34, 50.06).
Conclusions. Individuals with autism appear to be at substantially heightened risk for death from injury.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PICA
Compared with the prevalence of pica among POPs (3.5%), pica was higher in children with ASD (23.2%) and DD (8.4%), and in the following subgroups: ASD with ID (28.1%), ASD without ID (14.0%), DD with ID (9.7%), DD with ASD characteristics (12.0%), and DD with both ID and ASD characteristics (26.3%); however, pica prevalence was not elevated in children with DD with neither ID nor ASD characteristics (3.2%). Between-group differences remained after adjustment (adjusted prevalence ratio range 1.9–8.0, all P <.05).
Pica, the repeated ingestion of nonfood items lacking nutritional value,1,2 can result in gastrointestinal parasites, lead toxicity, nutritional deficiencies, choking, poisoning, sepsis, and intestinal obstruction or perforation.3–6 These complications are associated with substantial morbidity and have led to fatalities in some patients.2,7,8
Pica is considered a self-injurious behavior, defined as self-inflicted, harmful behavior that occurs without apparent intent of willful self-harm.5,7,9–11 Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and/or intellectual disability (ID) have higher rates of self-injurious behavior (all types) than the general population,12,13 and pica specifically has been implicated as a problem for these populations.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9188765/
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Then of course, other eating disorders such as anorexia and ARFID are more common in ASD, too.
In reality, if someone is levelo 2-3, their life expectancy is typicaly lower