Neurological disorders in autism: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies
PubMed 32907344 · doi:10.1177/1362361320951370
What was done
A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate published studies examining the risk or frequency of a broad range of neurological disorders in individuals diagnosed with autism compared to the general population.
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical estimates, effect sizes, or confidence intervals. It qualitatively reports that individuals with autism are more likely than the general population to experience various neurological disorders, specifically epilepsy, macrocephaly, hydrocephalus, cerebral palsy, migraine/headache, and inborn abnormalities of the nervous system.
Why it matters
This review highlights that neurological co-occurring conditions in autism extend beyond epilepsy, underscoring the need for clinicians to proactively monitor and manage neurological health in autistic individuals.
Limits
The abstract provides zero quantitative data, effect estimates, or study counts (n is unspecified). Because it summarizes observational data, the underlying findings remain subject to diagnostic variation, surveillance bias, and confounding across primary studies.
Cited by
- supports Children with autism have a significantly increased incidence of seizures compared to children without autism.