The influence of sex and age on prevalence rates of comorbid conditions in autism.

Supekar et al. (2017) looked at medical charts across the life span. They counted how many people with autism also had epilepsy, ADHD, brain malformations, or schizophrenia.

The team split the records by age and sex. This let them see if some problems fade while others appear later.

Epilepsy, ADHD, and brain anomalies peaked in youth and dropped after adolescence. Schizophrenia did the opposite: it stayed low until adulthood, then spiked sharply in older males.

Girls and women showed the same age trends, but the numbers were smaller.

Pan et al. (2021) pooled many studies and also found high epilepsy rates in autism. Their meta-analysis supports the early peak Kaustubh saw, giving the same curve more power.

Chien et al. (2021) tracked new cases over time. They confirmed the late rise in schizophrenia and added that mood disorders climb too. Together the papers draw a full arc: some risks fall, others take their place.

Austin et al. (2015) looked only at adults with both autism and intellectual disability. They still saw heavy comorbidity, showing that even when ADHD tapers, overall burden can stay high.

Update your intake checklists. Screen teens for epilepsy and ADHD, but do not drop the clipboard at 21. Start asking every adult male about hallucinations or paranoid thoughts. A quick schizophrenia screen at 30, 40, and 50 can catch the upswing early and link clients to psychiatry before crisis hits.