Understanding Autism: Co-occurring Conditions vs Pure Autism

Autism plus refers to an autistic individual with co-occurring conditions, while autism pure refers to individuals with autism that have no co-occurring conditions. People sometimes use comorbidity and co-occurring conditions interchangeably in casual conversation, but I am going to talk about co-occurring conditions because it is used more in neurodiversity contexts. This is where additional conditions can be diagnosed alongside autism.

Autism Co-occurring Conditions:

Anxiety
Gastrointestinal disorders
Immune function disorders
Metabolic disorders
Sleep disorders
Epilepsy
Depression
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
Demand-avoidance
Dyslexia, dyscalculia and dyspraxia
Joint problems and hypermobility
Learning disabilities
Mental health problems
Sensory sensitivities

Simon Baron-Cohen, one of the world’s most influential autism researchers, has spoken about how we understand autism has changed. It was once viewed as very rare, but now it is recognised as a broad spectrum of differences.

Pure autism is rare, and individuals with autism are more likely to have another condition that goes alongside adding to the challenges. Also, situations such as stigma, bullying, being ostracised, and being discriminated against create extra hurdles for individuals with autism, and society has to address these issues.