The average life expectancy for a person with autism is 36.
When I read that statistic online a couple of weeks ago, I was torn between
skepticism and shock. As the parent of a 26-year-old son with autism, I needed to
find answers. Do people with autism really die much younger than typical people?
If so, why do they die at such a young age? What can we do to help our children
lead longer and healthier lives?
With assistance from Google searches, I found an online article entitled “Why People with Autism Die at a Much Younger Age” written by David Mills and published in healthline on March 25, 2016. [To read this article, please click here.] This article references research published in The British Journal of Psychiatry in March 2016. [To read this research, please click here.] This research article, entitled “Premature mortality in autism spectrum disorder,” describes the results of a Swedish study of data between 1987 and 2009.
At the Karolinska Institute, neuropsychologist Tatja Hirvikoski and colleagues compared mortality rates in Sweden between 27,000 people with autism and 2.6 million typical people. The average age of death for the general population was 70 years old, whereas the average age of death for people with autism was 54 years old. If the person with autism also had a cognitive disability, the average age at death was just under 40 years old. Not surprisingly, Dr. Hirvikoski was “shocked and horrified” by these results.
Further research indicates that for lower functioning people with autism, the main cause of death was epilepsy, found in 20-40% of the autism population, as compared to only 1% of the general population. In higher functioning people with autism, this study found that the primary cause of death was suicide, which occurred at a rate nine times higher than that found in the general population.
In addition, the research discovered that people with autism died from a wide range of illnesses, including heart disease and cancer. The researchers suggested that these fatal illnesses could be caused by genetic factors or poor medical care or both. Those with autism who have impaired language and social skills may have difficulty communicating their symptoms to doctors, perhaps delaying diagnosis and treatment of the illnesses.
Parents of children with autism also note that difficulties with social and sensory issues create a great deal of stress that could lead to chronic illness. I would add that sleep problems common in autism could also contribute to poor overall health. Moreover, our experience with heavy metal toxicity in Alex leads me to wonder how many people with autism suffer from toxins that lead to chronic illness and cancer. Clearly, more research needs to be done in this area to find the cause of early fatal illness in autism.
Continuing my research on mortality and autism, I found an article online from Susan Scuttl published March 21, 2017, at CNN Health entitled “Children with autism 40 times more likely to die from injury, study says.” [To read this article, please click here.] This article summarizes data from research published May 2017 in the American Journal of Public Health. Written by Joseph Guan and Dr. Guohua Li, the article entitled “Injury Mortality in Individuals With Autism” focuses upon causes of fatal injuries in people with autism in the United States. [To read this research, please click here.]
Using 39 million U.S. death records from 1999-2014, the researchers found the death records of 1367 people with autism––1043 males and 324 females. Their data indicated that while the average age of death for the general population was 72 years old, the average life expectancy for a person with autism was only 36.2 years old.
Moreover, this data indicated that 28% of people with autism died from injuries, which is three times the rate of death by injury for the general population. In addition, the data showed that the average age that typical people died from injury was 55, while the average age for death by injury to a person with autism was only 29.
Three types of injuries were found to be responsible for a total of eighty percent of accidental deaths in people with autism: suffocation, asphyxiation, and drowning. Unlike the Swedish study, this research did not find high rates of suicide among adults with autism. Children with autism under the age of 15 were forty times more likely to die from injuries than their typical peers. The most common cause of fatal injury in children with autism is drowning, which causes 46% of accidental deaths, especially among children ages 5-7. Statistics indicate that nearly half of children with autism wander from places of safety, and they are often attracted to water, where sadly many of them drown. In the conclusion of this study, the researchers note, “Individuals with autism appear to be at a substantially heightened risk for death from injury.”
Whether the life expectancy for a person with autism is 29 or 36.2 or 40 or 54, depending upon the research data, any of these ages is much too young to die. Knowing how vulnerable Alex is, I always pray for God to keep him happy, healthy, and safe. Clearly, more research must be done to find better ways to treat health conditions in children and adults with autism and to protect them from dangers that could end their lives prematurely. Our society must take responsibility for meeting the special needs of children and adults with autism. Their lives depend upon it.
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.” Psalm 23:4
With assistance from Google searches, I found an online article entitled “Why People with Autism Die at a Much Younger Age” written by David Mills and published in healthline on March 25, 2016. [To read this article, please click here.] This article references research published in The British Journal of Psychiatry in March 2016. [To read this research, please click here.] This research article, entitled “Premature mortality in autism spectrum disorder,” describes the results of a Swedish study of data between 1987 and 2009.
At the Karolinska Institute, neuropsychologist Tatja Hirvikoski and colleagues compared mortality rates in Sweden between 27,000 people with autism and 2.6 million typical people. The average age of death for the general population was 70 years old, whereas the average age of death for people with autism was 54 years old. If the person with autism also had a cognitive disability, the average age at death was just under 40 years old. Not surprisingly, Dr. Hirvikoski was “shocked and horrified” by these results.
Further research indicates that for lower functioning people with autism, the main cause of death was epilepsy, found in 20-40% of the autism population, as compared to only 1% of the general population. In higher functioning people with autism, this study found that the primary cause of death was suicide, which occurred at a rate nine times higher than that found in the general population.
In addition, the research discovered that people with autism died from a wide range of illnesses, including heart disease and cancer. The researchers suggested that these fatal illnesses could be caused by genetic factors or poor medical care or both. Those with autism who have impaired language and social skills may have difficulty communicating their symptoms to doctors, perhaps delaying diagnosis and treatment of the illnesses.
Parents of children with autism also note that difficulties with social and sensory issues create a great deal of stress that could lead to chronic illness. I would add that sleep problems common in autism could also contribute to poor overall health. Moreover, our experience with heavy metal toxicity in Alex leads me to wonder how many people with autism suffer from toxins that lead to chronic illness and cancer. Clearly, more research needs to be done in this area to find the cause of early fatal illness in autism.
Continuing my research on mortality and autism, I found an article online from Susan Scuttl published March 21, 2017, at CNN Health entitled “Children with autism 40 times more likely to die from injury, study says.” [To read this article, please click here.] This article summarizes data from research published May 2017 in the American Journal of Public Health. Written by Joseph Guan and Dr. Guohua Li, the article entitled “Injury Mortality in Individuals With Autism” focuses upon causes of fatal injuries in people with autism in the United States. [To read this research, please click here.]
Using 39 million U.S. death records from 1999-2014, the researchers found the death records of 1367 people with autism––1043 males and 324 females. Their data indicated that while the average age of death for the general population was 72 years old, the average life expectancy for a person with autism was only 36.2 years old.
Moreover, this data indicated that 28% of people with autism died from injuries, which is three times the rate of death by injury for the general population. In addition, the data showed that the average age that typical people died from injury was 55, while the average age for death by injury to a person with autism was only 29.
Three types of injuries were found to be responsible for a total of eighty percent of accidental deaths in people with autism: suffocation, asphyxiation, and drowning. Unlike the Swedish study, this research did not find high rates of suicide among adults with autism. Children with autism under the age of 15 were forty times more likely to die from injuries than their typical peers. The most common cause of fatal injury in children with autism is drowning, which causes 46% of accidental deaths, especially among children ages 5-7. Statistics indicate that nearly half of children with autism wander from places of safety, and they are often attracted to water, where sadly many of them drown. In the conclusion of this study, the researchers note, “Individuals with autism appear to be at a substantially heightened risk for death from injury.”
Whether the life expectancy for a person with autism is 29 or 36.2 or 40 or 54, depending upon the research data, any of these ages is much too young to die. Knowing how vulnerable Alex is, I always pray for God to keep him happy, healthy, and safe. Clearly, more research must be done to find better ways to treat health conditions in children and adults with autism and to protect them from dangers that could end their lives prematurely. Our society must take responsibility for meeting the special needs of children and adults with autism. Their lives depend upon it.
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.” Psalm 23:4
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