Higher Rate of Injuries for Autistic People

People who have autism spectrum disorder (ASD) suffer from many comorbidities. In addition to their neurodevelopmental disorder, people with autism are at higher risk for having sleeping issues, epilepsy, diabetes, hypertension and other conditions.

While research is still ongoing as to why this may be, part of the reason for their higher susceptibility to some of these conditions are their autism symptoms.

For example, many people who have autism suffer from sensory sensitivities, which could include aversions to certain foods because of the taste or texture. This might result in them eating a very limited diet of highly-processed foods, which can then lead to them being overweight, putting them at risk for things such as diabetes and high blood pressure.

In addition to these common comorbidities, autistic people experience a higher rate of injuries than their neurotypical peers. Below, we’ll dive deeper into this subject and cover why this may be.

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Do Autistic People Have a Higher Rate of Injuries?

Many studies have analyzed the relationship between ASD and suffering injuries, and most have conclusively found that people with autism are much more susceptible to certain injuries than their neurotypical peers are.

For example, one study published in early 2025 found that children who have ASD had “significantly higher” emergency department visit rates than children who were typically developing.

When drilling deeper, the same study found that children with autism had higher rates of inhalation and ingestion injuries, but lower rates of orthopedic injuries than typically-developing children.

In other words, children on the autism spectrum were more likely to visit the emergency department than their neurotypical peers as a result of injuries that are often considered everyday accidents.

Other studies have found that children with ASD are as much as 40 times more likely to die from an injury than the general population their age.

What Are Some of the Injuries Children with Autism Are Most Prone To?

Research has found that children with autism are more likely to suffer head injuries than their peers. This is actually quite common among people who have sensory issues.

That’s because one way some children with autism respond to feeling overwhelmed due to sensory stimuli is by banging their head. This could be a form of self-stimulatory behavior to help them calm down, or it could be a way that they’re expressing themselves.

Either way, it’s a behavior that can be very harmful and result in major injuries.

Children with autism are also at higher risk for suffering burns. In many cases, this is because of issues they have with processing sensory stimuli. Some children may, for example, have difficulty discerning things that are hot.

They are also at a higher likelihood of suffering a fracture. Most of the time, this is due to issues they have with movement and coordination.

Even worse, the mortality rate of people with ASD is double that of the general population, as a 2008 study found.

The leading cause of death for people with autism is drowning, according to the National Autism Association. This speaks to the fact that people on the autism spectrum are at higher risk of suffering from accidental yet significant injuries than their neurotypical peers.

What Can Be Done to Support Children with Autism in Relation to Staying Safe?

Children who have ASD are often referred for applied behavior analysis treatment. ABA therapy is considered the gold standard treatment for children on the autism spectrum, and it helps them build social and communication skills while also learning how to modify certain behaviors.

In addition, ABA therapy can help support children with autism and keep them safe from common accidents.

Therapists often help children with autism cope with sensory sensitivities, for instance, and find better replacement behaviors for harmful behaviors. This could help reduce the instances of head injuries that might happen if a child bangs their head in response to feeling overwhelmed or anxious.

ABA therapists can also work directly with children to help address other issues that commonly lead to injury. They can work with them on spatial awareness, motor skills, coordination and body control — all of which can reduce the chance of them falling or banging into hard objects.

The great part about ABA therapy in this regard is that all treatment plans are customized to each individual patient. This means the therapy team will target certain skills and/or behaviors based upon each individual child’s unique strengths, challenges and preferences.

This leads to better end-results, which helps to keep children with ASD as safe as possible.

Blue Gems ABA Addresses Safety Issues for Children with ASD

Autistic people are much more likely to suffer injuries than their neurotypical peers. Much of this is due to the common symptoms of autism.

At Blue Gems ABA, our team of experienced therapists directly addresses safety issues for children with autism through ABA therapy. We create customized plans that address whatever issues each child is facing, and modify those plans over time as the child makes progress toward goals.

To learn more, please contact us today.