08/09/2026
🔗 When autism, ADHD and physical health overlap…
This is one of those pieces of research that is unlikely to come as a huge surprise to many neurodivergent people or families.
For years, people have described experiences that seem to sit across both the neurodevelopmental and physical health worlds, including hypermobility and other connective tissue differences.
A very large study has now added some interesting data to that conversation.
The researchers found that, compared with neurotypical people, those with both autism and ADHD were:
➡️ 438% more likely to have a heritable structural connective tissue disorder
➡️ 340% more likely to have a hypermobility spectrum disorder
➡️ 93% more likely to have an autoimmune condition
There were also increased rates among people with autism alone and ADHD alone, although the strongest associations were seen where both autism and ADHD were present.
Why is this important?
Not because autism or ADHD causes these physical differences, this research doesn't demonstrate that.
Rather, it adds to the growing evidence that neurodevelopmental and physical health can overlap in meaningful ways. As we always say here at Neurodivergent Perspectives..."If you have a neurodivergent brain, you have a neurodivergent body!" 🧠
For professionals, that means being curious about the whole person. If someone is neurodivergent and also experiences things like significant hypermobility, pain, fatigue or other physical symptoms, those experiences shouldn't automatically be treated as completely separate.
And for families, perhaps most importantly, it can provide another piece of the puzzle.
Sometimes the things people notice in themselves or their children don't fit neatly into one diagnostic box. Research like this helps us understand those patterns without dismissing the lived experience behind them.
As always, association isn't causation, but it's certainly an area worth paying attention to. 💜
📚 Read the full research here:
[Epic Research paper](https://media.epic.com/epicresearch/wordpressmedia/pdfs/neurodivergence-linked-to-higher-rates-of-connective-tissue-disorders.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
