Chronic Physical Pain in Children With and Without Autism Spectrum Disorder in the United States: Findings from the 2016 - 2021 National Survey of Children's Health.
Qianyi Xie, Ning Pan, Xiaoxuan Ou and 12 others
PMID 40301196WHAT IT FOUND
Children with autism have higher rates of chronic pain and headaches than their peers, even after adjusting for other health conditions.
This association holds across ages and regions, but pain severity or type did not link to autism severity or current treatments.
Key findings
01Children with current autism spectrum disorder had significantly higher odds of chronic physical pain compared to children without, even after adjusting for demographics, chronic illnesses, and comorbidities.
02The increased odds were more pronounced for headaches than for other back or body pain among children with autism.
03Autism severity, receipt of behavioral treatment, and medication use were not significantly associated with the presence of chronic physical pain.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study is cross-sectional, so it cannot determine if ASD causes pain or if pain influences ASD symptoms. All data, including ASD diagnosis and pain reports, were parent-reported, which may introduce bias. The survey did not capture pain severity or specific types of pain beyond headaches and general back/body pain. Information on potential confounders like gastrointestinal disorders, musculoskeletal problems, and family history of pain was not available. The definitions of healthcare access and interventions were broad and may not reflect the quality or specificity of care received.
Declared interests
The study was funded by the Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation of Guangdong Province, Key-Area Research and Development Program of Guangdong Province, China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, Postdoctoral Fellowship Program of CPSF, and Youth Foundation of South China Normal University. No conflicts of interest were declared.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that children with more severe autism experience more pain. The study found no significant association between ASD severity and chronic physical pain, suggesting that pain prevalence is elevated across the spectrum regardless of severity level.