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Middle-aged and older adults with autism are more likely to have co-occurring parkinsonism than adults without autism or intellectual disability, according to a new study led by George Washington University researchers in the Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences.

The study also found that adults with both autism and intellectual disabilities had the highest rates of parkinsonism among the groups examined.

Parkinsonism is a general clinical syndrome that covers any condition that causes the motor symptoms associated with Parkinson's disease.

The research team, including Greg Wallace, a speech professor at GW's Columbian College of Arts and Sciences and lead author on the study, analyzed health care data from nearly 57 million people ages 45 and older to examine the prevalence and incidence of parkinsonism among adults with autism, intellectual disabilities or both.

The researchers found that 3.83% of adults with autism, 4.32% of adults with intellectual disabilities and 4.86% of adults with both autism and intellectual disabilities had co-occurring parkinsonism, compared with 1.57% of adults in the control group.

The elevated rates remained even after researchers excluded people prescribed medications linked to drug-induced parkinsonism, including antipsychotic medications. Although medication use appeared to contribute to the higher rates, adults with autism, intellectual disability or both continued to have elevated rates compared with the control group.

"Utilizing the largest sources of health care for middle- and older-aged Americans, this study demonstrates an increased propensity for autistic adults to experience parkinsonism, joining a growing body of research," Wallace said.

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