Dr. Volkmar describes if autism is a fatal diagnosis.
Dr. Volkmar:
Interestingly, there are some, there’s at least one published study looking at causes of death in autism. The most common cause of death is accident and the most, in my experience that’s absolutely true. The children with autism are at increased risk when they run away, when they run in front of trains, when they get away from their parents and drown in pools. So it’s accidents, interestingly, that’s the leading cause of death in autism.
About Dr. Volkmar, M.D.:
Fred Volkmar, M.D. is the director of the Yale University Child Study Center and Irving B. Harris Professor of Child Psychiatry, Pediatrics and Psychology at Yale University, where he heads the university's autism research and autism clinic. He is also Chief of Child Psychiatry at Yale-New Haven Hospital. His research focuses on understanding the fundamental nature of autism and developing better guidelines to diagnose autism and related conditions.
Visit Dr. Volkmar at Yale University School of Medicine