Is Autism A Mental Health Disorder or Disability?

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Mental health disorder or disability? Defining autism, co-occurring mental health conditions, accurate diagnosis, and top treatments.

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Is Autism a Mental Health Disorder or a Disability?

Do you or your child have sensory sensitivities or a strong aversion to change? Has your child experienced speech delays or significant language challenges? Does your loved one struggle to read facial expressions or understand nonverbal social cues?

Autism has many faces. These are just a few of the signs associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Even as awareness continues to grow, confusion remains about how autism should be classified. Is it a mental health disorder, a developmental disability, or something else entirely?

Adding to the complexity, autism often overlaps with other brain-based conditions, including anxiety, obsessive-compulsive traits, and mood symptoms. Because of this overlap, ASD may go undiagnosed or be misdiagnosed. At the same time, co-occurring conditions can be overlooked and left untreated.

With decades of experience working with individuals on the autism spectrum, Amen Clinics has built one of the world’s largest databases of brain SPECT imaging scans. This research helps bring greater clarity to a condition that is frequently misunderstood.

In this blog, you’ll learn how to separate fact from fiction about ASD, including its symptoms, underlying brain patterns, and evidence-based treatment options.

Even as awareness continues to grow, confusion remains about how autism should be classified. Is it a mental health disorder, a developmental disability, or something else entirely?

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What Is Autism?

Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition, classified in The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR) under neurodevelopmental disorders, not mental health disorders.

Autistic brains are developed differently. They are neurodivergent. Neurodivergence is the general term for brains that function, process, and learn information differently from what is considered typical (neurotypical).

Autism affects communication, sensory processing (such as visual processing), and flexibility of thinking. It is characterized by deficiencies in social and communication skills, repetitive behaviors, and limited interests.

 

Many, but not all, cases of autism include developmental disabilities, such as intellectual and language impairments. Autism symptoms can range from mild to severe.

 

However, ASD affects each person differently. One person may struggle with eye contact, another with sensory overload, another with changes in routine. Core symptoms of autism include:

  • Deficits in nonverbal communication, such as understanding social cues and reading facial expressions
  • Difficulty with reciprocal communication or ability to initiate communication
  • Repetitive movements, such as rocking or hand flapping
  • Rigid adherence to routines and habits
  • Repetitive use of objects, such as always lining up toys or turning things upside down
  • Behavioral symptoms
  • Difficulty learning new skills
  • Aversion to change
  • Sensory sensitivities
  • Having an intense focus on certain things
  • Echolalia (repeating words or sentences others say)
  • Speech delays or significantly impaired language skills
  • Poor eye contact
  • Deficits with social skills
  • Sleep disorders
  • Narrow food preferences
  • Intellectual disability
  • Self-injurious behavior, such as repetitive head-banging, scratching, or biting
  • Social isolation, particularly for older people with ASD who live alone

The signs of autism spectrum disorder typically appear by childhood (age 2 or 3). In cases of more severe developmental delays, autism symptoms may become evident earlier, before age 1.

Due to rising awareness only in recent years, many people with ASD have not received a diagnosis until adulthood. Many others remain undiagnosed. In fact, a 2022 study estimated that 1 in 45 U.S. adults from ages 18 to 84 are now living with ASD. 

Related: What Is Life Like for Adults With Autism?

When children with autism spectrum disorder are untreated, misdiagnosed, or have a delayed diagnosis, they are at greater risk for other medical conditions and mental disorders. These include:

  • Other developmental disabilities and related problems
  • More severe symptoms
  • Immune disorders (including allergies and asthma)
  • Diabetes
  • Heart disease
  • Motor disorders
  • Cancer
  • Obesity
  • Schizophrenia
  • Suicidal thoughts and behavior

Is Autism a Mental Health Disorder? The Simple, Evidence-Based Answer

Autism is not a mental health disorder. Mental health disorders involve changes in mood, thought patterns, or behavior. Autism relates to development, neural wiring, sensory processing, and communication differences.

However, many autistic individuals do experience mental health conditions. But those conditions are separate, not inherent to autism.

Research published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry found that nearly 78 percent of children with ASD had at least one mental health condition. Nearly half of them had two or more. The most common co-occurring conditions were behavior/conduct problems, anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and depression.

People with ASD may also experience additional medical issues, including epilepsy, gastrointestinal problems, and sleep disturbances.

Is Autism Considered a Disability? Why the Answer Depends on Support Needs

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), ASD is recognized as a neurological developmental disability that affects communication, behavior, and social interaction. 

That said, having a disability does not mean that a person is “incapable.” This term refers to needing specific support in certain environments.

Thus, not every individual with ASD automatically qualifies for disability benefits or formal legal accommodations. Even with the ADA recognition, benefits and accommodations depend on demonstrating significant functional limitations that hinder daily living, work, or school, rather than just an ASD diagnosis. Therefore, some autistic individuals qualify for disability accommodations; others do not.

In the past, those with autism requiring less support were often given labels such as “high functioning,” but these labels are increasingly considered misleading or outdated. Instead, individuals with autism can be considered as having different support needs. These supports include sensory accommodations, structured routines, or tools to aid in their communication.

The National Institute of Mental Health notes that autism is called a spectrum disorder because individuals can present a “range of characteristics, needs, strengths, and challenges.”

Furthermore, autism may change over time, making it important to monitor symptoms and make adjustments as needs change. The DSM-5-TR classifies autism spectrum disorder based on the amount of support an individual needs rather than their ability to function. The three levels are: 

  • Level 1 (Requiring Support)
  • Level 2 (Requiring Substantial Support)
  • Level 3 (Requiring Very Substantial Support)

Why Is Autism Often Confused With Mental Health Disorders?

Because autism can overlap with a variety of mental health disorders, there has been confusion among the general public about this neurodevelopmental condition. However, autism and mental health disorders should be considered distinct issues.

For example, anxiety and depression are common in autistic individuals. Autism’s OCD-like patterns (such as rigidity and repetitive thinking) may mimic mental health symptoms. And emotional burnout or overwhelm can resemble symptoms found in mood disorders.

Furthermore, misdiagnosis or late diagnosis in adults can blur the categories of conditions within a single individual. Tools like SPECT brain scans help determine the underlying brain patterns behind symptoms and behavior to rule out or confirm co-occurring disorders.

Brain SPECT imaging also helps to show clinicians and patients alike that conditions such as autism, like mental health disorders, are not moral failings or weaknesses. They are simply a result of a brain that develops and functions differently.

How Can Autism and Mental Health Influence Behavior? Clear, Human Examples

There are some ways in which autism and mental health can affect behavior. While serving clients with autism over decades, Amen Clinics has seen a wide variety of symptoms and severity levels that can influence behavior. Here are some examples:

  1. Sensory Overload Leading to Withdrawal

An autistic person might leave a loud room abruptly, not due to anxiety, but due to sensory discomfort. Research has found that sensory processing issues are very common in ASD. In one study, 94.4 percent of participants with autism reported extreme levels of sensory processing abnormalities.

  1. Anxiety Masking as “Shutdown”

When stressed, a person with autism might speak less or avoid eye contact, because these actions can contribute to sensory overwhelm, research indicates. Experts believe this is due to the increased cortical excitability of the autistic brain, which can increase cognitive load during sensory processing. 

  1. Mental Exhaustion Leading to Rigid Behavior

Among those with autism, cognitive overload can make transitions more difficult, which influences behavior. They may make repetitive movements, stick to rigid routines and habits, or make repetitive use of objects. These are not acts of defiance, but coping mechanisms.

  1. Emotional Health and Self-Regulation

Feeling anxiety or sadness, which are separate from but often co-occur with autism, can influence the individual’s response to social situations. Those with autism may then shut down and withdraw from conversations or seek isolation to recover.

What Does Amen Clinics’ Brain Imaging Show About Autism?

At Amen Clinics, SPECT brain imaging has shown that clients with autism have unique activity patterns in the brain. But autism doesn’t point to only one brain difference. There are eight to ten suspected factors that can influence abnormal brain function leading to this developmental disorder.

Amen Clinics has worked with more than 1,000 children and adults with autism. SPECT imaging studies of these patients reveal that their brain patterns tend to have areas of high activity, low activity, or areas of both in some cases.

Because brain patterns in autism spectrum disorder can vary, looking at the brain with imaging tools is crucial to create the most effective autism treatment plan. These tools can also help monitor the effectiveness of treatment over time.

In ASD, abnormal activity is often seen in the cerebellum, anterior cingulate gyrus (ACG), amygdala, and the temporal, frontal, and parietal lobes. There is frequently increased activity in the ACG, the brain’s “gear shifter,” which explains symptoms of rigid, obsessive behavior.

Meanwhile, there is often decreased activity in the temporal lobes (associated with language and deficits in social interactions), and in the cerebellum, which assists in learning and physical coordination. 

Increased activity in the anterior cingulate gyrus and lateral prefrontal cortex is linked to symptoms such as:

  • Repetitious speech and behavior
  • Getting stuck on thoughts and routines
  • Reduced ability to cope with transitions and change

An overall increase of activity throughout the brain, which may be associated with inflammation, can contribute to symptoms of:

  • Mood instability
  • Emotional meltdowns
  • Anxiety

 

On the other hand, low activity patterns are also observed in ASD. For example, a smaller, less active cerebellum is associated with:

 

  • Impeded or poor motor skills
  • Problems with learning and thought coordination

Overall decreased activity on the surface of the brain, as well as in the parietal and temporal lobes, contributes to:

  • Difficulty with communication skills
  • Learning deficits
  • Problems with social skills
  • Sensory processing issues
  • Problems with abstract thinking
  • Deficits with language skills

The patterns associated with anxiety, ADHD, OCD traits, or sensory processing differences may also appear on scans. Brain imaging helps differentiate autism from co-occurring mental health conditions and supports targeted, personalized care.

Related: Autism vs ADHD: Know the Differences

How Can Mental Health Conditions Co-occur With Autism?

As mentioned earlier, there are a number of co-occurring mental health conditions with autism, including:

  • Anxiety
  • OCD features
  • Depression
  • ADHD
  • Sleep challenges

More than three-quarters of individuals with autism have a co-occurring condition. But these conditions affect behavior independently of autism and may require their own specific treatment. Determining the presence of co-occurring conditions helps create a comprehensive treatment plan for optimal results.

Support, Treatment, and Intervention: What Actually Helps Autism?

While there is no cure for autism spectrum disorder, numerous treatments can help reduce its negative impacts on everyday tasks, relationships, and responsibilities. Effective treatment options can include:

  • Strength-based approaches to maximize innate skills
  • Environmental changes
  • Sensory support or sensory integration therapy
  • Behavioral strategies or modifications
  • Emotional regulation tools
  • Nutritional or lifestyle adjustments (certain foods can worsen autism symptoms)
  • Therapy suited for autistic individuals
  • Medication (only when appropriate) and/or supplement management
  • Techniques to improve social communication and social interactions
  • Educational interventions
  • Life skills training
  • Speech therapy
  • Physical therapy
  • Complementary and alternative treatments

At Amen Clinics, patients have shown remarkable progress after understanding both their autism and co-occurring mental health patterns. Many, especially parents seeking help for their children, have struggled with traditional medical routes and felt frustrated with a lack of effective help. But with an individual, customized approach, they can experience significant improvements.

The most effective treatment options for each patient vary widely. But the proper combination can be life changing for individuals with autism. When autism is left untreated, an individual is at higher risk for additional physical and mental health issues.

When Should You Seek Professional Evaluation for Autism?

If you or your loved one is experiencing any of the following, seek a professional evaluation:

  • Difficulty with daily tasks due to anxiety or sensory overwhelm
  • Emotional burnout
  • Persistent mood symptoms
  • Trouble focusing or sleeping
  • Struggles in relationships or social environments

And, if you’re uncertain whether symptoms relate to autism or a mental health condition, it’s also a good idea to ask for help.

Remember that reaching out is a positive, proactive step, not a sign of failure or weakness. We now know that autism and mental health conditions are brain health issues, and there is hope for treatment and improvement.

Autism Isn’t a Mental Health Disorder, but Support Still Matters

Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition, not a mental health disorder. It may be considered a disability, depending on support needs, but not always. Having a disability never means and individual is “incapable,” just differently wired.

Because mental health conditions commonly co-occur with autism, it’s even more important to get attention and seek professional help. Treatment is particularly important when ASD symptoms interfere with daily life tasks and relationships.

Fortunately, brain-based evaluations offer clarity, direction, and hope thanks to their assistance in accurate diagnosis, treatment, and ongoing assessment. Look for customized, holistic, and brain-based care for autism and any co-occurring conditions for the best results.

Autism spectrum disorder and other mental health conditions can’t wait. At Amen Clinics, we provide personalized, science-backed treatment plans designed to target the root causes of your symptoms. Our 360-approach includes brain SPECT imaging, clinical evaluations, innovative therapeutic techniques, medications (when necessary), and holistic lifestyle recommendations to promote the health of your brain, body, and mind. Speak to a specialist today at 888-288-9834 or visit our contact page here.

FAQ About Autism

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition, not a mental health disorder. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), ASD is recognized as a neurological developmental disability that affects communication, behavior, and social interaction. As a spectrum disorder, ASD may be considered a disability, but it isn’t always when it comes to benefits and accommodations. The determination of disability depends on symptoms’ severity and the individual’s support needs.

Individuals with autism have a wide range of symptoms and severity of symptoms. But some common behavioral indicators include sensory overload (which can lead to shutdown or social withdrawal), difficulty with communication, and rigid thinking or behaviors.

Receiving a SPECT brain scan at Amen Clinics is a helpful first step toward accurate diagnosis and treatment of autism as well as any co-occurring conditions. Treatment options can include life skills training, dietary changes, behavior modifications, sensory supports, emotional regulation tools, and more.

Amen Clinics

Founded in 1989 by double-board certified psychiatrist and neuroscientist Daniel G. Amen, MD, Amen Clinics Inc. (ACI) is known as the best brain and mental health company in the world. Our clinical staff includes over 50 healthcare specialists, including adult and child psychiatrists, integrative (functional) medicine physicians, naturopaths, addiction specialists, forensic psychiatrists, geriatric psychiatrists, nutritionists, licensed therapists, and more. Our clinicians have all been hand-selected and personally trained by Dr. Amen, whose mission is to end mental illness by creating a revolution in brain health. Over the last 35-plus years, ACI has built the world’s largest database of functional brain scans—over 250,000 SPECT scans on patients from 155 countries—related to how people think, feel, and behave.
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  2. Autism Research Institute. Autism and Co-Occurring Conditions in Children. https://autism.org/autism-mental-health/
  3. National institute of Mental Health, Autism Spectrum Disorder. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/autism-spectrum-disorder#part_11021
  4. Boldsen S (2022) Autism and the Sensory Disruption of Social Experience. Front. Psychol. 13:874268. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.874268
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  6. Reframing Autism, Understanding Autistic Differences in Eye Contact. 18 Sep 2025. https://reframingautism.org.au/understanding-autistic-differences-in-eye-contact/

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