Neurodivergence and Health Conditions
The literature increasingly supports seeing these systems as potentially interconnected, while not supporting the claim that every neurodivergent person has a hidden connective-tissue, immune or autonomic disorder. [pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov], [frontiersin.org]
This is one of the stronger emerging findings.
A 2022 study of 109 adults with formally diagnosed neurodevelopmental conditions, including autism and ADHD, found generalized joint hypermobility in 51%, compared with about 20% in the general-population reference sample. Using stricter age-adjusted criteria, 28.4% of the neurodivergent group versus 12.5% of controls were hypermobile. Neurodivergent participants also reported substantially more orthostatic intolerance and musculoskeletal pain, and the degree of hypermobility statistically mediated some of the relationship between neurodivergence and dysautonomia/pain. [frontiersin.org], [pubmed.ncb...lm.nih.gov]
That does not mean half of people with ADHD or autism have Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. Generalized joint hypermobility is much broader than hEDS/HSD. But it does suggest the connective-tissue phenotype is enriched in neurodivergent populations.
There is also a growing literature specifically examining ASD and EDS/HSD. A review described co-occurrence within individuals and families and highlighted overlapping features involving autonomic regulation, immune regulation, peripheral nerves, proprioception, motor function and pain. The authors emphasize that this remains an evolving field rather than an established single causal mechanism. [pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov], [pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
This is particularly interesting when you think about clients you've probably encountered who have 
ADHD/ASD
"double-jointedness"
frequent sprains/injuries
chronic unexplained pain
poor proprioception/clumsiness
migraines
fatigue
dizziness
GI complaints
temperature intolerance
Historically, those often wind up distributed among completely different specialists.
2. POTS/dysautonomia and Hypermobility
There's a plausible bridge between hypermobility and autonomic symptoms.
Connective tissue contributes to the structural integrity of blood vessels. In some people with significant hypermobility/connective-tissue disorders, excessive venous pooling can contribute to orthostatic intolerance. Dysautonomia then affects systems well beyond heart rate, including GI motility, sweating, temperature regulation and fatigue.
The neurodivergence/hypermobility study is especially useful here because the neurodivergent participants had substantially greater orthostatic-intolerance 
So there is a potentially important clinical distinction:
"I get overwhelmed, brain-fogged and exhausted when I'm out in public" may not always be entirely anxiety, ADHD or autistic sensory overload.
Sometimes physiology could be contributing.
For example, someone describing tachycardia, dizziness, nausea, weakness, visual dimming or near-fainting after standing, heat intolerance, symptoms after showers, or dramatic worsening with prolonged standing deserves medical assessment rather than having those symptoms automatically psychologized.
3. GI disorders and autism
GI problems are extremely common in autistic populations, although estimates vary substantially depending on what counts as a GI disorder.
Reported problems include:
constipation
diarrhea
abdominal pain
reflux
nausea
bloating
food selectivity
altered bowel habits
functional GI disorders/disorders of gut-brain interaction
Research also finds microbiome differences between autistic and non-autistic groups, but this is where I would put on the brakes regarding some of the claims circulating online.
A large meta-analysis of microbiome datasets showed that apparently "autism-associated" bacterial differences changed substantially after investigators controlled for age, sex and bowel dysfunction. In other words, we don't yet have evidence for a singular "autistic gut microbiome." [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov], [pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
That is an important distinction because the internet sometimes jumps from:
autistic people have more GI problems
to
gut dysbiosis causes autism.
The first is well supported. The second is not established.
GAPS and Mental Health Gut and Psychology Syndrome
The ADHD association appears real too, although it has received less attention historically.
Potential contributors are numerous and don't require a single biological explanation:
autonomic regulation + inflammation/allergy + connective tissue + medication effects + restricted/irregular eating + interoception differences + sleep disruption + stress physiology
could all contribute in different individuals. So "ADHD gut problems" probably won't turn out to be one disorder.
Autoimmune and allergic conditions have been associated epidemiologically with both ASD and ADHD, including associations involving affected children and first-degree family members. A large population-based study using Taiwan's maternal/child health database found associations between childhood/familial allergic and autoimmune conditions and ASD/ADHD. [pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Researchers have proposed several possibilities, including shared genetics, prenatal immune effects, inflammatory signaling and environmental influences. Maternal autoimmune disease has also been studied in relation to subsequent neurodevelopmental outcomes, though these associations do not establish a simple immune cause of autism or ADHD. [jamanetwork.com], [pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Interestingly, more recent genetic causal-inference work complicates the picture. A 2025 Mendelian-randomization study investigating eight autoimmune disorders found genetic evidence supporting an ADHD association with psoriasis, but did not find comparable evidence for lupus, Crohn disease, ulcerative colitis, type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis or multiple sclerosis. [pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
That is a good illustration of:
epidemiologic association ≠ demonstrated biological causation.
6. Allergies, asthma, eczema and mast cells
There are replicated associations between ADHD and allergic diseases such as asthma, allergic rhinitis and eczema. [pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov], [link.springer.com]
You'll also encounter a lot of discussion about the proposed:
hEDS/HSD + POTS + MCAS triad
There certainly are patients who carry all three diagnoses, and mast-cell activation is biologically interesting as a possible connection between immune function, vascular regulation and connective tissue symptoms. However, the evidence for a single unified MCAS-POTS-hEDS syndrome is considerably less settled than social media makes it appear
A 2025 conference review described hypermobility, immune dysfunction and dysautonomia as an emerging cluster in ADHD, but explicitly characterized the relevant research base as small and growing. [cambridge.org]
So I'd call MCAS a promising hypothesis/clinical association requiring careful medical diagnosis, not yet an explanation for neurodivergence.
There is considerable phenotypic overlap between medical dysregulation and what we identify psychologically as executive dysfunction.
Someone can have genuine ADHD and have additional medically driven cognitive impairment.
For example:
ADHD baseline executive dysfunction + poor sleep + POTS-related cerebral hypoperfusion/orthostatic symptoms + chronic pain = dramatically worse apparent "ADHD."
Body Mind Spirit Success
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Jane Leu Rekas, LCSW
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