The link between hypermobility, EDS, & Autism: Why they co-occur so often

Added: 2026-05-16

[00:00:00]So, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, or EDS, is a group of hereditary conditions that affect connective tissue. And the most common form is hypermobile EDS, which causes joints that bend too far, chronic pain, fatigue, and a nervous system that struggles to feel stable. And it turns out that autistic people have it at a high rate. So, a 2025 review of over 20 studies found that nearly four in 10 autistic people meet the diagnostic criteria for EDS or a related hypermobility disorder. Now, people with EDS are four times more likely to have autism compared to the general population. So, what's connecting them?

[00:00:40]Well, researchers think collagen itself may be part of the answer. So, collagen isn't just in your joints, it's also involved in how neurons migrate during brain development, how synapses form, and how neurotransmitters are released.

[00:00:56]So, a destruction in collagen production could affect both body and brain in ways that are only now being discovered. Then there's proprioception, so your body's a sense of where it is in space. And in hypermobile people, the receptors in joints that send back weak or unreliable signals to the brain. This means that your brain is constantly working with faulty information about where your limbs are. And that same proprioceptive processing difference also shows up in autism. And it may be one reason why both groups often seek deep pressure, so heavy blankets or physical input. Basically, we're trying to feel grounded in a body that isn't giving us clear feedback. And then there's also a genetic thread, so the same genes involved in collagen and connective tissue development appear to be active in brain development. also suggests that part of this might be hereditary. Many people with both conditions spend years chasing two separate diagnoses, seeing rheumatologists for their joints and psychologists for their neurology, but they're never told that the two may be linked.