People with severe disabilities have a higher prevalence of many health conditions when compared with the general population. Examples include gastrointestinal conditions, chronic allergies, epilepsy, and sleep dysregulation, among many other health concerns. Of particular interest in the treatment of challenging behavior is the comorbidity of health conditions and behavioral challenges. Evidence suggests that not only do people with severe disabilities have higher rates of health conditions, but people with severe disabilities and challenging behavior have even higher rates of health concerns. This article reviews the existing evidence linking health conditions and challenging behavior, discusses health disparities in diagnosis and treatment of these comorbidities, and suggests future avenues for discovery and intervention.

与普通人群相比，重度残疾人在许多健康状况中的患病率更高。例子包括胃肠道疾病，慢性过敏，癫痫病和睡眠失调，以及许多其他健康问题。在治疗具有挑战性的行为时，特别令人感兴趣的是健康状况和行为挑战的合并症。有证据表明，不仅重度残疾人的健康状况更高，而且重度残疾人和具有挑战性的行为的人们对健康的担忧甚至更高。本文回顾了将健康状况与行为挑战联系在一起的现有证据，讨论了在这些合并症的诊断和治疗中的健康差异，并提出了发现和干预的未来途径。