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Trends in special education code assignment for autism: implications for prevalence estimates

Hélène Ouellette-Kuntz1, Helen Coo, Jennifer E V Lloyd

  • 1Queen's University, c/o Ongwanada Resource Centre, 191 Portsmouth Avenue, Kingston, Ontario, Canada K7M 8A6. oullette@post.queensu.ca

Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
|January 12, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Autism spectrum disorder prevalence increased significantly, driven by earlier identification and previously undetected cases, especially in girls. These factors are crucial for accurate autism prevalence estimates.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Epidemiology
  • Pediatrics

Background:

  • Observed increases in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) prevalence are debated.
  • Understanding trends requires analyzing identification patterns.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine autism prevalence trends in British Columbia from 1996-2004.
  • To investigate the impact of earlier identification and previously undetected cases on prevalence estimates.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of British Columbia education database coding for children with autism.
  • Calculation of prevalence assuming early onset (prior to age 3).

Main Results:

  • A significant linear increase in autism prevalence was observed.
  • Earlier identification by age 6 increased significantly from 1996-1999.
  • Previously unidentified cases, particularly in girls (1996-1997), substantially increased estimated prevalence.
  • Under-identification decreased from 1996-2000, then slightly rose in 2001.

Conclusions:

  • Autism prevalence trends are influenced by earlier age at identification.
  • Inclusion of previously undetected cases significantly impacts prevalence estimates.
  • Accurate prevalence analyses must account for these identification effects.

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