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Timing of identification among children with an autism spectrum disorder: findings from a population-based

Paul T Shattuck1, Maureen Durkin1, Matthew Maenner1

  • 1Dr. Shattuck is with the Brown School of Social Work, Washington University in St. Louis; Dr. Durkin and Mr. Maenner are with the Department of Population Health Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Dr. Newschaffer is with the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Drexel University; Dr. Mandell is with the Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine; Drs. Giarelli and Pinto-Martin are with the School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania; Ms. Wiggins, Dr. Rice, and Mr. Baio are with the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Dr. Kirby is with the Department of Community and Family Health, University of South Florida; Dr. Lee is with the Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Cuniff is with the University of Arizona College of Medicine.

Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
|March 26, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are typically identified around 5.7 years old. Factors like being male, lower IQ, and developmental regression influence earlier autism identification.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Pediatrics
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
  • Public Health Surveillance

Background:

  • Early identification of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is crucial for timely intervention.
  • Understanding factors influencing identification age is key to improving clinical practice.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the median age of community-based identification for children with ASD.
  • To identify factors associated with the timing of ASD identification.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from the CDC's Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network (2002).
  • Employed survival analysis to examine predictors of identification timing.
  • Analyzed health and education records from 13 surveillance sites.

Main Results:

  • The median age of ASD identification was 5.7 years.
  • Male gender, IQ ≤ 70, and developmental regression were linked to earlier identification.
  • Significant site-to-site variations in identification age were observed.

Conclusions:

  • A substantial delay exists between potential and actual ASD identification ages.
  • There is a critical need for improved clinical practices and further research in ASD identification.
  • Innovations are required to reduce the gap in early autism diagnosis.
Abstract

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