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A Familiarization Protocol Facilitates the Participation of Children with ASD in Electrophysiological Research
Published on: July 31, 2017
Service and treatment use among children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders
Benjamin Zablotsky1, Beverly A Pringle, Lisa J Colpe
1*National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Hyattsville, MD; †Office for Research on Disparities and Global Mental Health, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD; ‡Division of Services and Intervention Research, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD; §Office of Epidemiology and Research, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Rockville, MD; ¶National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA.
Insights
Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disability (ID) receive more services, yet 30% of parents report unmet needs, especially for those with co-occurring psychiatric conditions. This highlights gaps in care for this vulnerable population.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric neurology
- Developmental psychology
- Health services research
Background:
- Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often have co-occurring conditions requiring comprehensive support.
- Intellectual disability (ID) is a common comorbidity in children with ASD, influencing their healthcare needs.
- Understanding treatment patterns and unmet needs is crucial for optimizing care for children with ASD and ID.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare treatment and service utilization in children with ASD with and without ID.
- To investigate the impact of co-occurring psychiatric conditions on service use.
- To assess parents' perceptions of unmet needs in current treatments for children with ASD and ID.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of a national sample of 2077 children diagnosed with ASD, ID, or both.
- Weighted multivariate logistic regressions to compare medication and service utilization across diagnostic groups.
- Subanalysis of children with co-occurring psychiatric conditions and examination of parental-reported unmet needs.
Main Results:
- Children with ASD and ID were more likely to receive medication and services than those with ASD or ID alone.
- Co-occurring psychiatric diagnoses increased medication use but not service use across all groups.
- Parents of children with ASD and a psychiatric diagnosis were more likely to report unmet needs.
Conclusions:
- Children with ASD and ID, particularly those with comorbid psychiatric conditions, are a high-need population utilizing extensive services.
- Despite high service utilization (98%), approximately 30% of parents report that their child's developmental needs remain unmet.
- Further research is needed to address the persistent treatment gaps for children with ASD and co-occurring conditions.
Objective:
Children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) require substantial support to address not only core ASD symptoms but also a range of co-occurring conditions. This study explores treatment and service use among children with ASD with and without intellectual disability (ID) and parents' perception of unmet needs from these treatments.
Methods:
Data were retrieved from a probability-based national sample of 2077 children diagnosed with ASD, ID, or both (ASD and ID). Weighted multivariate logistic regressions examined differences between diagnostic groups for current medication and service utilization with a subanalysis exploring differences among those with co-occurring psychiatric conditions. Additional modeling examined parents' perception of unmet needs.
Results:
Children diagnosed with ASD and ID were significantly more likely to be receiving current medication and services when compared with children with ID only or ASD only. Children with a co-occurring psychiatric diagnosis, from all 3 diagnostic groups, were more likely to be receiving a current medication, but not more likely to be receiving a current service when compared with children without a co-occurring psychiatric diagnosis. Children with ASD and a co-occurring psychiatric diagnosis were significantly more likely to have parents who reported unmet needs when compared with parents of children with ASD without a co-occurring psychiatric diagnosis.
Conclusions:
Children diagnosed with ASD and ID, especially those with a comorbid psychiatric condition, represent a vulnerable population with substantial rates of current service (98%) and medication (67%) usage, but despite these high rates, approximately 30% of parents report that their child's developmental needs are still not being met by their current treatment and services.
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