Referral, Assessment and Use of Screening Measures Related to Autism Spectrum Disorder at a Tertiary Hospital Setting

Area of Science:

• Developmental Pediatrics
• Child Psychology
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Children with developmental concerns in Australia experience significant healthcare and service delays.
• Inequities persist even when diagnostic risk for conditions like autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is identified.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore service and demographic factors influencing the pathway to ASD assessment.
• To evaluate the utility of screening measures used during triage for suspected ASD.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of observational pathway data from a centralized intake trial for young children with suspected ASD.
• Bivariate and regression analyses were employed to examine the data.

Main Results:

• The study included 159 children with a mean age of 3.6 years; 64% received an ASD diagnosis.
• Service allocation was significantly associated with ASD diagnosis.
• Screening tool results at triage did not show a significant association with diagnosis.

Conclusions:

• Current pathways to ASD assessment in Australia are inefficient, leading to prolonged waiting times.
• Service allocation, rather than initial screening, appears more critical in the diagnostic process.
• Improvements in healthcare pathways are essential to ensure timely, needs-based services for children with developmental concerns.