Multiple developmental disabilities among American children: prevalence and secular trends 2016-2022

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Health
• Developmental Psychology
• Public Health Surveillance

Background:

• Multiple developmental disabilities affect a significant portion of children.
• Understanding trends and associated characteristics is crucial for effective interventions.
• The COVID-19 pandemic may have impacted the prevalence and characteristics of these disabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To estimate the prevalence of multiple developmental disabilities in US children (2016-2022).
• To identify characteristics associated with multiple developmental disabilities.
• To examine trends in prevalence, especially concerning the COVID-19 pandemic.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study using National Survey of Children's Health data (2016-2022).
• Defined multiple developmental disabilities as two or more concurrent conditions from 12 common disabilities.
• Analyzed trends using log-linear regression and pandemic impact using multivariate log-binominal regression.

Main Results:

• Overall prevalence of multiple developmental disabilities was 10.6% among 239,534 children.
• Prevalence increased from 9.8% (2016) to 11.5% (2022), with higher rates during the pandemic (11.2% vs 10.1%).
• Higher prevalence observed in boys, non-Hispanic Black children, and those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.

Conclusions:

• Multiple developmental disabilities disproportionately affect socio-disadvantaged children, requiring targeted health strategies.
• The increasing trend, especially during the pandemic, necessitates continued monitoring.
• Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder with behavioral problems was the most common co-occurring disability phenotype.