A Mixed Methods Exploration of Emergency Service Use Among Autistic Youth

Autistic youth are at increased risk for needing emergency services compared to their non-autistic peers. While research has begun to explore the nature of emergency service use in this group, researchers have not yet assessed important individual-, family-, and community-level factors that may be associated with these encounters. This study aimed to address this gap in the field via a mixed methods design by characterizing families of autistic children who have utilized emergency services, examining factors accounting for significant differences in service utilization, and exploring family experiences and satisfaction with emergency service encounters.

77 caregivers of autistic individuals who endorsed current child challenging behavior completed measures assessing child, family, and community variables. 38 caregivers had used emergency services in recent years; a subset of caregivers (n = 8) completed interviews about their experiences with emergency services.

Bivariate analyses and a multivariate analysis of variance were conducted with individual, family, and community variables to determine group differences for families with and without recent emergency service use. Child psychiatric co-occurring conditions (F(3, 70) = 17.40, p < .001, partial η² = 0.20) and child aggressive behavior (F(1, 72) = 11.22, p = .001, partial η² = 0.14) were significantly associated with emergency service use. In qualitative interviews, caregivers described a range of facilitators and barriers to emergency care.

These findings shed light on clinical characteristics that may be important for developing prevention efforts and indicate a significant need for broad reform at the intersection of emergency care and autism services.