Correlates of age at diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders in six Canadian regions

Abstract

Introduction Early identification of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is important, since earlier exposure to behavioural intervention programs may result in better outcomes for the child. Moreover, it allows families timely access to other treatments and supports. Methods Using generalized linear modeling, we examined the association between child and family characteristics and the age at which 2180 children were diagnosed with ASD between 1997 and 2005 in six Canadian regions. Results A diagnosis of pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) or Asperger syndrome, rural residence, diagnosis in more recent years, and foreign birthplace were associated with a later age at diagnosis. Children who are visible minorities or who have siblings with ASD were more likely to be diagnosed earlier. Collectively, these factors explained little of the variation in age at diagnosis, however. Conclusion While it is encouraging that ethnocultural identity, neighbourhood income, urban or rural residence, and sex of the child were not major contributors to disparities in the age when children were identified with ASD, more work is needed to determine what does account for the differences observed. Regional variations in the impact of several factors suggest that aggregating data may not be an optimal strategy if the findings are meant to inform policy and clinical practice at the local level.

“Managing the Wait”: Parents’ Experiences in Accessing Diagnostic and Treatment Services for Children and Adolescents Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorder

“…Parents reported taking out multiple loans or would remortgage their homes in attempts to pay for out-of-pocket expenses deemed necessary in caring for a child with ASD. Similar financial concerns have been raised in other studies 17,18,27,47…”

“…23,25,26 However, other researchers found that neighborhood income did not affect the age of ASD diagnosis for children. 27…”

Children with autism spectrum disorders who do not develop phrase speech in the preschool years

“…In addition, the two cohorts in the Lord and Anderson studies did not include any children with a diagnosis of Asperger’s syndrome and our sample included only a few. Both children with Asperger’s syndrome who are commonly diagnosed at school age (Coo et al, 2012) as well as other children diagnosed with ASD at a later age are likely to be verbal. Thus, the total proportion of nonverbal/minimally verbal children with ASD is, in all probability, even smaller than found both in the current and in the Lord and Anderson studies if one were to assess a group representative of older school-age children with ASD.…”

Development and preliminary validation of a depressive symptomatology detection scale among children and adolescents on the autism spectrum

“…Second, the age of diagnosis is particularly late in our sample compared to high-income countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, or the United Kingdom. The mean age of diagnosis reported among these countries ranges between 50–60 months, whereas the mean of this study is 85 months (Baio et al, 2018; Bent et al, 2015; Coo et al, 2012; Petrou et al, 2018). These sample characteristics may be due to females being diagnosed later than males (Giarelli et al, 2010).…”