Timing of Identification Among Children With an Autism Spectrum Disorder: Findings From a Population-Based Surveillance Study

Abstract

Objective At what age are children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) identified by community providers? What factors influence the timing of when children are identified with ASDs? This study examined the timing of when children with ASDs are identified. Method Data came from 13 sites participating in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2002 multisite, ongoing autism surveillance program, the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network. Survival analysis was used to examine factors that influence the timing of community-based identification and diagnosis. Result Data from health and education records reveal that the median age of identification was 5.7 years (SE 0.08). Parametric survival models revealed that several factors were associated with a younger age of identification: being male, having IQ ≤ 70, and having experienced developmental regression. Significant differences in the age of identification among the 13 sites were also discovered. Conclusions The large gap between the age at which children can be identified and when they actually are identified suggests a critical need for further research, innovation, and improvement in this area of clinical practice.

Impact of training in autism for primary care providers: a pilot study

“…7 However, late identification of ASD is a wellknown problem, even in developed countries. 8 A recent review article including data from 42 studies (from 1990 to 2012) showed that the mean age of ASD diagnosis ranged from 38 to 120 months. 9 In Brazil, data on the age at ASD diagnosis and on the ability of primary care providers to detect ASD are practically nonexistent.…”

Imitation Assessment and Its Utility to the Diagnosis of Autism: Evidence from Consecutive Clinical Preschool Referrals for Suspected Autism

“…There is growing evidence that diagnosis of autism by age 3, and even by age 2, is stable over time (Chawarska et al 2007;Kleinman et al 2008). However, the median age of identification is 5.7 years (Shattuck et al 2009). In a cohort of children younger than 12 years of age in Flanders, the Dutch-speaking region of Belgium, the average age of autism diagnosis was 5.9 years (Roeyers 2008).…”

Changes in the frequency and characteristics of children diagnosed with autistic disorder in two Norwegian cohorts: 1992 and 2009

“…This has also been noted in other studies (14,17), and it may be due to the fact that young children with delayed developmental milestones are more likely to be referred to specialist pediatric services with greater expertise in recognizing and diagnosing AD at an earlier age.…”

“…AD can reliably be diagnosed by experienced clinicians in children 3 years old or younger (14). However, the average age at AD diagnosis varies across studies from 3.1 years (15) to 4.8 years (16) to 5.2 years (17) in accordance with sample characteristics and ascertainment methods (18,19).…”