1. Age Differences in Emergency Department Visits and Inpatient Hospitalizations in Preadolescent and Adolescent Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders.
- Author
-
Schlenz, Alyssa, Carpenter, Laura, Bradley, Catherine, Charles, Jane, and Boan, Andrea
- Subjects
- *
ACCIDENTS , *AGE distribution , *AUTISM in children , *BLACK people , *COMPARATIVE studies , *CONFIDENCE intervals , *HOSPITAL care , *HOSPITAL emergency services , *LONGITUDINAL method , *MEDICAL care , *NOSOLOGY , *RESEARCH funding , *WHITE people , *WOUNDS & injuries , *LOGISTIC regression analysis , *STATISTICAL significance , *PSYCHIATRIC treatment , *AUTISM in adolescence , *CROSS-sectional method , *DATA analysis software , *ADOLESCENCE , *CHILDREN - Abstract
This paper evaluated age differences in emergency department care and inpatient hospitalizations in 252 preadolescent and adolescent youth with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs; ages 9-18). Records from youth with ASDs were linked to acute care utilization records and were compared to a demographically similar comparison group of youth without ASDs ( N = 1260). A particular focus was placed on utilization for psychiatric concerns and injuries or accidents. Results suggested that psychiatric care was more likely for youth with ASDs in both the preadolescent and adolescent cohorts versus comparison youth, with no significant differences between age cohorts. In contrast, results for the accident and injury categories suggested age-specific findings. Results suggest opportunities for prevention efforts for youth with ASDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2015
- Full Text
- View/download PDF