Prevalence and Characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorder Among Spanish School-Age Children.
Active school screening puts Spanish ASD prevalence at the global 1 % mark, doubling the old registry count.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team counted how many Spanish school kids have autism. They looked at both preschool and elementary ages.
They used two steps: screen kids at school, then confirm with clinicians. This catches cases that official records miss.
What they found
About 1 in every 100 school-age children met criteria for ASD. Preschoolers showed a slightly higher rate.
Boys outnumbered girls four to one. Most children had mild or moderate symptoms, not severe.
How this fits with other research
Morales Hidalgo et al. (2021) repeated the count three years later in one province and got 1.53 %. The upward tick shows earlier Spanish numbers were still too low.
Davidovitch et al. (2013) in Israel and van Bakel et al. (2015) in France used only service records. Their figures were roughly half of what Spain found by active screening, proving registries under-count.
Pillay et al. (2021) in South Africa found only 0.08 % in schools. The huge gap warns that access and awareness, not true prevalence, drive the numbers you see on the ground.
Why it matters
If you plan services, budget for at least 1 % of the school roll having ASD. Do not rely on registry lists; they miss half the kids. Push for school-wide screening and train staff to recognize mild symptoms. Early, accurate counts mean earlier support and better long-term outcomes.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The present study aims to assess the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in preschool and school-age children following a two-phase procedure. The screening phase was performed on a sample of 5555 children taking into account parent and teacher information. The individual assessment included the ADI-R, ADOS-2 and Wechsler scales. The estimated prevalence was 1.55% in preschoolers and 1.00% in school-age children. Between 1.84 and 2.59% of the children exhibited subclinical diagnosis. The male-to-female ratio was around 4:1. Most of the children exhibited mild and moderate nuclear symptoms, and the girls showed less severe communication problems. Previous diagnosis was found in 62-71% of the children. Prevalence estimates are close to the 1% international ratings and much higher than previous national reports suggested.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2018 · doi:10.1007/s10803-018-3581-2