Risk Factors for Emergency Department Utilization Among Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Spot the high-risk teen with autism early and you can block the next ER trip.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Liu et al. (2019) looked at teens with autism who end up in the ER. They wanted to know which kids are most likely to come back.
The team checked records for things like sex, age, other mental-health labels, and past ER trips.
What they found
Girls, older teens, and kids with added anxiety or mood labels were the most likely to return to the ER.
A past ER visit was the strongest single warning sign.
How this fits with other research
Hamama et al. (2021) widened the lens to 14-25-year-olds and added cost data. They show the same group racks up the biggest bills across all clinics, not just the ER.
Reyer et al. (2006) gave the first national snapshot: kids with autism already cost seven times more than typical kids. Liu et al. (2019) now pinpoints which of those kids drive the ER part of that cost.
McLennan et al. (2008) and Joshi et al. (2018) mapped how different mental-health labels show up in autism. The ER study turns those labels into action: flag them before the next crisis visit.
Why it matters
If a teen with autism is female, older, has added psych diagnoses, or already visited the ER, build a care plan now. Call the ER social worker, schedule a psych follow-up, and teach coping skills before the next meltdown lands you back in triage.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This study reaffirms our previous work documenting a higher number of Emergency Department (ED) visits by adolescent females with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as compared to adolescent males with ASD, as well as significantly more ED visits by older adolescents than younger adolescents with ASD. Combined externalizing and internalizing psychiatric co-morbidities as well as internalizing conditions alone predict a higher number of ED visits in this study. Illness severity as demonstrated by patterns of visits to primary care physicians and psychiatric referrals prior to ED visits and the prescription of two or more classes of psychotropic medications also predict higher number of ED visits. Finally, as expected, previous ED visits predict future ED visits. The identification of these factors may prove helpful in determining adequacy of current supports and resources for teens with ASD navigating the challenges of adolescence.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2019 · doi:10.1007/s10803-019-04166-y