Characteristics of children with autistic spectrum disorders served in comprehensive community-based mental health settings.
Community mental health clinics see kids with autism for disruptive and odd social behaviors, not the drug or truancy issues typical of other child referrals.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Aznar et al. (2005) asked staff at community mental health clinics why kids with autism were being sent to them.
They mailed surveys to 62 clinics. Staff checked boxes for each child's main referral reason.
What they found
The top reasons were hitting, yelling, and odd social acts like talking to strangers.
Kids were almost never referred for drugs, alcohol, or skipping school.
How this fits with other research
Rubenstein et al. (2019) extends this picture. They found four in ten preschoolers with ASD get zero community services. Together the papers show clinics see the need, yet many kids still miss care.
Nevin et al. (2005) is a direct replication. Same year, same aim, but looked at Medicaid claims. Both teams saw kids with ASD inside public systems, just through different lenses.
Drahota et al. (2023) is a successor study. They asked 701 current providers what they actually do. Antecedent strategies top the list, showing the field has moved from simply noting behavior to planning for it.
Why it matters
If you work in a community clinic, expect disruptive and social behavior calls, not teen delinquency. Screen every new child for ASD when parents report peer problems and odd social acts. Use brief antecedent tools first; they are the most common current practice and easy to teach on the fly.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This study describes the characteristics of children with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) receiving treatment in community mental health settings. Data from a national community mental health initiative was used to identify children who had received a primary diagnosis of ASD. These children were compared with children with other diagnoses on socio-demographic and psychosocial characteristics, presenting problems and service histories. Regardless of diagnosis, children were most often referred to service because of disruptive behaviors. Children with ASD were less likely to be referred for drug use, truancy or running away, but were more likely to be referred for social interaction difficulties and strange behavior. Many children had family histories of mental illness, substance abuse and domestic violence. Implications of these findings are discussed in detail.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2005 · doi:10.1007/s10803-005-3296-z