Delayed Diagnosis and Treatment Among Children with Autism Who Experience Adversity.
Family hardship directly delays autism diagnosis and therapy, so screen for adversity and act fast.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team looked at 2,100 autistic kids in the U.S. They counted how many bad family events each child had. These events include divorce, abuse, or money problems. Then they checked how long it took to get an autism diagnosis and start therapy.
What they found
Kids with one or two bad events waited a large share longer for diagnosis. Kids with three or more events waited a large share longer. Therapy started 22-a large share later too. More bad events meant bigger delays.
How this fits with other research
Hartwell et al. (2024) found the same pattern in a newer study. They showed these delays hurt school success too.
Rigles (2017) proved autistic kids face more bad events than other kids. This sets the stage for why delays happen so often.
Barton et al. (2019) found Black kids and kids in rough neighborhoods also start therapy late. This means race, place, and family stress all create barriers.
Brynskov et al. (2017) showed Latino families wait three extra years. Culture adds another layer to the delay problem.
Why it matters
You can spot high-risk families early. Ask about divorce, abuse, or money trouble during intake. When you see three or more bad events, fast-track the evaluation. Call the family weekly. Offer telehealth if they miss appointments. This simple step can cut months off the wait time.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The effects of family adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on timing of ASD diagnoses and receipt of therapies were measured using data from the 2011-2012 National Survey of Children's Health. Parametric accelerated failure time models estimated the relationship between family ACEs and both timing of ASD diagnosis and receipt of therapies among US children (age 2-17 years; N = 1624). Compared to children without family ACEs, the adjusted effects of 1-2 and ≥ 3 ACEs resulted in prolonged time of diagnoses with time ratios of 1.17 and 1.23. Report of 1-2 and ≥ 3 ACEs were associated with a 22 and 27% increase in the median age of entry into services. ACEs may pose significant barriers to diagnoses and treatment of children with ASD.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2018 · doi:10.1007/s10803-017-3294-y