Hospitalizations Among Children and Youth With Autism in the United States: Frequency, Characteristics, and Costs.
Epilepsy and mental-health crises are the top drivers of hospitalizations—and $200 million in costs—for autistic youth nationwide.
01Research in Context
What this study did
McMaughan et al. (2022) counted every U.S. hospital stay for kids and teens with autism. They used national billing data to find how often these youth are admitted, why, and what it costs.
What they found
Autistic youth rack up more than 45,000 hospital stays each year. The price tag is $560 million. Epilepsy and mental-health crises are the two biggest reasons.
How this fits with other research
Perez et al. (2015) first showed that autistic kids use more psychiatric and injury care. The new paper puts a national price on that pattern.
Vassos et al. (2023) found that unmet mental-health needs raise emergency visits 58%. Dj et al. now show those same needs also drive the most expensive inpatient days.
Stofleth et al. (2022) saw the same heavy hospital use in autistic adults. Together the studies say the problem starts young and lasts a lifetime.
Why it matters
You can’t stop every seizure or crisis, but you can plan for them. Build epilepsy protocols and mental-health referrals into behavior plans. Teach families when to call the doctor early. Every avoided admission saves money and stress.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
National estimates of hospitalization diagnoses and costs were determined using the 2016 HCUP Kids' Inpatient Database. Children and youth with autism were hospitalized over 45,000 times at over $560 million in costs and 260,000 inpatient days. The most frequent principal diagnoses for hospitalizations of children and youth with autism were epilepsy, mental health conditions, pneumonia, asthma, and gastrointestinal disorders, which resulted in almost $200 million in costs and 150,000 inpatient days. Mental health diagnoses accounted for 24.8% of hospitalizations, an estimated $82 million in costs, and approximately 94,000 inpatient days. Children and youth with autism were more likely hospitalized for epilepsy, mental health diagnoses, and gastrointestinal disorders, and less likely for pneumonia and asthma compared to other children and youth.
Intellectual and developmental disabilities, 2022 · doi:10.1352/1934-9556-60.6.484