Physical health needs and self-reported health status among adults with autism.

LAY ABSTRACT: Self-reported health can be a powerful measure of how adults with autism spectrum disorder view their overall health. The goal of this study was to determine how health statuses of adults with autism spectrum disorder change, when they are currently receiving or need more physical health services. The Pennsylvania autism needs assessment included a survey of individuals with autism aged 18 years or older responding for themselves. They indicated whether their health status changed over the previous year as improved, decreased, or remained stable. We found that most adults with autism spectrum disorder had their health remain the same (68%). We also found that adults who said their health got worse needed more physical health services, compared to those whose health remained stable, or got better. Supporting the health of adults with autism can be complex and finding out more about how physical health services play a role in that care is important.

School Discipline, Hospitalization, and Police Contact Overlap Among Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

The objective was to examine the frequency, correlates, and overlap of school disciplinary actions, psychiatric hospitalizations, and police contact among children and adolescents with autism. Survey results from 2525 caregivers of individuals with autism in elementary through high school were examined. Logistic regression was used to examine predictors of each outcome. Youth with autism most frequently experienced school disciplinary action (15.0%), followed by police contact (7.9%) and hospitalization (7.8%). Experiencing any one of the three events increased risk of experiencing either of the other events. Strong associations between traumatic experiences such as police contact and hospitalizations (OR 9.2), need to be explored to determine risk factors for potential intervention. Further research is needed to determine the temporal ordering of these outcomes.

Brief Report: Service Use and Associated Expenditures Among Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder Transitioning to Adulthood.

This study compared Medicaid service utilization and expenditures among adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to adolescents with intellectual disability (ID) as they aged into adulthood. Medicaid Analytic eXtract (MAX) data was used to identify a national cohort. Winsorization was utilized to control for expenditure outliers. A greater proportion of adolescents with ASD utilized most services. Decreases in the use of key services, including psychiatric outpatient services, were observed for both groups. Changes in medical services, such as increases in inpatient and long term care services, among the ASD cohort suggest medical needs of adolescents with ASD change as they age. Information remains lacking on changing ASD symptom presentation during the transition to adolescence.

Service Needs Across the Lifespan for Individuals with Autism.

The goal of this research was to examine reported service needs among individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) of all ages. Data were generated from a state survey that queried the needs of children, adolescents and adults with ASD. Logistic regression was used to compare service use and need among these age groups. Adults with ASD were less likely to be receiving multiple types of services, and more likely to have a need for services. These findings demonstrate that adults with ASD have more and different needs for services. These results can inform policy and program planning to put in place the services adults with ASD need.