Children with autism tend to visit a doctor before 1

Children who are later diagnosed with autism and / or ADHD visit doctors and hospitals more often in the first year of life.

Survey results published in the journal Science reportProvides evidence that patterns of health care use in the baby’s first year can be collected from electronic medical records and serves as a roadmap for timely delivery. Diagnosis And treatment It has the potential to improve results and reduce medical costs.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects about 1.5% of children in the United States, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects about 11% of children in the United States. Symptoms of ADHD are also found in up to 60% of children with ASD. Diagnosis is associated with higher use of health care services, at great expense to the family.

“This study provides evidence that children with autism and ADHD are on a different path from the beginning,” said Matthew Engelhardt, senior researcher at Duke University’s Health System. Stated. “Children with these diagnoses have been found to interact more with the healthcare system after they have been diagnosed, which is due to the onset of unique usage patterns early in their lives. This may provide an opportunity to intervene sooner. “

“We know that children with ASD and ADHD often miss the proven benefits of early intervention and are diagnosed,” Duke for autism and brain development. Geraldine Dawson, director of the Center and the Duke Institute for Brain Science, says. .. “Because of the brain’s inherent adaptability, or neuroplasticity, early detection and intervention is important for improving ASD outcomes, especially in terms of language and social skills.”

Engelhard and colleagues, including senior authors Dawson and Scott Collins, are collected from electronic health records of approximately 30,000 patients who visited at least two healthy children by the age of one, primarily at the Duke University Health System. We used data for only 10 years.

Patients were later grouped as diagnosed with ASD, ADHD, both conditions, or no diagnosis. The researchers then analyzed first-year records of hospitalization, procedures, emergency department visits, and outpatient clinical appointments.

For children who were later found to have been diagnosed with one or both, their births tended to result in longer hospital stays compared to children without disabilities.

Children who were later diagnosed with ASD had more procedures such as intubation and ventilation, and had more opportunities to see outpatient specialty care for services such as physiotherapy and eye appointments.

Children who were later found to have ADHD received more treatment, especially blood transfusions, hospitalizations, and visits to the emergency department.

Studies have shown that treatment of these disorders is most effective when started early in a child’s life, Dawson says. Understanding that there are signals available in a child’s electronic health record can lead to earlier, more targeted treatment.

“We hope that these early usage patterns will eventually be combined with other data sources to build automated monitoring tools that will allow parents and pediatricians to identify the children who will benefit most from early assessment and treatment. I hope, “says Collins.

Researchers say they plan to perform additional analysis to more thoroughly investigate what certain health concerns have prompted visits to additional doctors and hospitals.

“We want to understand these differences in more detail and identify them as soon as possible so that our children can access the resources they need,” says Engelhard.

This study was funded by the National Institute of Child Health Development, the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Institute of Substance Abuse, and Duke Forge.

Source: Duke University