Abstract
This paper evaluated age differences in emergency department care and inpatient hospitalizations in 252 preadolescent and adolescent youth with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs; ages 9–18). Records from youth with ASDs were linked to acute care utilization records and were compared to a demographically similar comparison group of youth without ASDs (N = 1260). A particular focus was placed on utilization for psychiatric concerns and injuries or accidents. Results suggested that psychiatric care was more likely for youth with ASDs in both the preadolescent and adolescent cohorts versus comparison youth, with no significant differences between age cohorts. In contrast, results for the accident and injury categories suggested age-specific findings. Results suggest opportunities for prevention efforts for youth with ASDs.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alonge, O., & Hyder, A. A. (2014). Reducing the global burden of childhood unintentional injuries. Archives of Disease in Childhood, 99(1), 62–69.
American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-IV-TR® American Psychiatric Publication.
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-5® American Psychiatric Publication.
Anderson, C., Law, J. K., Daniels, A., Rice, C., Mandell, D. S., Hagopian, L., et al. (2012). Occurrence and family impact of elopement in children with autism spectrum disorders. Pediatrics, 130(5), 870–877.
Cidav, Z., Lawer, L., Marcus, S. C., & Mandell, D. S. (2013). Age-related variation in health service use and associated expenditures among children with autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 43(4), 924–931.
Classen, S., & Monahan, M. (2013). Evidence-based review on interventions and determinants of driving performance in teens with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or autism spectrum disorder. Traffic Injury Prevention, 14(2), 188–193.
Classen, S., Monahan, M., & Wang, Y. (2013). Driving characteristics of teens with attention deficit hyperactivity and autism spectrum disorder. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 67(6), 664–673.
Croen, L. A., Najjar, D. V., Ray, G. T., Lotspeich, L., & Bernal, P. (2006). A comparison of health care utilization and costs of children with and without autism spectrum disorders in a large group-model health plan. Pediatrics, 118(4), e1203–e1211.
Dowd, M. D., Keenan, H. T., & Bratton, S. L. (2002). Epidemiology and prevention of childhood injuries. Critical Care Medicine, 30(11 Suppl), S385–S392.
Dowswell, T., Towner, E. M., Simpson, G., & Jarvis, S. N. (1996). Preventing childhood unintentional injuries—What works? A literature review. Injury Prevention, 2(2), 140–149.
Duerden, E. G., Oatley, H. K., Mak-Fan, K. M., McGrath, P. A., Taylor, M. J., Szatmari, P., et al. (2012). Risk factors associated with self-injurious behaviors in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 42(11), 2460–2470.
He, S., Lunnen, J. C., Puvanachandra, P., Amar, S., Zia, N., & Hyder, A. A. (2014). Global childhood unintentional injury study: Multisite surveillance data. American Journal of Public Health, 104(3), e79–e84.
Huang, P., Kao, T., Curry, A. E., & Durbin, D. R. (2012). Factors associated with driving in teens with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 33(1), 70–74.
Jansiewicz, E. M., Goldberg, M. C., Newschaffer, C. J., Denckla, M. B., Landa, R., & Mostofsky, S. H. (2006). Motor signs distinguish children with high functioning autism and asperger’s syndrome from controls. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 36(5), 613–621.
Kalb, L. G., Stuart, E. A., Freedman, B., Zablotsky, B., & Vasa, R. (2012). Psychiatric-related emergency department visits among children with an autism spectrum disorder. Pediatric Emergency Care, 28(12), 1269–1276.
Laflamme, L., & Diderichsen, F. (2000). Social differences in traffic injury risks in childhood and youth—A literature review and a research agenda. Injury Prevention, 6(4), 293–298.
Liptak, G. S., Stuart, T., & Auinger, P. (2006). Health care utilization and expenditures for children with autism: Data from U.S. National samples. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 36(7), 871–879.
Lokhandwala, T., Khanna, R., & West-Strum, D. (2012). Hospitalization burden among individuals with autism. Journal of Autism Developmental Disorders, 42(1), 95–104.
Mandell, D. S. (2008). Psychiatric hospitalization among children with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 38(6), 1059–1065.
Mandell, D. S., Cao, J., Ittenbach, R., & Pinto-Martin, J. (2006). Medicaid expenditures for children with autistic spectrum disorders: 1994 to 1999. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 36(4), 475–485.
Mandell, D., & Lecavalier, L. (2014). Should we believe the center for disease control and prevention’s autism spectrum disorder prevalence estimates? Autism, 18, 482–484.
Mangerud, W. L., Bjerkeset, O., Lydersen, S., & Indredavik, M. S. (2014). Physical activity in adolescents with psychiatric disorders and in the general population. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, 8(1), 2.
McDermott, S., Zhou, L., & Mann, J. (2008). Injury treatment among children with autism or pervasive developmental disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 38(4), 626–633.
Nayfack, A. M., Huffman, L. C., Feldman, H. M., Chan, J., Saynina, O., & Wise, P. H. (2014). Hospitalizations of children with autism increased from 1999 to 2009. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 44(5), 1087–1094.
Nicholas, J. S., Charles, J. M., Carpenter, L. A., King, L. B., Jenner, W., & Spratt, E. G. (2008). Prevalence and characteristics of children with autism-spectrum disorders. Annals of Epidemiology, 18(2), 130–136.
Ramirez, M., Yang, J., Bourque, L., Javien, J., Kashani, S., Limbos, M. A., et al. (2009). Sports injuries to high school athletes with disabilities. Pediatrics, 123(2), 690–696.
Seltzer, M. M., Shattuck, P., Abbeduto, L., & Greenberg, J. S. (2004). Trajectory of development in adolescents and adults with autism. Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Research Reviews, 10(4), 234–247.
Shattuck, P. T., Orsmond, G. I., Wagner, M., & Cooper, B. P. (2011). Participation in social activities among adolescents with an autism spectrum disorder. PLoS One, 6(11), e27176.
Shavelle, R. M., Strauss, D. J., & Pickett, J. (2001). Causes of death in autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 31(6), 569–576.
Sullivan, P. M., & Knutson, J. F. (2000). Maltreatment and disabilities: A population-based epidemiological study. Child Abuse and Neglect, 24(10), 1257–1273.
Van Cleave, J., & Davis, M. M. (2006). Bullying and peer victimization among children with special health care needs. Pediatrics, 118(4), e1212–e1219.
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by a Grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC-RFA-DD10-1002).
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Schlenz, A.M., Carpenter, L.A., Bradley, C. et al. Age Differences in Emergency Department Visits and Inpatient Hospitalizations in Preadolescent and Adolescent Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders. J Autism Dev Disord 45, 2382–2391 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-015-2405-x
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-015-2405-x