Autism Among Adults with Down Syndrome: Prevalence, Medicaid Usage, and Co-Occurring Conditions.
Eric Rubenstein, Mack Toth, Salina Tewolde
PMID 39046684WHAT IT FOUND
Adults with both Down syndrome and autism used significantly more Medicaid services and had higher costs than those with either condition alone.
They also had the highest rates of epilepsy, though their overall chronic condition profile resembled that of adults with Down syndrome alone.
Key findings
01Adults with both Down syndrome and autism had higher rates of service use and costs than those with either condition alone.
02Epilepsy was most common in the group with both Down syndrome and autism.
03After age adjustment, adults with Down syndrome alone and Down syndrome plus autism had similar elevated prevalence of several chronic conditions compared to those with autism alone.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study relied on administrative claims data, meaning it could only identify documented diagnoses and may miss undiagnosed autism. Race and ethnicity data were missing for approximately 12.5% of participants and were imputed. The study period included a changeover between two different Medicaid databases (MAX and TAF) which required linking and adjustment. Costs reflect Medicaid payments and do not include out-of-pocket expenses or original billed amounts.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that the higher service use in the dual-diagnosis group is solely due to the autism diagnosis. The study shows that having both conditions leads to increased costs and use compared to having only one, but it does not isolate the specific contribution of each condition's symptoms to the healthcare utilization.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →