Demographic and Clinical Characteristics Associated with Engagement in Behavioral Health Treatment Among Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders.
Lisa A Croen, Naomi Shankute, Meghan Davignon and 2 others
PMID 28748332WHAT IT FOUND
Among referred children with autism, younger age and private insurance were linked to starting treatment.
More than 10 weekly hours were linked to staying in treatment. Only 15% received most authorized hours.
Key findings
01The final cohort was 293 referred children, and only 15% of those who started treatment received 80% or more of authorized hours.
02State subsidized insurance was the only factor significantly associated with not initiating treatment after adjustment.
03Children who continued treatment were more likely to receive more than 10 hours per week than those who discontinued.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study included only insured patients in a health system in northern California, so it may not apply to uninsured families or other health plans. It used claims and medical records, so services not covered or paid for by the health plan may be missing. Important predictors such as income, family composition, and family resources were not measured. The design showed associations, not causes.
Declared interests
The Permanente Medical Group, Delivery Science Program funded the study. The supplied text does not report other author conflicts.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these associations as proof that changing insurance, referral age, or treatment hours causes better engagement. The study compared records from referred children and did not test a treatment effect.