Epidemiologic Patterns of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Pediatric Inpatients in the United States, 1997-2019.
Stanford Chihuri, Ashley Blanchard, Carolyn G DiGuiseppi and 1 others
PMID 37584769WHAT IT FOUND
Autism diagnoses in US pediatric hospitals rose sharply from 0.18% in 1997 to 3.36% in 2019.
This increase was steepest among boys, non-Hispanic White youths, and younger birth cohorts. The data reflects hospital records rather than community screening.
Key findings
01The prevalence of autism spectrum disorder among pediatric inpatients increased significantly from 0.18% in 1997 to 3.36% in 2019.
02Among 8-year-old inpatients with autism, the most common comorbidities were ADHD, intellectual disability, anxiety, and speech/language impairments.
03The absolute increase in autism prevalence was highest among males, non-Hispanic White youths, and those in the Northeastern region.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study only looks at hospital inpatients, so the prevalence rates are much higher than in the general population because these children are already sick or injured. Diagnoses rely on medical records, which may be inaccurate or incomplete compared to active screening. The database records each hospital visit separately, so one child with multiple admissions is counted more than once. Non-binary and transgender youth are not included in the sex categories, limiting the understanding of autism prevalence in these groups.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the 3.36% prevalence rate as the rate of autism in the general community. This figure comes exclusively from pediatric inpatient discharges, a population with higher health needs and comorbidities than children who are not hospitalized.