Practice patterns and determinants of wait time for autism spectrum disorder diagnosis in Canada.
Melanie Penner, Evdokia Anagnostou, Wendy J Ungar
PMID 29541438WHAT IT FOUND
Pediatricians in Canada reported wide variation in autism diagnostic practices and long, variable waits.
Longer assessment time was associated with longer wait, while diagnostic tool use was not.
Key findings
01Longer reported assessment time was associated with longer total wait, with a reported correlation of 0.31.
02The median total wait from referral to diagnosis was 7 months, with reported range 2 to 24 months.
03Use of diagnostic tools was not associated with total wait; median wait was 7 months for tool users and 6.3 months for non-users.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The response rate was low, so the results may represent pediatricians with a particular interest in autism. Wait times were self-reported and could not be verified. The total wait counted only one referral, so earlier non-diagnosing consultations were not included. Psychologists and psychiatrists were not surveyed. The sample size limited statistical power.
Declared interests
The study was funded by the University of Toronto and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. The supplied text does not report competing interests.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that shorter assessments will reduce wait times. The survey reports an association between longer assessment time and longer wait, but it did not test a change to assessment length.