“Relatively few young adults with autism spectrum disorders receive assistance after high school - Science Centric” plus 1 more |
| Posted: 08 Feb 2011 10:14 AM PST DON'T MISS — Alzheimer's disease breakthrough — CSIRO scientists have developed a new system to screen for compounds that can inhibit one of the processes that takes place… More Health…Use of medical, mental health and case management services for young adults with an autism spectrum disorder appears to decline after high school, according to a report in the February issue of Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. 'The number of young adults in the United States diagnosed as having an autism spectrum disorder is increasing rapidly as ever-larger cohorts of children identified as having an autism spectrum disorder age through adolescence,' according to background information in the article. 'Regardless of the root cause, the facts remain that treated prevalence is increasing and that the implications of this trend for service systems are poorly understood.' Paul T. Shattuck, Ph.D., of Washington University, St. Louis, and colleagues analysed data from a nationally representative telephone questionnaire surveying parents and guardians of young adults between the ages of 19 and 23 years with an autism spectrum disorder. Surveys were conducted from April 2007 to February 2008. Overall rates of service use ranged from 9.1 percent for speech therapy to 41.9 percent for case management. Other services utilised included medical services (23.5 percent) and mental health services (35 percent). About two-fifths of youths (39.1 percent) had not received any of these services. These rates are lower than estimates gathered six years earlier when all patients were still in high school. During that time, 46.2 percent received mental health services, 46.9 percent received medical services, 74.6 percent were getting speech therapy and 63.6 percent had a case manager. The adjusted odds of not receiving any of the services was 3.31 times higher for African American youths compared to white youths, and was 5.96 times higher for those with incomes of $25,000 or less compared with those making $75,000 or more. Additionally, the adjusted odds of not using case management services were 5.88 times higher among those making $25,000 or less compared with those with incomes of $75,000 or greater. 'Rates of service disengagement are high after exiting high school. Disparities by race and socioeconomic status indicate a need for targeted outreach and services,' the authors conclude. 'This study represents an important step in the process of building a foundation of evidence that can help improve services and foster independence and health among youths with autism spectrum disorders.' Source: JAMA and Archives JournalsThis entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Resources scarce for young adults with autism - Weblogs.baltimoresun.com Posted: 08 Feb 2011 08:41 AM PST With autism diagnoses on the rise, services for children have increased as doctors, therapists and parents try to find effective treatment for the complex disorder. But new research suggests that the wealth of resources targeting children with autism tends to decline after high school, begging the question: what happens to autistic children once they reach adulthood? Nearly 40 percent of all young adults examined in a survey of 680 19- to 23-year-olds had not received medical services, mental health services, case management or therapy, according to a study published this week in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. African Americans and low-income people with autism were even less likely to access services, the researchers from Washington University in St. Louis found. Nationwide, as many as 1 in 110 children have an autism spectrum disorder, according to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which reflect an increase from just a few years ago. The rise in diagnoses is playing out in schools across the country, where the number of students 12 to 17 years old classified as autistic in special education enrollment increased from 15,480 in 1998 to 99,803 in 2007, according to background information in the article. While state and local health officials and educators have worked hard to meet the needs of these students, services end once they exit high school. Little attention has been paid to continuing therapy and medical services for these children, the authors write. The study has several limitations, particularly its small sample size and that it was based on a self-reported survey. But it raises an interesting and urgent issue as a generation of autistic children grows up. The National Institutes of Health has begun to call attention to the need for more services and research for adults with autism, but more work is needed, the authors urge. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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