January 17, 2022
Community Shares:
- According to a new study published in JAMA Psychiatry, children who utilize Medicaid are twice as likely to hold an ADHD or autism diagnosis compared to children covered by private insurance. The study’s authors also report that regardless of their insurance status, 30% of White children are diagnosed with one of these disorders by age 8, compared with 23% of Black children, 15% of Hispanic children and 9% of Asian children.
- A recent editorial featured in MedPage Today calls for prioritizing individuals with intellectual disabilities for COVID treatments such as monoclonal antibodies, molnupiravir, and nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (Paxlovid). The authors of this editorial conducted an analysis of 64 million American medical records which demonstrated that having an intellectual disability puts the patient at the highest risk for getting COVID and, second only to age, from dying from the virus. The analysis also reported that when admitted to the hospital with COVID, those with an intellectual disability were 32% more likely to die as inpatients.
- Research from Denmark has discovered that a majority of those with an adult autism diagnosis had no records of receiving any other developmental diagnoses in childhood. Therefore, the study’s authors suggest that these late autism cases are unlikely to be explained by misdiagnosis or overshadowing. The Danish researchers believe that their result is at odds with the prevailing notion that the symptoms of autism tend to decrease with age. They call for further research to examine how and if early signs of ASD evolved in these individuals, and how similar they are to people who received an autism diagnosis earlier in their development.
- The Autism Community in Action (TACA) is holding a virtual roundtable discussion on comorbid medical issues associated with autism on Thursday, January 20 at 7:30 p.m. EST/4:30 p.m. PST. Panelists will discuss navigating complex medical issues and working with doctors. Following the panel discussion, submitted questions will be answered during a moderated Q&A session.
- The New Jersey Autism Center of Excellence (NJACE) has their own YouTube station which carries all of their autism related webinars. Make sure to check out the bottom of the page for their upcoming live stream events!
