April 24, 2023
- A recent systematic review and meta-analysis determined that very early interventions do not lead to improvements in autism symptomatology, cognitive or expressive language outcomes by age 3. Additionally, there was evidence that very early support programs may not improve receptive language.
- In an effort to assist families, medical institutions, and policymakers in managing the adverse effects of autism, a new scientific review article from China studied early death and causes of death for individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The review’s results showed that all-cause mortality was higher in patients with ASD than in the general population. Females with the disorder were shown to have a greater death risk ratio than males. The authors revealed that the risk of natural death for people with autism was higher, which they attribute to comorbid medical conditions. Although, they also noted unnatural death pattern differences in the ASD population. The team found accidental injury death and suicide rates were higher for those on the spectrum.
- Concerning new research shows that 16% of children with autism had been expelled from a preschool or child-care setting before elementary school. The average age of the expulsion was 3.3 years. This longitudinal study of 203 children with autism ages 4 to 7 relied upon parent reports for expulsion history and reasons for removal. The research determined that children were likelier to be expelled from private versus public programs. It also showed that previously-expelled children experienced more conflict and dependency in their current student-teacher relationships.
- Greece has just released an autism prevalence rate report showing a 0.94% or 1 in 100 children in the country have the disorder. This rate tends to align with the global autism prevalence (about 1 in 100) established by the World Health Organization. Greece’s male-to-female autism ratio was 3.54 to 1 (1.44% in males and 0.41% in females). The global median male-to-female ratio is 4 to 1. Data for this report was taken in 2021.
- The Autism Research Institute (ARI) is hosting a webinar titled “How Age–and Age of Diagnosis–Affect Quality of Life.” This free event will take place on Wednesday, May 3, 2023, at 1 p.m. EDT and will be hosted by Gray Atherton, Ph.D. The webinar will examine the proportion of adults with autism that were not diagnosed until later in life. Research investigating how age and age of diagnosis affect the quality of life will also be presented.
