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. 2016 Jun;46(6):1974-1984.
doi: 10.1007/s10803-016-2716-6.

Factors Affecting Age at ASD Diagnosis in UK: No Evidence that Diagnosis Age has Decreased Between 2004 and 2014

Denise Brett  1 , Frances Warnell  2 , Helen McConachie  1 , Jeremy R Parr  3
Affiliations

Factors Affecting Age at ASD Diagnosis in UK: No Evidence that Diagnosis Age has Decreased Between 2004 and 2014

Denise Brett et al. J Autism Dev Disord. 2016 Jun.

Abstract

Clinical initiatives have aimed to reduce the age at ASD diagnosis in the UK. This study investigated whether the median age at diagnosis in childhood has reduced in recent years, and identified the factors associated with earlier diagnosis in the UK. Data on 2134 children with ASD came from two large family databases. Results showed that the age of ASD diagnosis has not decreased. The median age of diagnosis of all ASDs was 55 months. Factors associated with earlier age of diagnosis were autism diagnosis (compared with other ASD), language regression, language delay, lower socioeconomic status, and greater degree of support required. Effective clinical strategies are needed to identify children with characteristics that have in the past delayed ASD diagnosis.

Keywords: ASD; Age at diagnosis; Autism; Autism spectrum disorder.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Median age at ASD diagnosis (in months) from 2004 to 2014
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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