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. 2018 Sep;48(9):3176-3190.
doi: 10.1007/s10803-018-3581-2.

Prevalence and Characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorder Among Spanish School-Age Children

Paula Morales-Hidalgo  1 , Joana Roigé-Castellví  1 , Carmen Hernández-Martínez  1 , Núria Voltas  1 , Josefa Canals  2
Affiliations

Prevalence and Characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorder Among Spanish School-Age Children

Paula Morales-Hidalgo et al. J Autism Dev Disord. 2018 Sep.

Abstract

The present study aims to assess the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in preschool and school-age children following a two-phase procedure. The screening phase was performed on a sample of 5555 children taking into account parent and teacher information. The individual assessment included the ADI-R, ADOS-2 and Wechsler scales. The estimated prevalence was 1.55% in preschoolers and 1.00% in school-age children. Between 1.84 and 2.59% of the children exhibited subclinical diagnosis. The male-to-female ratio was around 4:1. Most of the children exhibited mild and moderate nuclear symptoms, and the girls showed less severe communication problems. Previous diagnosis was found in 62-71% of the children. Prevalence estimates are close to the 1% international ratings and much higher than previous national reports suggested.

Keywords: Autism spectrum disorders; Epidemiology; Prevalence; School-age children.

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