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. 2021 Jan;25(1):288-299.
doi: 10.1177/1362361320957461. Epub 2020 Sep 14.

Improving autism and developmental screening and referral in US primary care practices serving Latinos

Katharine E Zuckerman  1   2 , Alison E Chavez  1 , Laura Wilson  1 , Katie Unger  1   3 , Colleen Reuland  1   3 , Katrina Ramsey  2 , Margaret King  4 , Julie Scholz  5 , Eric Fombonne  1
Affiliations

Improving autism and developmental screening and referral in US primary care practices serving Latinos

Katharine E Zuckerman et al. Autism. 2021 Jan.

Abstract

Latino children experience delays in access to diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorder. Primary care-based screening of all children for autism spectrum disorder and referring them for services may reduce racial/ethnic differences and improve care. REAL-START, a yearlong screening intervention, was effective in increasing screening for autism spectrum disorder and general developmental delays, increasing therapy referrals, and shortening time for developmental assessment in primary care clinics with Latino patients.

Keywords: autism spectrum disorders; development; health services; pre-school children; screening.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
REAL-START intervention and data collection structure
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Screening and billing for screening as proportion of 18- and 24-month well-child visits (n=2,224 visits)
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Proportion of at-risk screens referred to Early Intervention services (n=378 children in 6 practices)
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Time from receipt of referral to evaluation (days) in the Early Intervention program, study baseline vs period 4 *P-value from log-rank test for baseline vs Period 4.
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
Child age at EI referral, by study period and EI eligibility status 6 months post referral Note: each point represents one child; + = child found eligible for EI; o = child found ineligible for EI
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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