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. 2025 May;55(5):1932-1938.
doi: 10.1007/s10803-023-05986-9. Epub 2023 Apr 19.

Evaluating the Efficiency and Equity of Autism Diagnoses via Telehealth During COVID-19

Megan Micheletti  1 , Briana H Brukilacchio  2 , Haley Hooper-Boyle  3 , Tajudeen Basiru  3 , Meredith I Brinster  4 , Sheri Ravenscroft  5 , Jeffrey D Shahidullah  6
Affiliations

Evaluating the Efficiency and Equity of Autism Diagnoses via Telehealth During COVID-19

Megan Micheletti et al. J Autism Dev Disord. 2025 May.

Abstract

Given existing barriers to a timely autism diagnosis, this study compares the efficiency and equity of diagnoses conducted in-person vs. telehealth in a developmental behavioral pediatrics setting. The transition to telehealth was prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Eleven months of clinic data in electronic medical records were retrospectively analyzed for children diagnosed with autism in-person (N = 71) vs. telehealth (N = 45). Time to autism diagnosis, patient demographics, and deferred diagnoses did not significantly differ across visit types. However, privately insured patients and families living farther from the clinic had a longer time to diagnosis via telehealth vs. in-person. Results of this exploratory study highlight the feasibility of telehealth evaluations for autism and which families may benefit from additional support to ensure a timely diagnosis.

Keywords: Autism; Diagnosis; Equity; Pediatrics; Telehealth.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Conflict of interest: The authors declare they have no conflicts of interest related to this work. Informed consent: The study was approved by the University of Texas at Austin IRB (# 2020-03-0040) as a research study involving human participants. Research Involving Human and Animal Rights: The study was approved by the University of Texas at Austin IRB (# 2020-03-0040) as a research study involving human participants.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Moderators of the relationship between visit type and time to diagnosis
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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