Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment (Dec 2022)
Age of Diagnosis and Demographic Factors Associated with Autism Spectrum Disorders in Chinese Children: A Multi-Center Survey
Abstract
Dan Long,1 Ting Yang,1 Jie Chen,1 Ying Dai,1 Li Chen,1 Feiyong Jia,2 Lijie Wu,3 Yan Hao,4 Ling Li,5 Jie Zhang,6 Xiaoyan Ke,7 Mingji Yi,8 Qi Hong,9 Jinjin Chen,10 Shuanfeng Fang,11 Yichao Wang,12 Qi Wang,13 Chunhua Jin,14 Tingyu Li1 1Chongqing Key Laboratory of Child Nutrition and Health, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, National Clinical Research Center of Child Health and Disorders, Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, People’s Republic of China; 3Research Center for Child Development and Behavior, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Pediatrics, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China; 5Department of Children Rehabilitation, Hainan Women and Children’s Medical Center, Haikou, People’s Republic of China; 6Children Health Care Center, Xi’an Children’s Hospital, Xi’an, People’s Republic of China; 7The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China; 8Department of Child Health Care, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, People’s Republic of China; 9Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Baoan, Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China; 10Department of Child Health Care, Shanghai Children’s Hospital, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 11Department of Child Health Care, Children’s Hospital Affiliated of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, People’s Republic of China; 12National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Birth Defect for Research and Prevention, Hunan Provincial Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Changsha, People’s Republic of China; 13Deyang Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Deyang, People’s Republic of China; 14Department of Children Health Care, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Tingyu Li, Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400014, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 23 63630913, Fax +86 23 63622754, Email [email protected]: The present study investigated the age of diagnosis, treatment and demographic factors of Chinese children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), to provide a scientific basis for the early detection, diagnosis, and intervention of ASD.Patients and Methods: A total of 1500 ASD children aged 2– 7 years old from 13 cities in China were administered questionnaires to examine their diagnosis, treatment, and basic family information. The Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) was used to measure the symptoms and severity of ASD children, and the Children Neuropsychological and Behavior Scale-Revision 2016 (CNBS-R2016) was utilized to measure neurodevelopmental levels of ASD children.Results: We found that for children with ASD, the median (p25, p75) age for the initial detection of social behavioral developmental delay was 24 (18, 30) months, while the age for the initial diagnosis was 29 (24, 36) months and the age for the beginning of intervention was 33 (27, 42) months. Multiple linear regression (MLR) analysis suggested that in children with ASD whose parents were divorced, separated, or widowed, or whose mothers were engaged in physical work, the initial detection of social behavioral developmental delay happened later. For the children with ASD who lived in urban areas, had higher levels of ASD symptom severity or whose parents were not divorced or separated, the age for the initial diagnosis was earlier. For the children with ASD who lived in urban areas or whose mothers had received higher level of education, the earlier age for the beginning of intervention was observed, while for those with ASD whose mothers were engaged in physical work, the age for the beginning of training was later.Conclusion: It is recommended to actively carry out health education of ASD and strengthen the support for ASD families to enhance their rehabilitation level.Keywords: autism spectrum disorders, children, age, influencing factors, multicenter
