Many Teens With Autism Spectrum Disorder Remain Undiagnosed

TUESDAY, Oct. 24, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Approximately one-quarter of 16-year-olds with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have not been formally diagnosed, according to a brief report published online Aug. 29 in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

Walter Zahorodny, Ph.D., from Rutgers University-New Jersey Medical School in Newark, and colleagues examined the prevalence and expression of ASD among 16-year-olds in a large U.S. metropolitan region. The analysis included data from the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network.

The researchers found that ASD prevalence was 17.7 per 1,000 individuals. ASD was identified in one of every 55 boys and one of 172 girls. There was a positive association observed between high socioeconomic status (SES) and ASD. White adolescents had a higher ASD prevalence (22.2 per 1,000) than Hispanic adolescents (13.1 per 1,000). ASD was not diagnosed in one in four study-confirmed individuals with ASD. A co-occurring neuropsychiatric disorder was seen in more than half of adolescents with ASD (58.8 percent). A co-occurring disorder was more likely among White individuals and those with high SES. In this cohort, the demographic distribution and functional profile of ASD was similar at eight and 16 years.

“ASD under-identification and the high frequency of co-disorders in adolescents with ASD pose significant challenges to care and support,” the authors write.

Abstract/Full Text