Citation

DiGuiseppi C, Levy SE, Sabourin KR, Soke GN, Rosenberg S, Lee LC, Moody E, Schieve LA. J. Autism Dev. Disord. 2018; 48(2): 461-472.

Affiliation

National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, 30341, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s10803-017-3337-4

PMID

29022199

Abstract

This study examined caregiver-reported medically-attended injuries among 30-68 month old children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) compared to general population (POP) and non-ASD developmental disorders (DD) controls in the Study to Explore Early Development. Injuries were common in ASD cases (32.3%) as well as POP (30.2%) and DD (27.8%) controls; most resulted in an emergency visit or hospitalization. After accounting for sociodemographic, health, IQ and behavior differences, odds of injury in ASD cases were significantly higher than DD controls but similar to POP controls. Attention problems mediated the relationships. Clinicians caring for children with both ASD and attention problems should consider providing targeted safety advice. Differences in injury risk between children with ASD vs. other developmental disorders need further study.

Language: en

Keywords

Autism spectrum disorder; Developmental delays and disorders; Epidemiology; Injuries; Prevalence