The Transition to the Adult Health Care System Among Youths With Autism Spectrum Disorder.

OBJECTIVE

The study examined how health care utilization patterns among youths with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) change as they transition into the adult health care system.

METHODS

Data came from the Clinformatics Data Mart Database, a nationally diverse, clinically rich, private insurance claims database. The analytic sample consisted of youths ages 16 to 23 who were diagnosed as having ASD (N=16,338). Cross-sectional multivariate linear regressions determined whether service usage in home, office or outpatient, inpatient, and emergency department (ED) settings differed by age.

RESULTS

The proportion of youths with ASD who received services declined with age in each setting except the ED. A similar reduction existed in number of visits to office or outpatient settings and inpatient settings, while home and ED visits remained stable. Service utilization declined faster among youths with co-occurring intellectual disability.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a notable decline in service utilization across multiple settings as youths with ASD transition from pediatric to adult health care.