1 Karakter Child and Adolescent Psychiatry University Centre, The Netherlands.
2 Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen.
Autism. 2018 Nov;22(8):1018-1024. doi: 10.1177/1362361317717977. Epub 2017 Oct 25.
The importance of early detection of autism spectrum disorder followed by early intervention is increasingly recognized. This quasi-experimental study evaluated the long-term effects of a program for the early detection of autism spectrum disorder (consisting of training of professionals and use of a referral protocol and screening instrument), to determine whether the positive effects on the age at referral were sustained after the program ended while controlling for overall changes in the number of referrals. Before, during, and after the program, the proportion of children referred before 3 years (versus 3-6 years) of age was calculated for children subsequently diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder ( N = 513) or another, non-autism spectrum disorder, condition ( N = 722). The odds of being referred before 3 years of age was higher in children with autism spectrum disorder than in children with another condition during the program than before (3.1, 95% confidence interval: 1.2-7.6) or after (1.7, 95% confidence interval: 1.0-3.0) the program but was not different before versus after the program. Thus, although the program led to earlier referral of children with autism spectrum disorder, after correction for other referrals, the effect was not sustained after the program ended. This study highlights the importance of continued investment in the early detection of autism spectrum disorder.
自闭症谱系障碍早期检测及早期干预的重要性日益受到重视。本准实验研究评估了自闭症谱系障碍早期检测项目（包括专业人员培训、转诊协议和筛查工具的使用）的长期效果，旨在确定在控制转诊总数变化的情况下，项目结束后，转诊年龄的积极影响是否持续。在项目实施前、实施中和实施后，计算了随后被诊断为自闭症谱系障碍（N=513）或其他非自闭症谱系障碍的儿童（N=722）的提前至 3 岁（与 3-6 岁）转诊的比例。与其他疾病相比，自闭症谱系障碍儿童在项目实施期间、实施后比实施前更早被转诊的几率更高（3.1，95%置信区间：1.2-7.6）或之后（1.7，95%置信区间：1.0-3.0），但项目实施前后无差异。因此，尽管该项目导致自闭症谱系障碍儿童更早被转诊，但在对其他转诊进行校正后，项目结束后这种效果并未持续。本研究强调了持续投资自闭症谱系障碍早期检测的重要性。
