Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, 50 Flemington Road, Parkville, 3058, Victoria, Australia.
Department of Allied Health, The Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
J Autism Dev Disord. 2021 Aug;51(8):2673-2685. doi: 10.1007/s10803-020-04725-8.
Children with developmental concerns in Australia continue to experience inequitable healthcare and service-related delays, even when diagnostic risk is identified. This study sought to explore service and demographic pathway factors leading up to autism spectrum disorder (ASD) assessment, including value of screening measures applied at triage. Following a trial of centralised intake for referred young children with suspected ASD, observational, retrospective pathway data was explored using bivariate and regression analyses. The mean age of 159 children referred with autism symptoms was 3.6 years, and 64% were diagnosed with ASD. Service allocation was associated with diagnosis, whilst screening tool results were not. Improved pathways are needed to limit wasted waiting times and direct each child to needs-based services.
澳大利亚有发育问题的儿童在被诊断出有患病风险后，仍继续面临医疗保健和服务相关的不平等和延迟，即使在被诊断出有患病风险后也是如此。本研究旨在探索自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）评估前的服务和人口统计学途径因素，包括分诊时应用的筛查措施的价值。在对疑似 ASD 的转诊幼儿进行集中式入组试验后，使用双变量和回归分析方法对观察性、回顾性途径数据进行了探索。159 名有自闭症症状的儿童的平均年龄为 3.6 岁，64%被诊断为 ASD。服务分配与诊断相关，而筛查工具的结果则不然。需要改善途径，以减少浪费的等待时间，并根据每个儿童的需求为其提供服务。
