Quality of Life and Societal Cost in Autistic Children: An Exploratory Comparative Study Pre- and Post-Diagnosis.

IF 3.2 2区 心理学 Q1 PSYCHOLOGY, DEVELOPMENTAL Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders Pub Date : 2025-03-09 DOI:10.1007/s10803-025-06760-9
Leontine W Ten Hoopen, Pieter F A de Nijs, Kirstin Greaves-Lord, Manon H J Hillegers, Werner B F Brouwer, Leona Hakkaart-van Roijen
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Abstract

Previous studies showed an impact of autism on the child's quality of life and societal costs, although little is known about changes from pre- to post-diagnosis. Therefore, our study explored the utilization of health-related services and associated costs in a group of 36 clinically referred Dutch children with autism (aged 2-10 years), pre- and post-diagnosis. Taking a broad societal perspective, we included the child's quality of life, educational needs, and absenteeism in school and leisure activities. Furthermore, we assessed the service utilization in various categories, such as healthcare, youth care, and school guidance. The caregivers, mainly the parents, provided the information. Special needs daycare was the overall major cost driver pre- and post-diagnosis. We found a non-significant decrease in total annual costs (from €6513 to €5060). Post-diagnosis, healthcare costs were halved, changing towards less somatic and more mental healthcare. No shift to adjacent cost categories was seen. At the same time, the child's quality of life improved not significantly from 0.58 to 0.66 (EQ-5D-3L), with significantly fewer everyday activity problems. In addition, we observed a trend of less school absenteeism after the diagnosis. Regression analysis identified pre-diagnostic costs as the sole independent factor influencing post-diagnostic costs, explaining 23% of the variance. Our findings suggest the importance of timely clarification of autism as a foundation for informed intervention and treatment planning. This could potentially result in improved quality of life, appropriate service allocation, and reduced societal costs.

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来源期刊
CiteScore
8.00
自引率
10.30%
发文量
433
期刊介绍: The Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders seeks to advance theoretical and applied research as well as examine and evaluate clinical diagnoses and treatments for autism and related disabilities. JADD encourages research submissions on the causes of ASDs and related disorders, including genetic, immunological, and environmental factors; diagnosis and assessment tools (e.g., for early detection as well as behavioral and communications characteristics); and prevention and treatment options. Sample topics include: Social responsiveness in young children with autism Advances in diagnosing and reporting autism Omega-3 fatty acids to treat autism symptoms Parental and child adherence to behavioral and medical treatments for autism Increasing independent task completion by students with autism spectrum disorder Does laughter differ in children with autism? Predicting ASD diagnosis and social impairment in younger siblings of children with autism The effects of psychotropic and nonpsychotropic medication with adolescents and adults with ASD Increasing independence for individuals with ASDs Group interventions to promote social skills in school-aged children with ASDs Standard diagnostic measures for ASDs Substance abuse in adults with autism Differentiating between ADHD and autism symptoms Social competence and social skills training and interventions for children with ASDs Therapeutic horseback riding and social functioning in children with autism Authors and readers of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders include sch olars, researchers, professionals, policy makers, and graduate students from a broad range of cross-disciplines, including developmental, clinical child, and school psychology; pediatrics; psychiatry; education; social work and counseling; speech, communication, and physical therapy; medicine and neuroscience; and public health.
期刊最新文献
Predicting Post-School Outcomes in Autistic Young Adults One Year after High School Graduation. Social Functioning in Autistic Children with Below-Average vs. Average IQ: Limited Behavioral and Neural Evidence of Group Differences. Quality of Life and Societal Cost in Autistic Children: An Exploratory Comparative Study Pre- and Post-Diagnosis. Sensitivity and Specificity Between the Screening Tool for Autism in Toddlers and Young Children (STAT) and Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS-2). Minimal Differences in Auditory and Visual Oddball Tasks in Autism: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
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