Children 2-5 years of age were enrolled from 2012 to 2016 in a multisite case-control study designed to investigate the development and risk factors of ASD. Children with a positive ASD screen or ASD diagnosis upon enrollment were asked to complete a comprehensive evaluation to determine ASD status and developmental level. Caregivers completed a Services and Treatments Questionnaire and multiple self-administered questionnaires to determine child use of psychotropic medication, ever receipt of behavior therapy, and presence of co-occurring symptoms.
There were 763 children who were classified as ASD and had data collected on the Services and Treatments Questionnaire. Of those, 62 (8.1%) used psychotropic medication to treat behavioral symptoms and 28 (3.7%) were ≤3 years of age when medication was first started. Attention problems (aOR, 7.65; 95% CI, 3.41-16.1; P < .001) and study site (aOR, 2.62; 95% CI, 1.04-6.56; P = .04) were significantly associated with psychotropic medication use after controlling for maternal race/ethnicity. More than one-half (59.7%) of those who used psychotropic medication did not ever receive behavior therapy.
Many preschool-aged children with ASD who use psychotropic medication do not receive behavior therapy. Pediatricians are an important resource for children and families and can help facilitate behavioral treatment for children with ASD and other disorders.
从2012年到2016年,2-5岁的儿童参加了一项旨在调查ASD发展和危险因素的多中心病例对照研究。要求在入组时具有阳性ASD筛查或ASD诊断的儿童完成综合评估以确定ASD状态和发育水平。照顾者填写了一份服务和治疗问卷和多个自我管理问卷,以确定儿童使用精神药物,曾经接受过行为治疗,以及同时出现的症状。
有763名儿童被归类为ASD,并在服务和治疗问卷上收集了数据。其中,62(8.1%)使用精神药物治疗行为症状,28(3.7%)首次开始用药时≤3岁。注意问题(AOR,7.65;95%CI,3.41-16.1;P<.001)和研究地点(aOR,2.62;95%CI,1.04-6.56;P=.04)与控制母亲种族/民族后的精神药物使用显着相关。超过一半(59.7%)的使用精神药物的人从未接受过行为疗法。
许多使用精神药物的ASD学龄前儿童不接受行为疗法。儿科医生是儿童和家庭的重要资源,可以帮助促进患有ASD和其他疾病的儿童的行为治疗。