Injuries in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Study to Explore Early Development (SEED)

• Published in: Journal of autism and developmental disorders Vol. 48; no. 2; pp. 461 - 472
• Main Authors: DiGuiseppi, Carolyn, Levy, Susan E., Sabourin, Katherine R., Soke, Gnakub N., Rosenberg, Steven, Lee, Li-Ching, Moody, Eric, Schieve, Laura A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.02.2018; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Attention; Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder; Autism; Autism Spectrum Disorder - epidemiology; Autism Spectrum Disorders; Autistic children; Behavior Problems; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Caregivers; Caregiving; Child and School Psychology; Child Development; Child, Preschool; Children; Comparative Analysis; Control; Control Groups; Death; Departments; Development and progression; Developmental Delays; Developmental Disabilities; Developmental Disabilities - epidemiology; Developmental disorders; Disease Control; Epidemiology; Female; Gender Differences; Health aspects; Health behavior; Hospital emergency services; Hospitalization; Hospitalized Children; Humans; Individualized Instruction; Injuries; Insurance; Intelligence tests; Male; Management; Mental Disorders; Neurodevelopmental disorders; Neurosciences; Original Paper; Pediatrics; Pervasive Developmental Disorders; Prevalence; Probability; Psychology; Psychopathology; Public Health; Risk; Risk factors; Sociodemographics; Special Needs Students; United States - epidemiology; Wounds and Injuries - epidemiology; United States; Prevalence; Epidemiology; Injuries; Autism spectrum disorder; Developmental delays and disorders
• DOI: 10.1007/s10803-017-3337-4
• ISSN: 0162-3257; 1573-3432

This study examined caregiver-reported medically-attended injuries among 30–68 month old children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) compared to general population (POP) and non-ASD developmental disorders (DD) controls in the Study to Explore Early Development. Injuries were common in ASD cases (32.3%) as well as POP (30.2%) and DD (27.8%) controls; most resulted in an emergency visit or hospitalization. After accounting for sociodemographic, health, IQ and behavior differences, odds of injury in ASD cases were significantly higher than DD controls but similar to POP controls. Attention problems mediated the relationships. Clinicians caring for children with both ASD and attention problems should consider providing targeted safety advice. Differences in injury risk between children with ASD vs. other developmental disorders need further study.