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Abstract
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Background: The number of children and adults diagnosed as autism spectrum disorders in Spain is rising rapidly (Pérez-Crespo et al., 2019). In this line, it is important to do research in the daily lives of ASD community to improve health and promote social and educational inclusion.
Aim: to describe the evolution of patients with ASD from 2018 to 2024.
Methods: sample recruitment was carried out retrospectively, from 2018 to 2024, among patients under routine care in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology (Hospital Clinic, Barcelona). The local IRB approved the use of their retrospective clinical and sociodemographic data. Descriptive statistics were obtained from the total sample and were calculated using percentages, means, and standard deviations. All statistical analyses were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows. Two-tailed p-values < 0.05 were of statistical significance.
Results: Since 2018, 244 patients were included (81.6% males and 18.4% females). The mean age of patients was 7.75 years (SD = 3.41). 33.2% of patients presented intellectual disability, 25.8% ADHD and other co-occurring clinical conditions (30%). The mean days for the first visit was 23.36 days (SD = 14.69). The number of first visits increased from 29 in 2018 to 80 in 2024. The cases over time were more complex: more patients requiring substantial support and requiring very substantial support (Chi-Square 10.479 p < 0.005), more cases with family disfunction (Chi-Square 7.495 p < 0.003), and more patients requiring substantial support at school (Chi-Square 12.226 p < 0.005).
Conclusions: In recent years the complexity of the patients with ASD has increased. Research and treatment must focus on improving the lives of people with ASD (Roche et al., 2021).
References:
Pérez-Crespo L, et al. Temporal and Geographical Variability of Prevalence and Incidence of Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnoses in Children in Catalonia, Spain. Autism Res. 2019 Nov;12(11):1693-1705. doi: 10.1002/aur.2172.
Roche L, et al. Research priorities of the autism community: A systematic review of key stakeholder perspectives. Autism. 2021 Feb;25(2):336-348. doi: 10.1177/1362361320967790.
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