The Childhood Prevalence, Gender Ratio, and Characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Cyprus Using School Report: A Cross-Sectional Study

IF 1.3 Q3 EDUCATION, SPECIAL

Advances in Neurodevelopmental Disorders Pub Date : 2024-07-19 DOI:10.1007/s41252-024-00412-2

Margarita Kilili-Lesta, Konstantinos Giannakou, Louiza Voniati

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Objectives

To determine the childhood prevalence and characteristics of ASD in Cyprus and identify the factors associated with it.

Methods

This was a large-scale cross-sectional study of children 5 to 12 years of age attending schools across all Cyprus districts. Data were collected between February 20, 2023, and June 23, 2023, through a school questionnaire obtaining school information, student demographics, ASD characteristics, and language information, based on schools’ special education databases.

Results

Out of 9990 participants from 117 schools, a 1.8% prevalence of ASD was identified, with a substantial male predominance (80.3%, gender ratio 4.1). ASD prevalence was significantly lower in primary schools (1.3%, p<0.001) and markedly higher in special schools (41.9%, p<0.001) compared to pre-primary schools (2.7%, p<0.001). No significant differences were observed across age groups or school types (p>0.05). Most children with ASD (90.4%) received support primarily through speech-language therapy and special education (93.8%). Approximately 55.6% were reported as nonverbal/minimally verbal. Common comorbidities included attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (37.6%) and intellectual disability (10.7%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis highlighted gender (OR 0.26, 95% C.I. 0.18–0.38), school system (OR 21.04, 95% C.I. 9.94–44.26), and school level (OR 0.48, 95% C.I. 0.34–0.67) as significant factors associated with ASD prevalence (p<0.001).

Conclusions

A 1.8% prevalence of ASD was identified, with 80.3% male representation and a 4.1 gender ratio. The likelihood of ASD was greater among males and those attending pre-primary or special schools. We displayed the need for ASD public policy enforcement in Cyprus mandating screenings in pre-primary schools for early identification, and monitoring prevalence rates through a central database, for adequate service planning.

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通过学校报告了解塞浦路斯自闭症谱系障碍的儿童患病率、性别比例和特征：一项横断面研究

目的了解塞浦路斯儿童ASD的患病率、特点及相关因素。方法：这是一项针对塞浦路斯所有地区5至12岁上学儿童的大规模横断面研究。数据收集时间为2023年2月20日至2023年6月23日，基于学校特殊教育数据库，通过学校问卷获取学校信息、学生人口统计、ASD特征和语言信息。结果来自117所学校的9990名参与者中，ASD患病率为1.8%，男性占明显优势（80.3%，性别比4.1）。与学前教育（2.7%,p < 0.001）相比，小学的ASD患病率明显较低（1.3%,p < 0.001），特殊学校的患病率明显较高（41.9%,p < 0.001）。在不同年龄组或学校类型之间没有观察到显著差异（p>0.05）。大多数自闭症儿童（90.4%）主要通过语言治疗和特殊教育（93.8%）获得支持。约55.6%为非语言/最低限度语言。常见的合并症包括注意缺陷/多动障碍（37.6%）和智力残疾（10.7%）。多因素logistic回归分析强调性别（OR 0.26, 95% C.I. 0.18-0.38）、学校系统（OR 21.04, 95% C.I. 9.94-44.26）和学校水平（OR 0.48, 95% C.I. 0.34-0.67）是与ASD患病率相关的重要因素（p<0.001）。结论ASD患病率为1.8%，其中男性占80.3%，性别比例为4.1。男性和学龄前或特殊学校的学生患自闭症的可能性更大。我们展示了塞浦路斯实施ASD公共政策的必要性，要求在学前学校进行筛查以早期识别，并通过中央数据库监测患病率，以进行适当的服务规划。

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来源期刊

Advances in Neurodevelopmental Disorders Social Sciences-Social Sciences (miscellaneous)

CiteScore

2.10

自引率

0.00%

发文量

期刊介绍： Advances in Neurodevelopmental Disorders publishes high-quality research in the broad area of neurodevelopmental disorders across the lifespan. Study participants may include individuals with:Intellectual and developmental disabilitiesGlobal developmental delayCommunication disordersLanguage disordersSpeech sound disordersChildhood-onset fluency disorders (e.g., stuttering)Social (e.g., pragmatic) communication disordersUnspecified communication disordersAutism spectrum disorder (ASD)Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), specified and unspecifiedSpecific learning disordersMotor disordersDevelopmental coordination disordersStereotypic movement disorderTic disorders, specified and unspecifiedOther neurodevelopmental disorders, specified and unspecifiedPapers may also include studies of participants with neurodegenerative disorders that lead to a decline in intellectual functioning, including Alzheimer’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia, frontotemporal dementia, corticobasal degeneration, Huntington’s disease, and progressive supranuclear palsy. The journal includes empirical, theoretical and review papers on a large variety of issues, populations, and domains, including but not limited to: diagnosis; incidence and prevalence; and educational, pharmacological, behavioral and cognitive behavioral, mindfulness, and psychosocial interventions across the life span. Animal models of basic research that inform the understanding and treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders are also welcomed. The journal is multidisciplinary and multi-theoretical, and encourages research from multiple specialties in the social sciences using quantitative and mixed-method research methodologies.