Missed Early Intervention Opportunities for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

Early intervention (EI) is essential for improving developmental outcomes in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, participation during the critical neurodevelopmental (0–3 years) period remains a challenge. To identify those factors associated with the participation of preschool children with ASD in EI before age 2, this study uses recent cross-sectional data from the 2021 to 2023 National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH). Binary logistical regression analysis was conducted to identify factors associated with EI receipt before age 2, including age of ASD diagnosis, socioeconomic status (SES), race, ASD severity, biological sex, birth weight, and diagnosis of early indicators of future developmental delay (DD). The findings revealed that only 15% of preschool children with ASD received EI before age 2. Significant predictors of timely participation in Part C EI included an ASD diagnosis before age 2, higher SES, and lower birth weight. Findings also revealed that 15.5% of children who did not receive timely EI had severe ASD symptoms, highlighting the critical need to improve EI participation for these children. Potential solutions discussed include expanding the definition of DD, increasing the number of states recognizing low birth weight as a Part C EI diagnosis, reducing barriers to Part C EI participation for disadvantaged families, and developing more effective tools to detect ASD and DD earlier in development.