Previously Documented ASD Classification

Of the 5,473 children meeting the ADDM ASD surveillance case definition,
4,379 (80%) had either eligibility for autism special education services or a
DSM-IV-TR, DSM-5, or ICD-9 autism diagnosis documented in their records
(range among 11 sites: 58% [Colorado] to 92% [Missouri]). Combining data
from all 11 sites, 81% of boys had a previous ASD classification on record,
compared with 75% of girls (OR = 1.4; p<0.01). When stratified by
race/ethnicity, 80% of white children had a previously documented ASD
classification, compared with nearly 83% of black children (OR = 0.9; p =
0.09) and 76% of Hispanic children (OR = 1.3; p<0.01); a significant
difference was also found when comparing the proportion of black
children with a previous ASD classification to that among Hispanic children
(OR = 1.5; p<0.01).

The median age of earliest known ASD diagnosis documented in children’s

records (Table 5) varied by diagnostic subtype (autistic disorder: 46
months; ASD/PDD: 56 months; Asperger disorder: 67 months). Within
these subtypes, the median age of earliest known diagnosis did not differ
by sex, nor did any difference exist in the proportion of boys and girls who
initially received a diagnosis of autistic disorder (48%), ASD/PDD (46%), or
Asperger disorder (6%). The median age of earliest known diagnosis and
distribution of subtypes did vary by site. The median age of earliest known
ASD diagnosis for all subtypes combined was 52 months, ranging from 40
months in North Carolina to 59 months in Arkansas.