A new analysis of data collected from more than 82,000 children with autism finds clear disparities in health care usage across seven years reveals significant differences in their health care utilization according to sex, race and ethnicity.

Results and implications of the study, led by Amber Angell, PhD, OTR/L, an assistant professor of occupational science and occupational therapy at the USC Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, were recently published online in Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Previous research has shown that autistic children and youth utilize health care services more often than both the general pediatric population, as well as pediatric populations who have special health needs. However, few studies have examined health care utilization disparities across subgroups, such as the utilization rates of autistic males versus females or across racial and ethnic groups.

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