1. Almendingen A, Pilkington P. Parenting Self-Efficacy and Psychological Distress in Parents of Children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord;2023 (May 4)

Research suggests that challenges associated with raising a child with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can increase parents’ risk for diminished parenting self-efficacy (PSE) and psychological wellbeing. The present study aimed to explore interrelationships between noteworthy predictors of PSE and parental psychological distress, including parental mastery beliefs and the co-parenting relationship amongst 122 Australian parents of children with autism. Results indicated that greater mastery beliefs and more favourable co-parenting relationships predicted greater PSE, and higher PSE predicted less psychological distress. PSE significantly mediated relationships between mastery beliefs and psychological distress, and between the co-parenting relationship and psychological distress. Findings have implications that can aid professionals to more effectively support parents raising children on the autism spectrum.

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2. Anna S, Magdalena J. Editorial: Epigenomic contributions to autism spectrum disorders. Front Neurosci;2023;17:1177378.

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3. Beck KB, Terhorst LA, Greco CM, Kulzer JL, Skidmore ER, McCue MP. Item Understanding of Common Quality of Life Measures for use with Autistic Adults. J Autism Dev Disord;2023 (May 4)

Quality of life (QOL) and life satisfaction are important research priorities for autistic adults. As such, we saw a need to evaluate individual items of commonly used subjective QOL scales to understand how they are interpreted and perceived by autistic adults. This study used cognitive interviews and repeated sampling to evaluate the accessibility, test-retest reliability and internal consistency of several common QOL measures in a sample of young autistic adults (n = 20; aged 19-32). Cognitive interviews suggested that the Satisfaction with Life Scale was well understood and demonstrated excellent internal consistency and test-retest reliability. While the WHOQoL-BREF and WHOQoL Disability Modules had adequate reliability, cognitive interviews suggested that additional instructions and examples would further enhance their accessibility for use with autistic adults.

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4. Berends D, Bent CA, Vivanti G, Dissanayake C, Hudry K. Developmental Skills Moderate the Association Between Core Autism Features and Adaptive Behaviour in Early Childhood. J Autism Dev Disord;2023 (May 4)

PURPOSE: While research indicates that both the core features of autism and associated developmental skills influence adaptive behaviour outcomes, results to date suggest greater influence of the latter than the former, and little attention has been given to how the interaction of both together might impact functional disability. Seeking to expand understanding of associations between young children’s core social autism features, developmental skills, and functional ability/disability, we specifically tested whether early developmental skills might have a moderating effect on the association between early social features and subsequent functional disability. METHODS: Data from 162 preschool children were available for this study. These included time-1 measures of social autism features (ADOS-Social Affect score) and developmental skills (MSEL-Developmental Quotient; DQ), and a measure of functional ability/disability (VABS-Adaptive Behaviour Composite; ABC) available at follow-up 1-year later (time-2). RESULTS: Time-1 ADOS-SA and MSEL-DQ scores were concurrently associated with one another, and both prospectively associated with time-2 VABS-ABC scores. Examination of partial correlations (i.e., controlling for MSEL-DQ) demonstrated that the association of time-1 ADOS-SA and time-2 VABS-ABC was accounted for by shared variance with DQ. Formal moderation analysis returned a non-significant overall interaction term, but showed a lower-bound region of significance whereby the association of time-1 ADOS-SA with time-2 VABS-ABC was significant for children with baseline DQ ≤ 48.33. CONCLUSION: Our results add to a body of empirical evidence consistent with an understanding of the needs of and resources available to autistic people through a ‘cognitive compensation’ lens.

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5. Bradshaw J, Eberth JM, Zgodic A, Federico A, Flory K, McLain AC. County-Level Prevalence Estimates of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Children in the United States. J Autism Dev Disord;2023 (May 4)

Prevalence estimates of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) point to geographic and socioeconomic disparities in identification and diagnosis. Estimating national prevalence rates can limit understanding of local disparities, especially in rural areas where disproportionately higher rates of poverty and decreased healthcare access exist. Using a small area estimation approach from the 2016-2018 National Survey of Children’s Health (N = 70,913), we identified geographic differences in ASD prevalence, ranging from 4.38% in the Mid-Atlantic to 2.71% in the West South-Central region. Cluster analyses revealed « hot spots » in parts of the Southeast, East coast, and Northeast. This geographic clustering of prevalence estimates suggests that local or state-level differences in policies, service accessibility, and sociodemographics may play an important role in identification and diagnosis of ASD.County-Level Prevalence Estimates of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Children in the United States.

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6. Breddemann A, Schilbach L, Kunerl E, Witzmann M, Schuwerk T. [Gender Differences in Autism Diagnostics]. Psychiatr Prax;2023 (May 5)

Autism spectrum condition (ASC) is predominantly diagnosed in boys and men. There is evidence that this is also because girls and women with ASC don’t receive a diagnosis, or, if they do, only later in life. This study investigates gender differences in diagnosis, support needs, mental health, and life satisfaction among individuals with autism spectrum condition (ASC) in Germany. Data of an online questionnaire study with 659 persons with ASC from 3-67 years of age living in Bavaria, Germany, were analyzed (215 thereof were female). It was found that women with ASC are diagnosed 7-11 years later than men and are more likely to receive at least one misdiagnosis. They are more likely than men to have unmet educational support needs and comorbid internalizing psychiatric disorders. The results of this study point towards a strong gender bias in clinical diagnosis of ASC in Germany and need for improvements in the case of women.

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7. Crawshaw D. Should We Continue to Tell Autistic People that Their Brains are Different?. Psychol Rep;2023 (May 5):332941231174391.

Autism is often considered to reflect categorically ‘different brains’. Neuropsychological research on autism spectrum disorder (ASD) however, has struggled to define this difference, or derive clear-cut boundaries between autism and non-autism. Consequently, restructuring or disbanding the ASD diagnosis is becoming increasingly advocated within research. Nonetheless, autism now exists as a salient social construction, of which ‘difference’ is a key facet. Clinical and educational professionals must influence this cautiously, as changes to autism’s social construction may counterproductively affect the quality of life of autistic people. This paper therefore reviews ASD’s value as both neuropsychological and social constructs. Although lacking neuropsychological validity, the autism label may be beneficial for autistic self-identity, reduction of stigma, and administering support. Whilst a shift away from case-control ASD research is warranted, lay notions of ‘different brains’ may be preserved.

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8. Fu C, Ngo J, Zhang S, Lu L, Miron A, Schafer S, Gage FH, Jin F, Schumacher FR, Wynshaw-Boris A. Novel correlative analysis identifies multiple genomic variations impacting ASD with macrocephaly. Hum Mol Genet;2023 (May 5);32(10):1589-1606.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) display both phenotypic and genetic heterogeneity, impeding the understanding of ASD and development of effective means of diagnosis and potential treatments. Genes affected by genomic variations for ASD converge in dozens of gene ontologies (GOs), but the relationship between the variations at the GO level have not been well elucidated. In the current study, multiple types of genomic variations were mapped to GOs and correlations among GOs were measured in ASD and control samples. Several ASD-unique GO correlations were found, suggesting the importance of co-occurrence of genomic variations in genes from different functional categories in ASD etiology. Combined with experimental data, several variations related to WNT signaling, neuron development, synapse morphology/function and organ morphogenesis were found to be important for ASD with macrocephaly, and novel co-occurrence patterns of them in ASD patients were found. Furthermore, we applied this gene ontology correlation analysis method to find genomic variations that contribute to ASD etiology in combination with changes in gene expression and transcription factor binding, providing novel insights into ASD with macrocephaly and a new methodology for the analysis of genomic variation.

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9. Göksel P, Oban V, Dikeç G, Usta MB. Qualitative and Artificial Intelligence-Based Sentiment Analysis of Turkish Twitter Messages Related to Autism Spectrum Disorders. Cureus;2023 (May);15(5):e38446.

BACKGROUND: The aim of our study was to conduct an emotional analysis of Turkish Twitter messages related to autism spectrum disorders (ASD). METHODS: An emotion analysis was performed using quantitative and qualitative analysis methods on Turkish Twitter messages shared between November 2021 and January 2022 that contained the words « autism » and « autistic. » RESULTS: It was found that 81.5% of the 13,042 messages that constituted the sample of this study contained neutral emotions. The most frequently used words in Twitter messages were autism, a, universe, strong, patience, warriors, and happy. The qualitative analysis revealed three main themes. These themes were: « experiences, » « informing society and awareness, » and « humiliation. » CONCLUSION: In this study, it was found that Turkish Twitter messages related to autism, which were analyzed using artificial intelligence-based emotion analysis, often contained neutral emotions. While the content of these messages, often shared by parents, was related to experiences, and the messages shared by pediatric psychiatrists and rehabilitation center employees were informative in nature, it was determined that the word « autism » was used to insult, which is outside of its medical meaning.

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10. Hall SS, Britton TC. Differential Effects of a Behavioral Treatment Probe on Social Gaze Behavior in Fragile X Syndrome and Non-Syndromic Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord;2023 (May 4)

The purpose of this study was to examine potential differences in social learning between individuals with fragile X syndrome (FXS), the leading known inherited cause of intellectual disability, and individuals with non-syndromic autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Thirty school-aged males with FXS and 26 age and symptom-matched males with non-syndromic ASD, were administered a behavioral treatment probe designed to improve levels of social gaze during interactions with others. The treatment probe was administered by a trained behavior therapist over two days in our laboratory and included reinforcement of social gaze in two alternating training conditions – looking while listening and looking while speaking. Prior to each session, children in each group were taught progressive muscle relaxation and breathing techniques to counteract potential increased hyperarousal. Measures included the rate of learning in each group during treatment, in addition to levels of social gaze and heart rate obtained during administration of a standardized social conversation task administered prior to and following the treatment probe. Results showed that learning rates obtained during administration of the treatment probe were significantly less steep and less variable for males with FXS compared to males with non-syndromic ASD. Significant improvements in social gaze were also observed for males with FXS during the social conversation task. There was no effect of the treatment probe on heart rate in either group. These data reveal important differences in social learning between the two groups and have implications for early interventions in the two conditions.

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11. Harkins C, Mazurek MO. The Impact of Co-occurring ADHD on Social Competence Intervention Outcomes in Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord;2023 (May 4)

PURPOSE: The co-occurrence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention- deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is significant and associated with a host of negative outcomes. Studies investigating social functioning in the presence of the ASD/ADHD co-occurrence have produced mixed findings. The present study further evaluated the impact of co-occurring ADHD on social functioning among youth with ASD and compared treatment response to a social competence intervention between youth with ASD and ASD + ADHD. METHODS: Two-way repeated measures analyses of variance (ANOVAs) were computed with diagnostic group and time as the independent variables and measures of social functioning as dependent variables. Group and Time effects and Group by Time interactions were examined. RESULTS: Youth with co-occurring ADHD displayed more impairments related to social awareness, but not in other social areas. Participants in both the ASD and ASD + ADHD groups demonstrated significant improvement following a social competence intervention. CONCLUSION: Co-occurring ADHD did not negatively affect treatment response. Youth with ASD + ADHD may benefit highly structured interventions with a scaffolded teaching design.

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12. Horan MR, Latendresse SJ, Limbers CA. Mental Health in Mothers of Autistic Children with a Medical Home: The Potentially Mechanistic Roles of Coping and Social Support. J Autism Dev Disord;2023 (May 4)

Mothers of autistic children often report poor mental health outcomes. One established risk factor for these outcomes is the child having a medical home. This study examined possible mediating variables (coping, social support) in this relationship in 988 mothers of autistic children from the 2017/2018 National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH). The results of the multiple mediation model suggest the relationship between having a medical home and maternal mental health is largely explained by indirect associations with coping and social support. These findings suggest that clinical interventions for coping and social support provided by the medical home for mothers of autistic children may improve maternal mental health outcomes over and above implementation of a medical home.

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13. Iao LS, Shen CW, Wu CC. A Longitudinal Study of Joint Attention, Motor Imitation and Language Development in Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Taiwan. J Autism Dev Disord;2023 (May 4)

This longitudinal study examined early predictors of language development in 74 young children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Taiwan. Participants were assessed twice (initial age between 17 and 35 months) on responding to joint attention (RJA), initiating joint attention (IJA), motor imitation with objects (object imitation; OI) and without objects (manual imitation; MI), and receptive and expressive language. The two assessments were 18 months apart. Results showed that both RJA and MI concurrently and longitudinally predicted receptive and expressive language across the two assessments. These findings were not entirely consistent with the limited and mixed findings of Western longitudinal studies. However, they have implications for early interventions aiming to facilitate language development in children with ASD internationally.

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14. Khoodoruth MAS, Khoodoruth WNC, Ramadan AAM, Johnson B, Gulistan S, Deluvio RBC, Alamri MN, Al-Abdulla M, Ouanes S, Khan YS. Evaluating COVID-19 vaccination intentions and vaccine hesitancy among parents of children with autism spectrum disorder. Sci Rep;2023 (May 5);13(1):7353.

As the global vaccination mass campaign against COVID-19 extended to children aged 5 to 11 years, some parents remained hesitant about their children being administered the vaccine despite data supporting its safety. Parent vaccine hesitancy (PVH) may have predisposed certain groups of children, particularly those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), to COVID-19 when other neurotypical children would have been vaccinated. We investigated the current PVH in 243 parents of children with ASD and 245 controls using the Parent Attitudes about Childhood Vaccines (PACV) scale. The study was conducted in Qatar from May to October 2022. Overall, 15.0% [95% CI 11.7%; 18.3%] of parents were vaccine-hesitant, with no difference (p = 0.054) between groups (ASD children [18.2%] vs. controls [11.7%]). The only sociodemographic factor associated with higher vaccine hesitancy was being a mother (as compared to being a father). The COVID-19 vaccine receipt rate at the time of the study did not differ between ASD (24.3%) and non-ASD groups (27.8%). Around two-thirds of parents of children with ASD refused or were unsure about vaccinating their children against COVID-19. We found that the intent to vaccinate against COVID-19 was higher in parents who were married and in those with a lower PACV total score. Continued public health efforts are needed to address vaccine hesitancy among parents.

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15. Leung CS, Rosenzweig SJ, Yoon B, Marinelli NA, Hollingsworth EW, Maguire AM, Cowen MH, Schmidt M, Imitola J, Gamsiz Uzun ED, Lizarraga SB. Dysregulation of the chromatin environment leads to differential alternative splicing as a mechanism of disease in a human model of autism spectrum disorder. Hum Mol Genet;2023 (May 5);32(10):1634-1646.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects 1 in 44 children. Chromatin regulatory proteins are overrepresented among genes that contain high risk variants in ASD. Disruption of the chromatin environment leads to widespread dysregulation of gene expression, which is traditionally thought of as a mechanism of disease pathogenesis associated with ASD. Alternatively, alterations in chromatin dynamics could also lead to dysregulation of alternative splicing, which is understudied as a mechanism of ASD pathogenesis. The anticonvulsant valproic acid (VPA) is a well-known environmental risk factor for ASD that acts as a class I histone deacetylase inhibitor. However, the precise molecular mechanisms underlying defects in human neuronal development associated with exposure to VPA are understudied. To dissect how VPA exposure and subsequent chromatin hyperacetylation influence molecular signatures involved in ASD pathogenesis, we conducted RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) in human cortical neurons that were treated with VPA. We observed that differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were enriched for mRNA splicing, mRNA processing, histone modification and metabolism related gene sets. Furthermore, we observed widespread increases in the number and the type of alternative splicing events. Analysis of differential transcript usage (DTU) showed that exposure to VPA induces extensive alterations in transcript isoform usage across neurodevelopmentally important genes. Finally, we find that DEGs and genes that display DTU overlap with known ASD-risk genes. Altogether, these findings suggest that, in addition to differential gene expression, changes in alternative splicing correlated with alterations in the chromatin environment could act as an additional mechanism of disease in ASD.

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16. Lin X, Su X, Huang S, Liu Z, Yu H, Wang X, Lin L, Cao M, Li X, Jing J. Association between maternal parenting styles and behavioral problems in children with ASD: Moderating effect of maternal autistic traits. Front Psychiatry;2023;14:1107719.

BACKGROUND: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are at high risk of experiencing externalizing and internalizing problems. This study aimed to reveal how maternal parenting styles and autistic traits influence behavioral problems in children with ASD. METHODS: This study recruited 70 2-5 years children with ASD and 98 typically developing (TD) children. The Parental Behavior Inventory (PBI) and Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) were used to collect the maternal parenting styles and autistic traits, respectively. The children’s behavioral problems were reported by the mothers using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Hierarchical moderated regression analyses were used to determine whether maternal autistic traits moderated the association between parenting style and behavioral problems in the children. RESULTS: Compared to TD children, children with ASD exhibited more severe externalizing and internalizing problems (t = 4.85, p < 0.01). The ASD group scored lower in the maternal supportive/engaged parenting style than the TD group (t = 3.20, p < 0.01). In the TD group, the maternal AQ attention switching domain was positively correlated with internalizing problems in the children (β = 0.30, p = 0.03). In the ASD group, hostile/coercive parenting style was significantly correlated with externalizing problems in the children (β = 0.30, p = 0.02), whereas maternal AQ attention switching domain was negatively correlated with externalizing problems (β = -0.35, p = 0.02). Moreover, the maternal AQ attention switching domain moderated the association between hostile/coercive parenting style and children's externalizing problems (β = 0.33, p = 0.04). CONCLUSION: Among ASD children, a hostile/coercive parenting style can increase the risks of children's externalizing problems, especially in the context of high levels of maternal attention-switching problems. Hence, the current study has important implications for the clinical practice of early family-level interventions for children with ASD.

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17. Marquis S, Lunsky Y, McGrail KM, Baumbusch J. Population-level use of gynecological health services by female youth with intellectual/developmental disabilities in British Columbia Canada. Disabil Health J;2023 (Apr 13):101478.

BACKGROUND: There is evidence that female youth with intellectual/developmental disabilities (IDD) experience poorer gynecological care compared to female youth without disabilities. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to obtain baseline data on visits to a health care provider for a gynecological issue for females with IDD and compare that information to the experiences of female youth without IDD. METHODS: This study is a retrospective cohort study using population-level administrative health data from 2010 to 2019 for females aged 15-24 years, with and without IDD. RESULTS: 6452 female youth with IDD and 637,627 female youth without IDD were identified in the data. Over the ten-year period, 53.77% of youth with IDD and 53.68% of youth without IDD had a visit to a physician for a gynecological issue. However, as females with IDD aged, the number of people seeing a physician for a gynecological issue decreased. In the group aged 20-24 years, 15.25% of females with IDD and 24.47% of females without IDD (p < 0.0001) had a Pap test done at any time; 25.94% of females with IDD had a visit for contraception management and 28.38% of females (p < 0.0001) without IDD had a visit for contraception management. Gynecological care also varied by type of IDD. CONCLUSIONS: Females with IDD had a similar number of visits for a gynecological issue as female youth without IDD. However, the reasons for visits and the age at which visits occurred differed between youth with and without IDD. As females with IDD transition into adulthood, gynecological care must be maintained and improved.

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18. Rollins PR, Rangel-Uribe C, Rojas R, Brantley S. Examining Cultural and Linguistic Sensitivity of Pathways Early Autism Intervention with Hispanic Families. J Autism Dev Disord;2023 (May 4)

PURPOSE: This research aimed to evaluate evidence of Pathways parent-mediated early autism intervention as a culturally and linguistically sensitive intervention (CLSI) for Hispanic families with autistic children. METHODS: We used Bernal et al.’s ecologically valid (EV) framework to evaluate current practice and Hispanic parents’ perceptions of Pathways 1 ½ years after completing the intervention. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used. Nineteen parents were contacted, of which 11 completed a semi-structured interview about their experience with Pathways. RESULTS: On average, the group that completed the interview was less educated, had more monolingual Spanish speakers, and rated their general experience with the intervention slightly more positively than those who did not agree to complete the interview. A review of Pathways’s current practices through the lens of the EV framework suggested that Pathways was a CLSI for Hispanic participants in the domains of context, methods, language, and persons. Parental interviews echoed these strengths. However, Pathways did less well balancing evidence-based intervention strategies for autistic children with the heritage value of respeto. CONCLUSION: Pathways demonstrated strengths regarding cultural and linguistic sensitivity for Hispanic families with young autistic children. Future work with our community stakeholder group will integrate heritage and majority culture perspectives to strengthen Pathways as a CLSI.

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19. Saha P. Eigenvector Centrality Characterization on fMRI Data: Gender and Node Differences in Normal and ASD Subjects : Author name. J Autism Dev Disord;2023 (May 4)

With the budding interests of structural and functional network characteristics as potential parameters for abnormal brains, an essential and thus simpler representation and evaluations have become necessary. Eigenvector centrality measure of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) offer region wise network representations through fMRI diagnostic maps. The article investigates the suitability of network node centrality values to discriminate ASD subject groups compared to typically developing controls following a boxplot formalism and a classification and regression tree model. Region wise differences between normal and ASD subjects primarily belong to the frontoparietal, limbic, ventral attention, default mode and visual networks. The reduced number of regions-of-interests (ROI) clearly suggests the benefit of automated supervised machine learning algorithm over the manual classification method.

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20. Sapiets SJ, Hastings RP, Totsika V. Predictors of Access to Early Support in Families of Children with Suspected or Diagnosed Developmental Disabilities in the United Kingdom. J Autism Dev Disord;2023 (May 4)

This study examined predictors of access to early support amongst families of 0-6-year-old children with suspected or diagnosed developmental disabilities in the United Kingdom. Using survey data from 673 families, multiple regression models were fitted for three outcomes: intervention access, access to early support sources, and unmet need for early support sources. Developmental disability diagnosis and caregiver educational level were associated with intervention access and early support access. Early support access was also associated with child physical health, adaptive skills, caregiver ethnicity, informal support, and statutory statement of special educational needs. Unmet need for early support was associated with economic deprivation, the number of household caregivers, and informal support. Multiple factors influence access to early support. Key implications include enhancing processes for formal identification of need, addressing socioeconomic disparities (e.g., reducing inequalities, increasing funding for services), and providing more accessible services (e.g., coordinating support across services, flexible service provision).

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21. Schaaf RC, Puts NA, Williams ZJ, Woynaroski T. Forwarding the Science of Sensory Features in Autism and Related Conditions. J Autism Dev Disord;2023 (May 4)

This editorial accompanies the JADD Special Issue on Sensory Features in Autism and Related Conditions: Developmental Approaches, Mechanisms and Targeted Interventions. The editorial is a commentary on the state of the science in sensory features in autism and related conditions and provides a synopsis of the information contained in the special issue including provocative thoughts about moving the field forward in this area.

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22. Tinelli MM, Roddy A, Knapp M, Arango C, Mendez MA, Cusack J, Murphy D, Canitano R, Oakley B, Quoidbach V. Economic Evaluation of anti-epileptic Medicines for Autistic Children with Epilepsy. J Autism Dev Disord;2023 (May 4)

We examine the cost-effectiveness of treating epilepsy with anti-epileptic medicines in autistic children, looking at impacts on healthcare providers (in England, Ireland, Italy and Spain) and children’s families (in Ireland). We find carbamazepine to be the most cost-effective drug to try first in children with newly diagnosed focal seizures. For England and Spain, oxcarbazepine is the most cost-effective treatment when taken as additional treatment for those children whose response to monotherapy is suboptimal. In Ireland and Italy, gabapentin is the most cost-effective option. Our additional scenario analysis presents the aggregate cost to families with autistic children who are being treated for epilepsy: this cost is considerably higher than healthcare provider expenditure.

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23. Zhang W, Watson LR, Johnson KR. Racial Disparities in Hospitalization Due to Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions Among U.S. Children with Autism. J Autism Dev Disord;2023 (May 4)

PURPOSE: This study was to investigate the factors associated with preventable hospitalization due to ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSCs) in children with autism. METHODS: Using secondary data from the U.S. Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS), multivariable regression analyses were conducted to determine the potential effect of race and income level on the likelihood of inpatient stays for ACSCs among autistic children. Pediatric ACSCs included three acute conditions (dehydration, gastroenteritis, and urinary infection) and three chronic conditions (asthma, constipation, and diabetes short-term complications). RESULTS: In this analysis, there were 21,733 hospitalizations among children with autism; about 10% were hospitalized due to pediatric ACSCs. Overall, the odds of ACSCs hospitalization were greater among Hispanic and Black autistic children versus White autistic children. Both Hispanic and Black autistic children from the lowest income level had the highest odds to be hospitalized for chronic ACSCs. CONCLUSION: Inequities of access to health care among racial/ethnic minorities were most notable for autistic children with chronic ACSC conditions.

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