Dataset Information

Systematic approach to school-based assessments for autism spectrum disorders to reduce inequalities: a feasibility study in 10 primary schools.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

This was a pilot study to explore whether the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile (EYFSP) carried out by UK teachers within the 'reception' year, combined with the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ), can lead to early identification of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and early access to intervention and can reduce inequity in access to assessment and intervention.

Design

Pragmatic prospective cohort.

Setting

Ten primary schools from the SHINE project in Bradford.

Participants

587 pupils from 10 schools who transitioned from reception to year 1 in July 2017 and had the EYFSP completed were included in the final study.

Interventions

The assessment involved a multidisciplinary team of three staff who completed Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised, Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule Version 2, classroom observations with an ASD checklist, a teacher-based ASD questionnaire and a final consensus meeting.

Primary outcome measure

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guideline-compliant clinical diagnosis of ASD.

Secondary outcome measures

Age of diagnosis, demographic data and feasibility parameters.

Results

Children with low scores on the EYFSP were more likely to score above the SCQ threshold of 12, indicating potential autism (50% compared with 19% of children with high scores on the EYFSP (p<0.001)). All children scoring above the SCQ threshold received a full autism assessment; children who scored low on the EYFSP were more likely to be diagnosed with autism (and other developmental issues) compared with those who did not.

Conclusions

We identified nine new children with a diagnosis of ASD, all from ethnic minorities, suggesting that this process may be addressing the inequalities in early diagnosis found in previous studies. All children who scored above the SCQ threshold required support (ie, had a neurodevelopmental disorder), indicating the EYFSP questionnaire captured 'at-risk' children.

SUBMITTER: Wright B

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7813406 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Systematic approach to school-based assessments for autism spectrum disorders to reduce inequalities: a feasibility study in 10 primary schools.

Wright Barry B Konstantopoulou Kalliopi K Sohal Kuldeep K Kelly Brian B Morgan Geoff G Hulin Cathy C Mansoor Sara S Mon-Williams Mark M

BMJ open 20210117 1

<h4>Objectives</h4>This was a pilot study to explore whether the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile (EYFSP) carried out by UK teachers within the 'reception' year, combined with the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ), can lead to early identification of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and early access to intervention and can reduce inequity in access to assessment and intervention.<h4>Design</h4>Pragmatic prospective cohort.<h4>Setting</h4>Ten primary schools from the SHINE ...[more]

PMID: 33455935

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Project description:Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by delayed/abnormal language development, deficits in social interaction, repetitive behaviors and restricted interests. The heterogeneity in clinical presentation of ASD, likely due to different etiologies, complicates genetic/biological analyses of these disorders. DNA microarray analyses were conducted on 116 lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCL) from individuals with idiopathic autism who are divided into 3 phenotypic subgroups according to severity scores from the commonly used Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised questionnaire and age-matched, nonautistic controls. Statistical analyses of gene expression data from control LCL against that of LCL from ASD probands identify genes for which expression levels are either quantitatively or qualitatively associated with phenotypic severity. Comparison of the significant differentially expressed genes from each subgroup relative to the control group reveals differentially expressed genes unique to each subgroup as well as genes in common across subgroups. Among the findings unique to the most severely affected ASD group are genes that regulate circadian rhythm, which has been shown to have multiple effects on neurological as well as metabolic functions commonly dysregulated in autism. Among the genes common to all 3 subgroups of ASD are 5 novel genes which appear to associate with androgen sensitivity, which may underlie the strong 4:1 bias towards affected males. Gene expression profiling of 116 LCL from autistic (87) and nonautistic (29) individuals were obtained using a custom-printed DNA microarray containing 39,936 elements (TIGR 40K Human array, GPL3427) and a reference design in which each sample was compared to the Stratagene Universal Human RNA standard. The 87 autistic samples were divided into phenotypic subgroups (language, mild, savant) on the basis of cluster analyses of scores from an autism diagnostic questionnaire, the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised instrument. Differentially expressed genes were determined for all autistic vs. control groups, as well as for each of 3 phenotypic ASD groups and controls.

Dataset Information

Systematic approach to school-based assessments for autism spectrum disorders to reduce inequalities: a feasibility study in 10 primary schools.

Objectives

Design

Setting

Participants

Interventions

Primary outcome measure

Secondary outcome measures

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Systematic approach to school-based assessments for autism spectrum disorders to reduce inequalities: a feasibility study in 10 primary schools.

Similar Datasets

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