Underutilization of Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention Among 3-Year-Old Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

• Published in: Journal of autism and developmental disorders 2019-07, Vol.49 (7), p.2956-2964
• Main Authors: Yingling, Marissa E., Bell, Bethany A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Autism; Autism Spectrum Disorder - therapy; Autistic children; Behavior; Behavior Modification; Behavior Therapy - statistics & numerical data; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Child; Child and School Psychology; Child, Preschool; Children; Diagnosis; Differences; Early Intervention; Early Intervention, Educational - statistics & numerical data; Ethnicity; Feasibility; Female; First year; Humans; Intensive treatment; Male; Medicaid; Minority & ethnic groups; Neighborhoods; Neurosciences; Original Paper; Pediatrics; Pervasive Developmental Disorders; Preschool Children; Psychological aspects; Psychology; Public Health; Race; Residence Characteristics; United States
• ISSN: 0162-3257; 1573-3432
• DOI: 10.1007/s10803-019-04005-0

Funding for early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI) for children with autism spectrum disorder is rapidly expanding. Yet we know little about children’s utilization, and research on inequities in utilization is lacking. We examined the relationship between utilization during the first year of EIBI and (a) child race-ethnicity and (b) neighborhood characteristics. Using a sample of children eligible for a Medicaid waiver through a novel policy of presumptive eligibility (N = 108), we estimated a series of two-level growth curve models. Children’s average utilization ranged between 24 and 48% of weekly hours, and utilization did not differ by race-ethnicity or neighborhood during the first year. Findings underscore the need to monitor utilization of EIBI and warrant research on the feasibility of EIBI provision in the general population.