Exploring the Impact of Clinical Diagnosis on Health and Education Outcomes for Children Receiving Special Educational Needs support for Autism

探索临床诊断对接受自闭症特殊教育需求支持的儿童的健康和教育结果的影响

• 批准号: ES/Z502431/1
• 负责人: Xingna Zhang
• 金额: $ 18.41万
• 依托单位: University of Liverpool
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Fellowship
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2024 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=ES%2FZ502431%2F1
• 关键词: Exploring; Impact; Clinical; Diagnosis; Health

Autism, or Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD), is a lifelong developmental disability which affects how people communicate and interact with the world. It affects around 3% of children. Children with ASD experience cognitive, sensory, and social challenges, including in schools. They face adverse health and education outcomes, such as an increased risk of cognitive development delays, motor skill challenges, anxiety, and school absence and exclusion. The lifetime cost of supporting an individual with ASD in the UK was £0.92 million in 2011, whilst annual special education and health-related costs for 4-17-year-olds with ASD were £14,006 and £890.Clinical assessments for ASD are typically conducted within Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), and a formal diagnosis is a crucial step toward accessing tailored support and services addressing the unique challenges of ASD. Although there is some opportunity for additional support in schools without a clinical diagnosis, many children with autism are not getting the full support they need. There is a significant challenge within the current clinical system for assessing ASD. Waiting times for assessments have surpassed 5 years in some regions, creating an unmanageable backlog. This crisis necessitates immediate action to ensure timely support for children in both health and education settings.To address this pressing issue, this project will generate new knowledge about the impact of clinical diagnosis of ASD upon inequalities in health and education outcomes for children in England. This knowledge will enable health and education services to identify opportunities to intervene to mitigate inequalities. I will analyse data from Education and Child Health Insights from Linked Data (ECHILD). ECHILD joins together health, education and social care information for all children in England and provides a detailed picture of outcomes. The project will draw upon diverse disciplines such as public health, data science, and geography to explore health and educational outcomes for autistic children, considering the broader context of service shortages in clinical assessments.The primary goal is to investigate whether obtaining a diagnosis from a clinical setting offers additional advantages to children identified solely in an educational setting with ASD, who may require extra support. This exploration aims to enhance our understanding of which children would benefit most from clinical diagnoses. The insights gained could be applied to prioritising children on waiting lists, introducing fair and programmable practices into health systems. The benefit is that the needs of children could be better matched by the services that support them.The project's practical relevance lies in directly addressing challenges related to underdiagnosis and the crisis in clinical services. It strives to promote equal care for children, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds who may face exacerbated disadvantages if their ASD is not identified and addressed. I am committed to working closely with key stakeholders, including members of education and health services supporting autistic children, as well as involving members of the ASD community.The potential impact of this project is substantial, with the capacity to bring about tangible education and health benefits and create meaningful impact. It addresses the crisis currently faced by frontline practitioners, policymakers, and other stakeholders striving to support autistic children. The proposal aligns with the objectives of fostering engagement and community building in administrative data research, emphasising a dedication to making a positive difference in the lives of autistic children and their families.

自闭症或自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）是一种终身发育障碍，影响人们与世界沟通和互动的方式。它影响约3％的儿童。有ASD的儿童经历认知，感官和社会挑战，包括学校。他们面临不利的健康和教育成果，例如增加认知发展延迟，运动技能挑战，焦虑以及学校缺席和排斥的风险增加。在2011年，在英国支持ASD的人的终身费用为92万英镑，而ASD的4-17岁年轻人的年度特殊教育和与健康相关的成本为14,006英镑，ASD的周期性评估通常是在儿童和青少年心理健康服务（CAMHS）内进行的，并涉及正式的诊断措施，并涉及正式诊断措施。尽管在没有临床诊断的学校中，有一些机会提供额外的支持，但许多自闭症儿童没有得到他们需要的全部支持。当前临床系统评估ASD存在巨大挑战。评估的等待时间已经在某些地区存活了5年，创造了一个难以管理的积压。这场危机需要采取必要的行动，以确保及时支持健康和教育环境中的儿童。为了解决这一紧迫问题，该项目将为ASD的临床诊断对ASD对英格兰儿童的健康和教育成果不平等的影响产生新的知识。这些知识将使健康和教育服务能够确定干预以减轻不平等的机会。我将分析来自链接数据（Echild）的教育和儿童健康见解的数据。 Echild加入了英格兰所有儿童的健康，教育和社会护理信息，并提供了结果的详细情况。该项目将借鉴潜水员学科，例如公共卫生，数据科学和地理，以探索加速儿童的健康和教育成果，考虑到临床评估中更广泛的服务短缺背景。主要目标是调查从临床环境中获得诊断的诊断，是否为与ASD提供额外支持的教育环境中的儿童提供了更多的优势。这种探索旨在增强我们对哪些儿童将从临床诊断中受益最大的理解。获得的见解可以应用于在等待名单上优先考虑儿童，将公平和可编程的做法引入卫生系统。好处是，支持他们的服务可以更好地匹配儿童的需求。该项目的实际意义在于直接解决与诊断不足和临床服务危机有关的挑战。它努力促进对儿童的平等照顾，尤其是那些来自处境不利的背景的孩子，如果未发现和解决ASD，他们可能面临恶化的劣势。我致力于与主要的利益相关者紧密合作，包括支持加速儿童的教育和卫生服务成员，以及参与ASD社区的成员。该项目的潜在影响很大，有能力带来有形的教育和健康福利并产生有意义的影响。它解决了一线从业人员，政策制定者和其他努力支持加速儿童的利益相关者目前面临的危机。该提案与在行政数据研究中促进参与和社区建设的目标相吻合，强调致力于对侵略性儿童及其家人的生活产生积极影响。