An exhaustive three year study commissioned by the
Australian Advisory Board on Autism Spectrum Disorders into
the prevalence of autism, led by Perth paediatrician Dr John
Wray, has concluded that one in 160 Australian children aged
between 6 and 12 years have an autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
- that is over 10,000 Australian children in that age group.
The finding is consistent with the latest overseas research
on the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders.
The report’s finding could be extrapolated
to suggest that as many as 125,000 people may have some form
of ASD in Australia. Given the difficulties faced by many
families, then half a million Australians could be impacted
by ASD.
"This study sets clear benchmarks for early intervention
planning and other services," Advisory Board spokesman Mick
Clark said today. "The Advisory Board on Autism Spectrum
Disorders will seek discussions with governments at an early
opportunity to better plan and fund early intervention, education
and support services."
The report bears out the need for a national protocol of
no more than 3 months waiting time for a diagnosis and assessment
by multidisciplinary teams who are funded to provide these services. Further,
no family should experience a waiting period of more than 3 months
between diagnosis and early intervention service provision.
"The report reveals that in some parts of Australia,
diagnosis and intervention can take up to two years - this is
far too long,"
Mr Clark said.
The Advisory Board commissioned this important study
with funding from the Commonwealth Department of Family & Community
Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaCSIA) as there was no accurate
and reliable figure on ASD prevalence in Australia. Researchers
took great care in ensuring an accurate national figure was
extracted from many sources including the Commonwealth Government’s
own statistics.
"The important thing was to get an accurate
sounding, for the first time, on how prevalent the disorder
is.
"We should act promptly as a community to tackle ASD
after diagnosis, to give those who have an autism spectrum disorder
the best chance in life. In most cases, early intervention
followed by schooling that uses autism-specific interventions
can bring real improvement," Mr Clark said.
The report is also a useful snapshot of what services are
available nationally, and where strengths and weaknesses lie
in diagnosis and intervention.
The report calls for a national approach to collecting data
such as a virtual register, and calls for further tightening
in data collection to help research the causes and effective
treatments of ASD.
The report will be presented and discussed at the 2007 Biennial
Australian Conference on ASD at Royal Pines Resort on the Gold
Coast on March 15. The full report can be found at:
