Mapping the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders in children aged under 7 years in Australia, 2010–2012

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Bent, C., Dissanayake, C., & Barbaro, J. (2015). Mapping the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders in children aged under 7 years in Australia, 2010–2012. Medical Journal of Australia, 202(6), 317-320. https://doi.org/10.5694/mja14.00328

Publication date: 1 Apr 2015 Added to AutiHub: 7 Sep 2026 Type: Article Article language: English
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Authors

Publication authors
3
Publication authors identified as autistic
1 / 3 (33.3%)
  1. Catherine Bent
  2. Cheryl Dissanayake
  3. Josephine Barbaro *

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the frequency and age at diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children aged under 7 years living in Australia. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS: Analysis of de-identified data on 15 074 children aged under 7 years registered with the Helping Children with Autism Package (HCWAP; a program that provides funding for access to early intervention and support services throughout Australia) between 1 July 2010 and 30 June 2012. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Age at diagnosis of ASD as confirmed by a paediatrician, psychiatrist and/or multidisciplinary team assessment. RESULTS: The average age at diagnosis of ASD in children registered with the HCWAP is currently 49 months, with the most frequently reported age being 71 months. Differences were evident in age at diagnosis across states, with children in Western Australia and New South Wales being diagnosed at a younger age. Across Australia, 0.74% of the population of children aged under 7 years are currently diagnosed with ASD and registered with the HCWAP. A higher proportion of children were registered with the HCWAP in Victoria compared with other states. There was no difference in age at diagnosis between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, but children from a culturally and linguistically diverse background were diagnosed 5 months earlier than other children. CONCLUSIONS: There may be a substantial gap between the age at which a reliable and accurate diagnosis of ASD is possible and the average age that children are currently diagnosed. The frequency of ASD diagnoses in Australia has increased substantially from previously published estimates.

Bibliography cited by this reference

Cited references are imported from external metadata sources when they are available. The list may be partial.

Cited bibliography overview

These indicators describe the bibliography cited by this publication. An author name is counted each time it appears in one cited reference, so the same person can be counted more than once. Names not yet linked to an author already present in AutiHub are treated as unknown, not as non-autistic. Last computed: 12 Sep 2026 01:04.

Cited references
29
With a DOI
26
Without a DOI, from raw bibliography text
2
1 / 29 (3.4%) cited references include at least one author identified as autistic.
References with data to complete
1 / 29 (3.4%)
References with detected author names
28 / 29 (96.6%)
Without detected author names
1
Without a structured title
0
Without a stable identifier
2
References with raw author names still to review
0
References with external metadata lookup issues
0
These indicators apply to cited references displayed on this page, after technical duplicates have been merged. A reference without a DOI can still support author statistics when a title and author names are available.
Author names detected in the cited bibliography
206
From DOI or external metadata
206
From validated raw bibliography text
0
Raw names already validated
0
Raw names still to review
0
40 / 206 (19.4%) names are linked to an author already present in AutiHub. 166 / 206 (80.6%) names are not yet linked.
Names linked to a person identified as autistic
1 / 206 (0.5%)
Calculated across all author names detected in the cited bibliography. Among names linked to an author already present in AutiHub: 1 / 40 (2.5%). Distinct people identified as autistic: 1 / 162 (0.6%).
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