A profile of young Albertans with autism spectrum disorder

Abstract

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a lifelong neurobehavioural condition that can present serious social, behavioural, and communicational challenges to children. This report profiled 8,132 young Albertans (0 to 25 years old) with ASD from 2005/06 to 2010/11. Analyses examined these individuals’ sociodemographic characteristics and public service use patterns. This report found that young Albertans with ASD had less educational achievement, more chronic diseases and greater use of social and income supports than those without ASD. The report also found an overall trend of increasing disability service use from 2005/06 to 2010/11. These findings provide policy-relevant evidence that public authorities may consider as they seek to better support children with ASD.