Epidemiology of autism spectrum disorders in adults in the community in England.

By T. Brugha, S. McManus, J. Bankart, Fiona J. Scott, S. Purdon, Jane Smith, P. Bebbington, R. Jenkins, H. Meltzer. Archives of General Psychiatry, 2011

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CONTEXT To our knowledge, there is no published information on the epidemiology of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in adults. If the prevalence of autism is increasing, rates in older adults would be expected to be lower than rates among younger adults. OBJECTIVE To estimate the prevalence and characteristics of adults with ASD living in the community in England. DESIGN A stratified, multiphase random sample was used in the third national survey of psychiatric morbidity in adults in England in 2007. Survey data were weighted to take account of study design and nonresponse so that the results were representative of the household population. SETTING General community (ie, private households) in England. PARTICIPANTS Adults (people 16 years or older). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Module 4 in phase 2 validated against the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised and Diagnostic Interview for Social and Communication Disorders in phase 3. A 20-item subset of the Autism-Spectrum Quotient self-completion questionnaire was used in phase 1 to select respondents for phase 2. Respondents also provided information on sociodemographics and their use of mental health services. RESULTS Of 7461 adult participants who provided a complete phase 1 interview, 618 completed phase 2 diagnostic assessments. The weighted prevalence of ASD in adults was estimated to be 9.8 per 1000 (95% confidence interval, 3.0-16.5). Prevalence was not related to the respondent's age. Rates were higher in men, those without educational qualifications, and those living in rented social (government-financed) housing. There was no evidence of increased use of services for mental health problems. CONCLUSIONS Conducting epidemiologic research on ASD in adults is feasible. The prevalence of ASD in this population is similar to that found in children. The lack of an association with age is consistent with there having been no increase in prevalence and with its causes being temporally constant. Adults with ASD living in the community are socially disadvantaged and tend to be unrecognized.

Subfields: Clinical Psychology, Cognitive Neuroscience, Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

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Citations in the corpus

High intelligence: A risk factor for psychological and physiological overexcitabilities (2018, result): “This figure corresponds with the only known study to investigate ASD in adults which came out of England and found the weighted prevalence of ASD in adults was estimated to be 9.8 per 1000 or just under 1% (Brugha et al., 2011).”
The epidemiology and global burden of autism spectrum disorders (2014, result): “A community case-finding survey of adults by Brugha et al. (2011) found that prevalence of ASDs in younger cohorts was consistent with that of older adult cohorts, supporting our finding of a stable prevalence.”
The size and burden of mental disorders and other disorders of the brain in Europe 2010. (2011, background): “A recent community study (Brugha et al., 2011) revealed a slightly higher estimate (1”
What should autism research focus upon? Community views and priorities from the United Kingdom (2014, result): “Recent figures estimate that approximately 1% of the population in the United Kingdom (UK) has an autism spectrum condition (Baird et al., 2006; Brugha et al., 2011) – more than a 20-fold increase from the results of the first epidemiological study (Lotter, 1966) – and such estimates are similar in…”
The Changing Epidemiology of Autism Spectrum Disorders (2016, background): “To date, there has been only one rigorous study of ASD prevalence in adults, conducted in England in 2007 (23).”
Autism risk factors: genes, environment, and gene-environment interactions (2012, result): “Indeed the authors found a rate of about 1% in adults across the entire age range, without a significant reduction in the older part of the sample, as one would expect if the prevalence had increased in recent years.(61) However, another study suggested that diagnostic substitution, especially for t”
Epilepsy and psychiatric comorbidity: A nationally representative population‐based study (2012, methodology): “, 2000), a semistructured diagnostic instrument for ASD was used in the phase 2 subsample (Brugha et al., 2011).”