Autism Spectrum Disorders in Greece: Nationwide Prevalence in 10–11 Year-Old Children and Regional Disparities

Abstract

<jats:p>Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) constitute a public health concern with increasing prevalence worldwide. We aimed to estimate prevalence and age at diagnosis in Greece, where no large-scale prevalence study has ever been conducted. Aggregate data were collected on ASD diagnoses by gender and calendar year of diagnosis up to 2019, for children born in 2008 and 2009, from the Centers for Educational and Counseling Support, which evaluate children to receive special educational support in school. Coverage was 87.1% of centers and 88.1% of schoolchildren born in 2008–9. ASD prevalence overall was 1.15% (1.83% males, 0.44% females; ratio 4.14:1), ranging from 0.59% to 1.50% in Greece’s 13 regions. In five regions, prevalence differed significantly between centers. Overall, only 3.8% of diagnoses were made before the fourth year after birth and 42.7% before the sixth year, with considerable variation between regions. Approximate mean age at diagnosis was six years and one month, and about three months earlier for girls than for boys. Our results provide evidence-based information to guide service planning and development at national and regional levels. Particular attention should be paid to smoothing out inequalities regarding service accessibility and provision. Emphasis should be given to earlier identification and diagnosis of ASD.</jats:p>

Mothers’ Experiences and Challenges Raising a Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Qualitative Study

“…This may represent a source of stress to parents. Previous studies from Greece [ 6 , 74 ] illustrated that due the severe economic crisis of the preceding decade, families with low socioeconomic status have limited access to healthcare services. In addition, financial austerity significantly negatively affected the planning and development of the necessary resources and services in special education and mental health for individuals with ASD.…”

“…According to estimates from the CDC’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Network, the current prevalence is 1 in every 54 children in the United States [ 4 ], while in recent years, the prevalence in Europe has increased rapidly, due to an increased awareness of autism and hence an increased likelihood of the condition being diagnosed [ 5 ]. Data suggest that the estimated prevalence of autism diagnosis in Greece approximates 1.15% of school-age children born in 2008 and 2009 (1.83% of males and 0.44% of females) [ 6 ], which is close to the value for Europe overall [ 7 ] and internationally [ 8 ].…”

Evidence of increasing recorded diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders in Wales, UK – an e-cohort study

“…Estimates point to a prevalence of autism in the general population around 1% (Abdallah et al, 2011; Baio et al, 2018; Chiarotti & Venerosi, 2020; Fombonne et al, 2021; Lord et al, 2020; Lyall et al, 2017; Russell et al, 2015; Taylor et al, 2013). Prior studies of autism prevalence have examined a number of birth or school cohorts, CDC surveillance data on children’s health records in the US, and the General Practice Research Database (GPRD) for general practice health records of children in the UK (Baio et al, 2018; Elsabbagh et al, 2012; Fuentes et al, 2020; Russell et al, 2015; Taylor et al, 2013; Thomaidis et al, 2020). Brugha et al were reportedly the first to ascertain data for adults, finding a prevalence of 0.98-1.1% using a national stratified survey methodology (Brugha et al, 2011, 2016).…”

Improving Listener Responding Skill Using Bee-Bot® in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Case Study

“…The term "spectrum" refers to a wide range of symptoms and severity. Autism has become a public health concern all over the worldwide with the estimated prevalence being 1 in 54 children (Maenner et al, 2020).…”

“…Some individuals with ASD may be presented with repetitive and challenging behaviors, limited communication and social skills and others may be autonomous who require only limited support (Thomaidis et al, 2020). Moreover, children with developmental disabilities are struggling and sometimes are unable to respond to the spoken language of other people (i.e., receptive language skill).…”