Injury Treatment among Children with Autism or Pervasive Developmental Disorder

This study examined the differences in the frequency and type of injury for children with autism and pervasive developmental disorder (PDD) compared with typically developing peers, when both groups are insured by Medicaid. The relative rate (RR) of emergency/hospital treatment of injury for children with autism or PDD compared to controls was 1.20 [95% Confidence Interval (CI) 1.04–1.39] after controlling for age and gender. Children with autism or PDD had a higher rate for head, face, and neck injuries (RR 1.47, 95% CI 1.13–1.90) and lower rate for sprains and strains (RR 0.54, 95% CI 0.32–0.91). Treatment for poisoning was 7.6 times as frequent, and self-inflicted injury was also 7.6 times as frequent for children with autism or PDD.