Specialized inpatient psychiatry for serious behavioral disturbance in autism and intellectual disability.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

12-1-2014

Institution/Department

MaineHealth, Psychiatry

Journal Title

Journal of autism and developmental disorders

MeSH Headings

Adolescent, Child, Child Development Disorders, Pervasive, Child, Preschool, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Hospitalization, Humans, Inpatients, Intellectual Disability, Male, Mental Disorders, Psychiatric Department, Hospital

Abstract

Psychiatric hospitalization of children with autism spectrum disorder and/or intellectual disability is common, however, the effectiveness of this intervention is largely unknown. Thirty-eight clinically-referred children 8-19 years old admitted to a specialized inpatient psychiatry unit were assessed by a consistent caregiver on the Aberrant Behavior Checklist-Irritability (ABC-I) subscale at admission, discharge and 2 months post discharge. There was a decrease in the mean ABC-I score from admission (27.3, SD 7.4) to discharge (11.9, SD 8.8), which was sustained at 2 months post discharge (14.8, SD 9.3) (p < 0.001). Seventy-eight percent of the subjects were rated as "Improved" on the clinician Clinical Global Impressions Improvement scale at discharge. The study is limited by lack of a control group, but offers preliminary evidence for specialized inpatient psychiatry as an intervention for serious behavioral disturbance in this population.

ISSN

1573-3432

First Page

3026

Last Page

3032

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