Psychiatric hospital treatment of youth with autism spectrum disorder in the United States: needs, outcomes, and policy

Abstract

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are admitted to inpatient psychiatric units at markedly high rates. As health insurance companies and government healthcare systems and regulators seek more evidence for healthcare outcomes, it is important to learn more about the effectiveness of psychiatric inpatient admissions for children with ASD to best inform decisions on provision and access to this level of care. Evidence for models of inpatient treatment for youth with ASD is presented, and key characteristics and consensus recommendations for care are discussed.

Keywords:

• Autism
• inpatient
• insurance
• aggression
• self-injury

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.