CD-48850c
Foster Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Prevalence, Length of Stay, and Placement Patterns (Special issue: Child Welfare and Disabilities).
Bilaver, Lucy A. Havlicek, Judy.
Journal Article
Copyright
Published:  November-December 2013
Journal of Public Child Welfare
Vol. 7, No. 5 , p. 496-519
DOI: 10.1080/15548732.2013.843496
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The goals of this study are to identify the prevalence of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) entering out-of-home care and to focus attention on length of stay and placement stability. To achieve these goals, this study links Illinois administrative data with Medicaid records. Overall, 2.4% of the sample has a diagnosis of ASD. The median length of stay for children with ASD is 1.6 times longer than children without ASD. A latent class analysis identifies three distinct profiles of movement: escalating, de-escalating, and continuous. Study findings are discussed in the context of service needs of children with ASD. (Author abstract)
Keywords:
foster children; Incidence; children with disabilities; child placement; Length of stay; Foster care drift