Practice patterns and determinants of wait time for autism spectrum disorder diagnosis in Canada
Open accessAbstract
Inefficient diagnostic practices for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may contribute to longer wait times, delaying access to intervention. The objectives were to describe the diagnostic practices of Canadian pediatricians and to identify determinants of longer wait time for ASD diagnosis. An online survey was conducted through the Canadian Paediatric Society’s developmental pediatrics, community pediatrics, and mental health sections. Participants were asked for demographic information, whether they diagnosed ASD, and elements of their diagnostic assessment. A multiple linear regression of total wait time (time from referral to communication of the diagnosis to the family) as a function of practice characteristics was conducted. A total of 90 participants completed the survey, of whom 57 diagnosed ASD in their practices (63.3%). Respondents reported varied use of multi-disciplinary teams, with 53% reporting participation in a team. No two identically composed teams were reported. Respondents also had varied use of diagnostic tools, with 21% reporting no use of tools. The median reported total wait for ASD diagnosis time was 7 months (interquartile range 4–12 months). Longer time spent on assessment was the only variable that remained significantly associated with longer wait time in multiple regression ( p = 0.002). Use of diagnostic tools did not significantly affect wait time. Canadian ASD diagnostic practices vary widely and wait times for these assessments are substantial—7 months from referral to receipt of diagnosis. Time spent on the assessment is a significant determinant of wait time, highlighting the need for efficient assessment practices.
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A recent survey of Canadian paediatricians by our group found substantial variability in ASD diagnostic practices, indicating a disconnect between recommendations and actual practice.
“Further, a recent survey of Canadian paediatricians by our group found substantial variability in ASD diagnostic practices, indicating a disconnect between recommendations and actual practice (11).”
From Environmental scan of Canadian and UK policies for autism spectrum disorder diagnostic assessment (2019) · cites this paper as [11]
The Methods describe a cross-sectional survey of Canadian pediatricians, and the Discussion reports wide variation in ASD diagnostic practices. The paper does not establish a disconnect between recommendations and practice; its Discussion suggests that variation in team composition may instead reflect a lack of uniformity in guidance documents. (LLM, conf=0.85)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredOur recent survey of Canadian paediatricians showed that ASD diagnostic wait times are over 7 months from referral to diagnosis, with reported provincial median wait times outside the target ranges provided in this scan (e.g., a median reported wait time of 9.5 months in BC).
“Our recent survey of Canadian paediatricians (11) also showed that ASD diagnostic wait times are over 7 months from referral to diagnosis, with reported provincial median wait times outside the target ranges provided in this scan (e.g., a median reported wait time of 9.5 months in BC)”
From Environmental scan of Canadian and UK policies for autism spectrum disorder diagnostic assessment (2019) · cites this paper as [11]
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Self-citation
- Authors
- Penner, M., Anagnostou, E., & Ungar, W. J.
- Affiliations
- University of Toronto (CA)
- Corresponding author
- Ungar, Wendy J.
- Venue
- Molecular Autism
- Published
- 2018-03-06
- Volume
- 9
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 16-16
- ISSN
- 2040-2392 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC5840789
- OpenAlex
- W2797260136
- Cited by
- 79
- References
- 27
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 18 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 3
- FWCI
- 3.72
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by
- Locations
- Molecular Autism (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- TSpace (University of Toronto) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Funders
- University of Toronto (Clinician Investigator Program Salary Award, Department of Pediatrics Research Salary Award)
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research (Canada Graduate Scholarship)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Child Nutrition and Feeding Issues
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Family and Disability Support Research
- Keywords
- autism spectrum disorder, diagnostic wait times, pediatricians, diagnostic practices, multidisciplinary team, diagnostic tools, access to diagnosis
- MeSH terms
- Autism Spectrum Disorder, Pediatricians, Adult, Aged, Canada, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Practice Patterns, Physicians', Surveys and Questionnaires, Early Diagnosis, Delayed Diagnosis
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