| Author, Year, Location, Reference | Total N Enrolled in Study | N Screened | N Indicated for Diagnostic Assessment | N Subjected to Diagnostic Assessment | Details of Excluded Individuals | Male % | Mean Age in Years | Description of Inpatient Setting | Description of Study Population | Method of Screening | Method of Autism Diagnosis | Diagnostic Criteria Used | Prevalence Estimate | STROBE Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hare et al. (1999), England, [23] | 1305 | 1305 | 240 | 215 | Patients on trial leave to other placements were excluded. Also, some were excluded from initial screening for administrative reasons of no clinical significance. 96% of the special hospital population was screened. | 86% (185/215) of those subjected to diagnostic assessment. Data pertaining to the male % of the 1305 individuals originally screened is not available. | 41.8 (Age range 20-77 years) | Three secure psychiatric hospitals | All adults. Mixture of non-ID and ID patient, though details regarding the relative proportions of each are not provided within the article. | Autism Spectrum Disorder in Adults Screening Questionnaire (ASDASQ)1 [26]. | Handicaps, Behaviours and Skills (HBS) schedule [27] and case note analysis. | ICD-10 [1] | 2.4% (31/1305), increased to 4.8% (62/1305) when equivocal cases are taken into account. | 15/22 |
| Mandell et al. (2012), USA, [9] | 141 | 141 (though all patients were subjected to diagnostic assessment irrespective of screening score) | 141 | 141 | There were 348 residents within the hospital, so only 41% were screened (141/308). Researchers attempted to obtain consent from all residents; 89% of refusal were passive (i.e. patient unable to give consent). Thus, non-capacitous individuals were excluded. | 75% (106/141) | 52 | State psychiatric hospital | Civilly committed patient. 32.6% (46/141) patients had ID. Age range not given. | Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) [28]. | Four step process: 1- Historical charts and electronic records reviewed; 2 – Diagnostic Interview for Genetics Studies (DIGS) [29] conducted for each patient; 3 – Autism Diagnostic Interview – Revised (ADI-R) [30] completed by research reliable clinicians; 4 – case conference review by two independent teams | DSM-IV2 [20] | Overall: 9.9% (14/141). ID subgroup: 19.6% (9/46). Non-ID subgroup: 5.3% (5/95). | 16/22 |
| Scragg and Shah (1994), England, [22] | 392 | 392 | 17 | 17, though 6 refused to be meet the investigator | Female patient excluded, on basis that Asperger’s Syndrome is reporter to be much more common in males. | 100% (392/392) | No data on age of study population, though the study population were adults. | Secure psychiatric hospital (Broadmoor, England) | Adult males. Unclear whether any patients in the study population had ID (details on IQ are only given for 9 patients whom met criteria for AS, none of whom had an IQ consistent with ID). | Examination of case notes | Two stages (after initial screening stage): 1 – Screening Schedule for Autistic Behaviour (Part of the HBS interview schedule) [27]; 2 – Interview by the investigator. | Gillberg and Gillberg (1989) [31] criteria | 1.5% (6/392) (95% CI – 0.6 to 3.3%), increased to 2.3% with the addition of equivocal cases (However, this estimate was for Asperger’s syndrome only, rather than all forms of ASD). | 12/22 |
| Shah et al. (1982), England, [24] | 761 | n/a | 761 | 761 | Exclusion of 129 patients, due to being non-mobile – ‘their inability to walk unaided limited the possibility of their showing the behaviour pattern characteristic of classic Kanner’s syndrome.’ | 61% (468/761) | No data for mean age available. Youngest patients were 16 years of age. | Long stay ID hospital3 | The entire study population had ID. | n/a | Disability Assessment Schedule [32] | Details not provided within the article. | 4% (27 to 34/761). The precise number of participants being diagnosed with ASD is not provided within the article, though they report a prevalence of 4% from a study population of 761. | 12/22 |