Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Inpatient Adolescent Psychiatric Population.

The prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has increased in recent decades, much of which is related to changes in diagnostic criteria, and greater awareness among professionals and parents. Using a prospective cross-sectional study design, this study explores the prevalence of ASD among 173 adolescents admitted to two psychiatric facilities in Canada, and its association with some early pre and perinatal risk factors. The overall prevalence of ASD in the psychiatric population was 11.