Treatment of autism spectrum disorder within a Medicaid-enrolled pediatric sample: Prevalence and predictors of psychopharmacological treatment

The purpose of this study was to contribute to the literature on the prevalence of psychotropic medications for youth with autism spectrum disorder within a sample of Medicaid-enrolled children and adolescents (N = 8,058) in the state of Michigan in the year 2009. Prevalence of psychopharmacological treatments, rates of polypharmacy, and the predictive value of participant, educational, and healthcare characteristics were analyzed. Results indicated that 60% of participants were prescribed a psychotropic medication, and approximately 36% received polypharmacy intervention. Older age, identifying as White, having an Asperger's diagnosis, and receiving a comorbid diagnosis were found to be associated with an increased likelihood of being prescribed psychopharmacologic intervention. County educational characteristics, specifically total number of students and student-teacher ratio, were also found to influence psychopharmacologic prescribing. Lastly, a dramatic increase in prevalence rates was identified between 2001 (32%) and 2009 (60%) for youth with autism spectrum disorder. In summary, psychopharmacologic prevalence doubled during the targeted decade in the state of Michigan, and variables outside of the scope of medical best practice were found to influence psychopharmacologic prescribing practices. Implications of study findings on future research are discussed.