PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Number of at-risk youth with intellectual disability and autism in the U.S. foster care system is growing

New research estimates nearly 40,000 youth with autism and intellectual and developmental disabilities were in the U.S. foster care system in 2016

2024-02-12
(Press-News.org) Youth with foster care involvement have an increased risk for mental health diagnoses, trauma and worse outcomes in adulthood than their peers. Research about how youth with disabilities, including autism and intellectual disability, interact with this system is lacking. Evidence for how youth with autism or intellectual disability in the foster care system access and use services is needed to advance ways to improve their outcomes.

Recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Pediatrics, researchers at Drexel University’s A.J. Drexel Autism Institute, in collaboration with George Mason University’s Department of Social Work and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s School of Social Work, engaged an intersectional analysis to examine foster care involvement among youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (including autism) and how it has evolved in the United States using a cross-section of 2016 national Medicaid claims data.

In 2016, there were over 430,000 youth in the U.S. foster care system. The researchers found that the population of youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities in foster care had grown substantially to almost 40,000 – or nearly 9% – and the rates of autism and intellectual disability among youth in foster care were two to five times greater than the rates found in the general U.S. population. Among youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities, Black youth and female youth had a higher risk for foster care involvement compared to youth who were white or male. Risk for foster care involvement among youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities also increased with age.

“Understanding the involvement of youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the foster care system is an important first step in identifying priorities for needed policy and program change,” said Lindsay Shea, DrPH, associate professor and director of the Policy and Analytics Center at the Autism Institute, and lead author on this study.  “Our collaborative team of public health, policy and social work experts sought to understand this group in the Medicaid system.”

The research team used the largest sources of Medicaid claims data to examine the entirety of the U.S. Medicaid system. Studying youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the foster care system in Medicaid is timely and important because Medicaid is the predominant insurer for youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities and youth in the foster care system. However, there may be barriers to how states connect services for youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities to the foster care system.

“This research centers around the experiences of an extremely vulnerable, and often invisible foster care youth. The first step to supporting these youth, is ensuring that their experiences are visible,” said Amy Blank Wilson, PhD, associate professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and co-author of the study.    

Research focused on autism is often limited to barriers in reaching marginalized groups, in part due to competing demands for families and individuals. The use of secondary data sources, such as Medicaid claims, presents an innovative opportunity to observe the experiences of people enrolled in the Medicaid system. In turn, this research presents news ways that policies or programs in Medicaid might be reorganized or connected, including bolstering supports for youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the foster care system. 

“A strength of this work is in the important consideration of intersecting identities of race, ethnicity, gender, age and disability,” said Melissa L. Villodas, PhD, an assistant professor at George Mason University and co-author of the research. “The more we know about the unique challenges that are compounded by marginalization, the more responsive we can be in our efforts toward equitable policies and practices.”

This research was supported by the National Institutes of Health and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The full study can be read here.

END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Multiple city hubs, dispersed parks keep metro areas cooler

2024-02-12
ITHACA, N.Y. – Metropolitan areas with multiple city centers and dispersed green spaces mitigate extreme heat more effectively than those with one dominant city, an analysis by Cornell University city planning scholars finds. Compared to “monocentric” development, “polycentric” spatial patterns better distribute the density of urban cores and curb the sprawl of impervious, heat-absorbing surfaces, according to the analysis of 50 city regions in Germany. Particularly in larger urban areas, polycentric development can moderate the urban heat island effect, ...

Innovation to overcome deficiencies in 3D printing

Innovation to overcome deficiencies in 3D printing
2024-02-12
The University of Houston is collaborating with Texas A&M University to tackle the challenge hindering the use of Additive Manufacturing (AM), commonly known as 3D printing, for a variety of commercial applications – the need for real-time monitoring and analysis to ensure consistent quality and reproducibility throughout the production process.  At present, quality control and qualification of metal AM parts is mostly carried out through offline inspection and characterization, but ideally, a broad range of sub-surface and bulk microstructural ...

Novel bispecific design improves CAR T–cell immunotherapy for childhood leukemia

Novel bispecific design improves CAR T–cell immunotherapy for childhood leukemia
2024-02-12
(MEMPHIS, Tenn. – February 12, 2024) St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital scientists improved chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T–cell immunotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia (AML), demonstrating better efficacy in the lab. To overcome common problems with CAR T cells, the researchers created an additional means for the therapy to find and eliminate cancer cells, using a small peptide. The study also showed how a computational approach incorporating AlphaFold predicted protein models could help ...

Including socioeconomic status of patients in calculation of Medicare readmission penalties would reduce stress on safety-net hospitals

2024-02-12
INDIANAPOLIS -- The Affordable Care Act requires Medicare to issue penalties that reduce payment to hospitals if post-operative readmission rates within 30 days exceed the national average. A new study led by Regenstrief Institute Research Scientist Andrew Gonzalez, M.D., J.D., MPH, reports that including socioeconomic status in the penalty calculation would reduce the amount of readmission penalties for safety-net hospitals, which typically care for the sickest patients. Other factors, including age and sex are ...

Are ammonia engines the way of the future? (video)

Are ammonia engines the way of the future? (video)
2024-02-12
WASHINGTON, Feb. 12, 2024 — Could ammonia engines power the cars of the future? Carmakers like Toyota are working to make this a reality. Ammonia is combustible and holds promise as a relatively low-effort way to decarbonize the internal combustion engine — but the devil’s in the details. Join George as he discovers at least one of those details by burning stuff in his basement. https://youtu.be/KZ_NlnmPQYk?si=BleQF9-aReuttCU4 Reactions is a video series produced by the American Chemical Society and PBS Digital Studios. Subscribe to Reactions at http://bit.ly/ACSReactions ...

Prevalence of young children fed only breast milk in low- and middle-income countries

2024-02-12
About The Study: In this study of 276,000 children ages 6 to 23 months in 92 low- and middle-income countries, 10.4% were zero-food children (i.e., children who did not consume any animal milk, formula, or solid or semisolid food during the last 24 hours). The prevalence of zero-food children underscores the need for targeted interventions to improve infant and young child feeding practices and ensure optimal nutrition during this critical period of development. The issue is particularly urgent in West and Central ...

Emergency department use disparities among transgender and cisgender Medicare beneficiaries

2024-02-12
About The Study: The results of this study suggested that transgender and gender-diverse Medicare beneficiaries use significantly more emergency department services than cisgender beneficiaries, particularly for psychological care, and these visits were more likely to be followed by an admission. This study quantifies this excess use of emergent services and highlights upstream implications of delays in seeking timely health care.  Authors: Gray Babbs, M.P.H., of the Brown University School of Public Health in Providence, Rhode Island, is the corresponding author. To access the embargoed study: Visit our ...

Foster care involvement among youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities

2024-02-12
About The Study: This study found that among youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities, Black youth and females faced higher risk for foster care involvement, and the likelihood of foster care involvement increased with age. There is an urgent need for research that focuses on addressing system-level factors that drive increased risk. Understanding the specific health needs of Black and female youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities is critical to ensure the formation, ...

Groundbreaking study on decomposing microbes could help transform forensic science

2024-02-12
EMBARGO:  THIS CONTENT IS UNDER EMBARGO UNTIL 11 A.M. U.S. EASTERN STANDARD TIME ON FEBRUARY 12. INTERESTED MEDIA MAY RECIVE A PREVIEW COPY OF THE JOURNAL ARTICLE IN ADVANCE OF THAT DATE OR CONDUCT INTERVIEWS, BUT THE INFORMATION MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, OR POSTED ONLINE UNTIL AFTER THE RELEASE WINDOW. For the first time, researchers have identified what appears to be a network of approximately 20 microbes that universally drive the decomposition of animal flesh. The findings have significant implications for the future of forensic science, including ...

Under embargo: Risk of death 12% higher for non-White children in England

2024-02-12
Peer reviewed: Yes Type of evidence: Observational study Subject: People UNDER STRICT EMBARGO 16.00 hours [UK GMT] Monday 12 February 2024 / 11.00 hours [US EST] Monday 12 February 2024 Risk of death 12% higher for non-White children in England Twelve percent of infant deaths in England could be avoided if all infants in England had the same risk of death as White infants, a new University of Bristol-led study shows.  Such a change, which equates to more than 200 deaths per year, would bring England – which currently has one ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Protein shakeup: Researchers uncover new function of a protein that may unlock age-related illnesses

UMD-led study could ‘pave the way’ for improved treatment of premature aging disease

How chain IVF clinics improve infertility treatment

Study shows that Rett syndrome in females is not just less severe, but different

Big data, real world, multi-state study finds RSV vaccine highly effective in protecting older adults against severe disease, hospitalization and death

Manliness concerns impede forgiveness of coworkers

Better ocean connectivity boosts reef fish populations

Two 2024 Nobel laureates are affiliates of the Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole

Ultra-processed foods pose unique dangers for people with type 2 diabetes

When hurricanes hit, online chatter drowns out safety messaging

Study seeks rapid, paper-based test to detect cancer cells in cerebrospinal fluid

Raising happy eaters: Unlocking the secrets of childhood appetite

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons launches two new thoracic surgery risk calculators

FAPESP and CNR plan to launch joint call for proposals in April 2025

Smaller, more specific academic journals have more sway over policy

Medicaid ACOs have not yet improved care for kids with asthma

New study sheds light on lily toxicity in cats; outpatient treatment may be viable option

A new benchmark to recognize the hardest problems in materials science

Why do we love carbs? The origins predate agriculture and maybe even our split from Neanderthals

Key protein for the biosynthesis of defense steroids in solanaceous plants discovered

Global CO2 emissions from forest fires increase by 60%

AI-assisted deliberation can help people with different views find common ground

Special Issue explores factors influencing democratic attitudes, and what’s at stake for science in the U.S. after November election

Extratropical forest fire emissions are increasing as climate changes

A new approach to capturing complex mixtures of organic chemicals in blood, evaluated in pregnant women

Gut instincts: Intestinal nutrient sensors

Catching prey with grappling hooks and cannons

Effects of chemical mixtures: Neurotoxic effects add up

Mpox in Africa was neglected during the previous outbreak, and requires urgent action and investment by leaders now to prevent global spread

A new era of treating neurological diseases at the blood-brain-immune interface

[Press-News.org] Number of at-risk youth with intellectual disability and autism in the U.S. foster care system is growing
New research estimates nearly 40,000 youth with autism and intellectual and developmental disabilities were in the U.S. foster care system in 2016