Assistive devices for mobility and communication in autism spectrum disorder: A retrospective cross-sectional cohort study on disability management

Table 1 District-level demographic and prescription indicators

Districts	Paediatric population, %	% of ASD cases	Mean prescriptions per child with ASD	% of total prescriptions
D1	18	10.9	2.0	8.3
D2	22	15.2	2.3	13.3
D3	18	2.2	1.0	0.8
D4	18	13.0	1.3	6.7
D5	20	15.2	1.3	7.5
D6	17	0	–	0
D7	20	13.0	5.2	25.8
D8	20	21.7	4.1	34.2
D9	21	8.7	1.0	3.3

ASD: Autism spectrum disorder.

Table 2 Assistive device prescriptions by medical specialty

Type of assistive devices	% of total prescriptions	Prescribing medical speciality
		Physical medicine and rehabilitation, %	Child neurology, %
Communication devices (n = 47)	39.2	9.2	30.0
Mobility: Wheelchairs (n = 39)	32.5	31.6	0.8
Mobility: Lower-limb aids (n = 34)	28.3	23.3	5.0

Table 3 Statistical associations between International Organization for Standardization codes and clinical and demographic variables

Distribution analysis of ISO codes	Statistical parameter	Communication aids	Wheelchairs	Gait aids
Healthcare districts	χ2	53.11	39	70.92
	DF	35	30	63
	Significance level	0.025a	0.12	0.23
Age	χ2	52.67	90.81	151.84
	DF	60	90	147
	Significance level	0.73	0.45	0.37
Prescribing physicians	χ2	15.20	39.0	23.90
	DF	5	30	21
	Significance level	0.009a	0.12	0.29
Distribution analysis of age in the districts	χ2	100.49	39.0	102.0
	DF	84	3	21
	Significance level	0.105	< 0.0001a	< 0.0001a

^aP < 0.05.

ISO: International Organization for Standardization; DF: Degrees of freedom.