Completion of Upper Secondary Mainstream School in Autistic Students in Sweden.

Higher education is an increasingly necessary achievement to attain employment. However, even in cases where a student has the academic skills to succeed, educational environments may not support students across all other domains necessary for education success, including social and communication needs. This is especially true for students with disabilities and autistic students, where the rate of completion of non-compulsory education is unknown. We used the Stockholm Youth Cohort (children aged 0-17 years from 2001 to 2011), a total population cohort (N = 736,180) including 3,918 autistic individuals, to investigate the association between autism without intellectual disability and completion of upper secondary education. We assessed the impact of sex and co-occurring Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) on this association. By age 20 years (the expected age of completion), 68% of autistic students and 91% of non-autistic students admitted to upper secondary education had completed. In logistic regression models adjusted for student demographics, autistic students had almost five-fold higher odds of not completing secondary school (OR 4.90, 95% CI 4.56 5.26) compared to their non-autistic peers. Autistic students with ADHD had particularly high odds of non-completion of upper secondary school. Autistic students without intellectual disability attending mainstream education are substantially less likely to complete upper secondary education as compared to their peers. These findings have implications for the appraisal of how inclusive school policies serve autistic students' academic and social needs, ultimately addressing population health and independent living.

[PANS and PANDAS - research diagnoses where psychiatric management is central]. / PANS och PANDAS ­ diagnoser med stora kunskapsluckor.

PANS and PANDAS are research diagnoses characterized by acute presentation of psychiatric and neuropsychiatric and/ or somatic symptoms. A hypothetical neuroinflammatory pathogenesis has directed proposals for evaluation as well as treatment in PANS. However, confirmed evidence of such a mechanism is lacking, which contributes to uncertainty concerning clinical management. The symptom presentation of PANS/PANDAS warrants psychiatric as well as somatic evaluation. Treatment with antibiotics and/or immunomodulatory medication may augment, but should not push aside psychiatric care.

Population-based study of multisystem inflammatory syndrome associated with COVID-19 found that 36% of children had persistent symptoms.

AIM: Our aim was to describe the outcomes of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) associated with COVID-19. METHODS: This national, population-based, longitudinal, multicentre study used Swedish data that were prospectively collected between 1 December 2020 and 31 May 2021. All patients met the World Health Organization criteria for MIS-C. The outcomes 2 and 8 weeks after diagnosis are presented, and follow-up protocols are suggested. RESULTS: We identified 152 cases, and 133 (87%) participated. When followed up 2 weeks after MIS-C was diagnosed, 43% of the 119 patients had abnormal results, including complete blood cell counts, platelet counts, albumin levels, electrocardiograms and echocardiograms. After 8 weeks, 36% of 89 had an abnormal patient history, but clinical findings were uncommon. Echocardiogram results were abnormal in 5% of 67, and the most common complaint was fatigue. Older children and those who received intensive care were more likely to report symptoms and have abnormal cardiac results. CONCLUSION: More than a third (36%) of the patients had persistent symptoms 8 weeks after MIS-C, and 5% had abnormal echocardiograms. Older age and higher levels of initial care appeared to be risk factors. Structured follow-up visits are important after MIS-C.

Clinical guidance for diagnosis and management of suspected Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome in the Nordic countries.

Pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome is a clinical concept used to describe a subgroup of children with sudden onset of psychiatric and somatic symptoms. The diagnostic term and especially management of children differs depending on the clinical setting to which they present, and the diagnosis and management is controversial. The aim of this paper is to propose a clinical guidance including homogenous diagnostic work-up and management of paediatric acute onset neuropsychiatric syndrome within the Nordic countries. The guidance is authored by a Nordic-UK working group consisting of paediatric neurologist, child psychiatrists and psychologists from Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Great Britain, and is the result of broad consensus. CONCLUSION: Consensus was achieved in the collaboration on work-up and treatment of patients with paediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome, which we hope will improve and homogenise patient care and enable future collaborative research in the field.

Qualification for upper secondary education in individuals with autism without intellectual disability: Total population study, Stockholm, Sweden.

LAY ABSTRACT: Obtaining a quality education is important for any individual's chances of leading a healthy and thriving life. Currently, educational policies in many countries underscore the rights of students with autism to be educated in mainstream schools. While there is some knowledge on school outcomes among students with autism from older studies, little is known about rates of qualification for upper secondary education among children with autism in mainstream schools today. This lack of knowledge is problematic since autism is diagnosed more widely, and prior evidence may not be relevant for individuals with autism and their families today. Using Swedish registers, we therefore examined this in a study including all children and young people in Stockholm County in 2001 through 2011. We found that about two thirds of children with autism without intellectual disability qualified for upper secondary education at the expected age, in comparison with about nine in ten among typically developing peers. We also found that girls with autism had further difficulties obtaining such qualification than boys and that those who were additionally diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder were particularly at risk of non-qualification. Finally, students with autism without intellectual disability had a greater chance of completing compulsory education if given an extended period to graduate. These findings underline the need for supportive interventions for children with autism during compulsory school. They may also challenge the inclusive education policy adopted by majority of western countries, at least in the wake of addressing special needs in mainstream schooling.