Assessing Clinical Global Impressions Severity Scores in an adolescent ASD and DD population across counties

Abstract

The Indiana NeuroDiagnostic Institute (NDI) embodies comprehensive care, stabilization, and transition support for teenagers with autism, across the stages like waitlist, preadmission, admission, discharge, and follow-up, focusing on sustainable community integration and preventing re-admission. The project employs the Clinical Global Impressions (CGI; adapted from Guy, 1976), gauging illness severity and patient progress on a scale of 1 (Normal) to 7 (Extremely ill), assessed preadmission and post-discharge. Most counties initially had high severity scores (7 and 6) but showed a marked shift towards level 5 after leaving the care facility. This positive trend persisted at 1 month, 9 months, and 12 months post-discharge, though data samples were limited. The findings emphasize the enduring benefits of interventions. Factors like individual response variations and external support may have influenced outcomes, warranting further investigation. Overall, the study underscores the effectiveness of tailored interventions for individuals with autism, with potential for broader validation in larger, diverse samples.