Roger Wang
Pronouns: he/him
Research Mentor(s): Haylie Miller
Research Mentor School/College/Department: University of Michigan / Kinesiology
Program:
Authors: Cecelia Fan, Roger Wang, Isabel Orozco, Haylie Miller
Session: Session 6: 3:40 pm – 4:30 pm
Poster: 104
Abstract
Background Autistic people often experience motor difficulties, which may increase the incidence of falls or fall-related injuries in this population. Despite the vast literature on how motor symptoms manifest in children, less is known about how they develop over the lifespan and how they present in adulthood. This study seeks to understand the relationship between age, rates of falls and fall-related injuries, individual demographic characteristics, comorbidities, and medication use among autistic adults. Methods We extracted secondary data from DataDirect, a database of de-identified data from electronic medical records belonging to the University of Michigan hospital system. We collected patient-level variables including insurance type, birth year, sex, gender, ethnicity, race, comorbidities, and medication use. We will conduct data analyses to test the association between each variable and the occurrence of fall-related injuries to identify the effects of potential confounders. Results While the study has not yet been concluded, we hypothesize that autistic adults will have greater rates of falls and fall-related injuries than their non-autistic counterparts, and that autistic adults will have greater rates of co-occurring diagnoses and medication usage that impact motor function, such as heart disease and other neurological disorders, and that these variables will be associated with fall-related injuries. Conclusion If our data supports our hypothesis that autistic adults fall at greater rates than non-autistic adults, this will suggest that autistic adults have difficulties with motor function and coordination. Based on these results, it would be useful to implement fall screenings for autistic adults, as well as intervention efforts including exercise-based fall prevention programs and environmental accommodations. This will lead to an increase in independence and quality of life for autistic adults.
