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• Posted June 23, 2025

Genetic Tests For Autism, Intellectual Disability Not Being Done On Medicaid Kids

MONDAY, June 23, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Few poor children with autism or intellectual disability are receiving recommended genetic testing, even though guidelines urge such tests, a new study says.

Fewer than 1 in 5 such kids covered by Medicaid received such testing, which can help guide their futures, researchers reported June 18 in the journal Genetics in Medicine.

“Genetic testing can offer valuable insights for diagnosis and care planning,” said lead researcher Dr. Tashalee Brown, a postdoctoral fellow with the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA.

“But our findings show a major gap between what’s recommended and what’s actually happening in clinical practice among children who receive health insurance through Medicaid,” Brown said in a news release.

Genetic testing can help identify the cause of a child’s autism or intellectual disability, and also can flag other illnesses linked to these genetic variants, according to Autism Speaks.

For the study, researchers analyzed claims data for more than 240,000 children 7 to 17 enrolled in either Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program from 2008 to 2016.

Genetic testing rates were highest among children with both autism and intellectual disabilities, reaching 26%.

But they were just 17% for kids with autism and 13% for those with intellectual disability, results show.

Rates remained low even as newer and less expensive genetic testing methods gained traction after 2013, researchers noted.

The study also found that Black children were less likely to receive genetic testing compared with white kids.

"Diagnosing children with neurodevelopmental conditions like autism and intellectual disability can be a lengthy and frustrating process for families," Dr. Julian Martinez, director of the Autism Genetics Clinic at UCLA, said in a news release.

"Genetic testing provides crucial information that can end this search for many families, potentially identifying specific diagnoses, informing treatment approaches, and connecting families with appropriate support services,” Martinez said. “These findings highlight the urgent need to address systemic barriers that prevent equitable access to these recommended diagnostic tools."

More information

Autism Speaks has more on genetic testing for autism.

SOURCE: UCLA, news release, June 18, 2025