Kanorau ā-roro: Neurodevelopmental conditions in children and young people in Aotearoa

Background: Neurodevelopmental conditions (NDC) are behavioural and cognitive disorders that involve significant difficulties in the acquisition and execution of specific intellectual, motor, language, or social functions. Global estimates of NDC have increased in recent decades but, in Aotearoa, there is a lack of current prevalence estimates for many NDC. This study aimed to generate up-to-date, population-level prevalence estimates of NDC in Aotearoa using linked health service data. Methods: Health service datasets within the Integrated Data Infrastructure were used to calculate rates (per 1,000) of NDC among 0–24-year-old children and young people from the 2021/22 Aotearoa estimated resident population. NDC included Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism, intellectual disability (ID), foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), communication or language disorders (CLD), specific learning disorders, and motor disorders. Results: Approximately 42 per 1,000 children and young people were recorded as having an NDC. Observed rates were highest for ADHD (27 per 1,000) and Autism (13 per 1,000) and lowest for motor disorders and FASD (