About

Maureen Durkin is the Department Chair of Population Health Sciences and a Professor of Population Health Sciences and Pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She holds an undergraduate degree and a PhD in Anthropology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, as well as MPH and DrPH degrees in Epidemiology from Columbia University. Her research interests include the epidemiology, prevention, antecedents, and consequences of neurodevelopmental disabilities and childhood injuries, both globally and within the United States. She has collaborated in developing cross-cultural methods for screening developmental disabilities and surveillance of childhood injuries, and has directed international studies on the prevalence and causes of neurodevelopmental disabilities in low-income countries. Additionally, she has led a cohort study on neuropsychological outcomes of neonatal brain injuries associated with preterm birth and metabolic disorders detected on newborn screening. Currently, she is a Waisman Center Investigator, Principal Investigator on the Wisconsin Surveillance of Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities System, and Principal Investigator of the Wisconsin Study to Explore Early Development of Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Research topics

• Psychiatry
• Medicine
• Gerontology
• Pediatrics
• Demography
• Psychology
• Environmental health
• Clinical psychology
• Biology
• Pathology

Selected publications

• Adverse Childhood Experiences and Behavioral and Emotional Problems in Adolescents With and Without Autism

  Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics · 2025-08-27

  articleOpen access

  OBJECTIVES: We sought to examine differences in caregiver-reported adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in adolescents with and without autism and explore associations between ACEs and behavioral and emotional problems in those with ACEs. METHODS: Children were classified as having autism, another developmental disability (DD), or population comparison (POP) after a comprehensive evaluation in the Study to Explore Early Development (SEED) between 2 to 5 years of age. Caregivers of these same children completed the SEED Teen survey and answered questions about ACEs and current behavioral and emotional problems at 12 to 16 years of age. RESULTS: Adolescents with autism (n = 198) and other DD (n = 330) were more likely than POP (n = 330) to experience income insufficiency (29.8%, 25.2%, and 12.2%, respectively) and parental divorce (29.3%, 25.7%, and 18.4%, respectively) (all p < 0.05). Living with someone with an alcohol or drug problem was associated with conduct problems only in adolescents with autism; living in a family that received financial assistance was associated with hyperactivity problems only in adolescents with other DD. Living with anyone experiencing mental illness, suicidality, or severe depression was associated with conduct and emotional problems in all 3 study groups. CONCLUSION: Families of children with atypical development may need more financial and emotional/marital support than others. Moreover, adolescents with autism and other DD could benefit from behavioral supports in response to a few specific ACEs while addressing household mental health problems could have widespread benefits that improve pediatric health. These findings can be used to encourage evidence-based programs and practices to prevent ACEs and offer supports when needed.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• COVID-19 Infection and Mitigation for Young Children With Autism and Other Disabilities

  Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics · 2025-07-30

  articleOpen access

  OBJECTIVE: This study investigated prevalence of positive tests for COVID-19 infection and difficulties with mitigation strategies among young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other developmental disabilities (DD) compared with children from the general population (population comparison group [POP]). METHODS: Before the pandemic, children aged 2 to 5 years in the Study to Explore Early Development (SEED) completed a developmental assessment assigning them to a study group (ASD, other DD, or POP). Caregivers were recontacted in 2021 to complete a questionnaire assessing the impact of the pandemic in 2020 when children were aged 3 to 8 years. Modified Poisson regression models assessed the relationship between study group and difficulty with mitigation strategies and nasal swabbing. RESULTS: Caregivers of 1027 SEED participants completed the survey. Prevalence of having 1 or more positive COVID-19 tests was 3 times higher for children in the ASD and DD groups versus the POP group. In adjusted models, children in the ASD group were more likely to have difficulty with all 3 mitigation strategies and nasal swabbing compared with children in the POP group. The DD group were more likely than the POP group to experience difficulty with handwashing and physical distancing. CONCLUSION: Compared with the general population, youth with ASD and DD were more likely to have at least 1 positive COVID-19 test and difficulty following mitigation strategies. These findings underscore the importance of supporting youth with ASD and DDs in anticipation of future public health emergencies and the annual respiratory disease season.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Expanding Research on Contextual Factors in Autism Research: What Took Us So Long?

  Autism Research · 2025-02-04 · 10 citations

  articleOpen access

  Although autism is a childhood-onset neurodevelopmental disorder, its features change across the life course due to a combination of individual and contextual influences. However, the influence of contextual factors on development during childhood and beyond is less frequently studied than individual factors such as genetic variants that increase autism risk, IQ, language, and autistic features. Potentially important contexts include the family environment and socioeconomic status, social networks, school, work, services, neighborhood characteristics, environmental events, and sociocultural factors. Here, we articulate the benefit of studying contextual factors, and we offer selected examples of published longitudinal autism studies that have focused on how individuals develop within context. Expanding the autism research agenda to include the broader context in which autism emerges and changes across the life course can enhance understanding of how contexts influence the heterogeneity of autism, support strengths and resilience, or amplify disabilities. We describe challenges and opportunities for future research on contextual influences and provide a list of digital resources that can be integrated into autism data sets. It is important to conceptualize contextual influences on autism development as main exposures, not only as descriptive variables or factors needing statistical control.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Resilience to Covid-19-Related Challenges in Preschool-Aged Children with and Without Autism Spectrum Disorder

  SSRN Electronic Journal · 2025-01-01

  preprintOpen access
  PublisherDOI

• Prevalence and Early Identification of Autism Spectrum Disorder Among Children Aged 4 and 8 Years — Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 16 Sites, United States, 2022

  MMWR Surveillance Summaries · 2025-04-15 · 492 citations

  articleOpen access

  Problem/Condition: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Period Covered: 2022. Description of System: The Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network is an active surveillance program that estimates prevalence and characteristics of ASD and monitors timing of ASD identification among children aged 4 and 8 years. In 2022, a total of 16 sites (located in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Tennessee, Texas [two sites: Austin and Laredo], Utah, and Wisconsin) conducted surveillance for ASD among children aged 4 and 8 years and suspected ASD among children aged 4 years. Surveillance included children who lived in the surveillance area at any time during 2022. Children were classified as having ASD if they ever received 1) an ASD diagnostic statement in a comprehensive developmental evaluation, 2) autism special education eligibility, or 3) an ASD International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) code in the 299 range or International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) code of F84.0, F84.3, F84.5, F84.8, or F84.9. Children aged 4 years were classified as having suspected ASD if they did not meet the case definition for ASD but had an evaluator's suspicion of ASD documented in a comprehensive developmental evaluation. Results: Among children aged 8 years in 2022, ASD prevalence was 32.2 per 1,000 children (one in 31) across the 16 sites, ranging from 9.7 in Texas (Laredo) to 53.1 in California. The overall observed prevalence estimate was similar to estimates calculated using Bayesian hierarchical and random effects models. ASD was 3.4 times as prevalent among boys (49.2) than girls (14.3). Overall, ASD prevalence was lower among non-Hispanic White (White) children (27.7) than among Asian or Pacific Islander (A/PI) (38.2), American Indian or Alaska Native (AI/AN) (37.5), non-Hispanic Black or African American (Black) (36.6), Hispanic or Latino (Hispanic) (33.0), and multiracial children (31.9). No association was observed between ASD prevalence and neighborhood median household income (MHI) at 11 sites; higher ASD prevalence was associated with lower neighborhood MHI at five sites.Record abstraction was completed for 15 of the 16 sites for 8,613 children aged 8 years who met the ASD case definition. Of these 8,613 children, 68.4% had a documented diagnostic statement of ASD, 67.3% had a documented autism special education eligibility, and 68.9% had a documented ASD ICD-9 or ICD-10 code. All three elements of the ASD case definition were present for 34.6% of children aged 8 years with ASD.Among 5,292 (61.4% of 8,613) children aged 8 years with ASD with information on cognitive ability, 39.6% were classified as having an intellectual disability. Intellectual disability was present among 52.8% of Black, 50.0% of AI/AN, 43.9% of A/PI, 38.8% of Hispanic, 32.7% of White, and 31.2% of multiracial children with ASD. The median age of earliest known ASD diagnosis was 47 months and ranged from 36 months in California to 69.5 months in Texas (Laredo).Cumulative incidence of ASD diagnosis or eligibility by age 48 months was higher among children born in 2018 (aged 4 years in 2022) than children born in 2014 (aged 8 years in 2022) at 13 of the 15 sites that were able to abstract records. Overall cumulative incidence of ASD diagnosis or eligibility by age 48 months was 1.7 times as high among those born in 2018 compared with those born in 2014 and ranged from 1.4 times as high in Arizona and Georgia to 3.1 times as high in Puerto Rico. Among children aged 4 years, for every 10 children meeting the case definition of ASD, one child met the definition of suspected ASD.Children with ASD who were born in 2018 had more evaluations and identification during ages 0-4 years than children with ASD who were born in 2014 during the 0-4 years age window, with an interruption in the pattern in early 2020 coinciding with onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.Overall, 66.5% of children aged 8 years with ASD had a documented autism test. Use of autism tests varied widely across sites: 24.7% (New Jersey) to 93.5% (Puerto Rico) of children aged 8 years with ASD had a documented autism test in their records. The most common tests documented for children aged 8 years were the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Autism Spectrum Rating Scales, Childhood Autism Rating Scale, Gilliam Autism Rating Scale, and Social Responsiveness Scale. Interpretation: Prevalence of ASD among children aged 8 years was higher in 2022 than previous years. ASD prevalence was higher among A/PI, Black, and Hispanic children aged 8 years than White children aged 8 years, continuing a pattern first observed in 2020. A/PI, Black, and Hispanic children aged 8 years with ASD were also more likely than White or multiracial children with ASD to have a co-occurring intellectual disability. Identification by age 48 months was higher among children born in 2018 compared with children born in 2014, suggesting increased early identification consistent with historical patterns. Public Health Action: Increased identification of autism, particularly among very young children and previously underidentified groups, underscores the increased demand and ongoing need for enhanced planning to provide equitable diagnostic, treatment, and support services for all children with ASD. The substantial variability in ASD identification across sites suggests opportunities to identify and implement successful strategies and practices in communities to ensure all children with ASD reach their potential.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Resilience to COVID-19-related challenges in preschool-aged children with and without autism spectrum disorder

  Research in Autism · 2025-09-05

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Associations of Characteristics of Parental Country of Birth with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Early Learning Delay Among Immigrant Populations in the US: Findings from the Study to Explore Early Development

  Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · 2025-08-06

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Social vulnerability and the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder among 8-year-old children, Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 2020

  Annals of Epidemiology · 2025-02-28 · 4 citations

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Trends Over Time in the Prevalence of Autism by Adaptive and Intellectual Functioning Levels

  Autism Research · 2025-12-28 · 2 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  The autistic community is a large, growing, and heterogeneous population, and there is a need for improved methods to describe their diverse needs. Measures of adaptive functioning collected through public health surveillance may provide valuable information on functioning and support needs at a population level. We aimed to use adaptive behavior and cognitive scores abstracted from health and educational records to describe trends over time in the population prevalence of autism by adaptive level and co-occurrence of intellectual disability (ID). Using data from the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, years 2000 to 2016, we estimated the prevalence of autism per 1000 8-year-old children by four levels of adaptive challenges (moderate to profound, mild, borderline, or none) and by co-occurrence of ID. The prevalence of autism with mild, borderline, or no significant adaptive challenges increased between 2000 and 2016, from 5.1 per 1000 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.6-5.5) to 17.6 (95% CI: 17.1-18.1) while the prevalence of autism with moderate to profound challenges decreased slightly, from 1.5 (95% CI: 1.2-1.7) to 1.2 (95% CI: 1.1-1.4). The prevalence increase was greater for autism without co-occurring ID than for autism with co-occurring ID. The increase in autism prevalence between 2000 and 2016 was confined to autism with milder phenotypes. This trend could indicate improved identification of milder forms of autism over time. It is possible that increased access to therapies that improve intellectual and adaptive functioning of children diagnosed with autism also contributed to the trends.

  PublisherDOI

• Prevalence of Motor Milestone Delays in Autistic Children

  JAMA Pediatrics · 2025-04-14 · 6 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Importance: Prior literature has explored the prevalence of motor impairments in autistic individuals, but estimates come from clinical, convenience, or small samples, limiting generalizability. Better understanding of the frequency of motor milestone delays in autistic individuals could improve early identification and subsequently lead to earlier intervention and better developmental outcomes. Objective: To determine the prevalence of motor milestone delays in a population-based sample of 8-year-old autistic children and to evaluate if having motor milestone delays is associated with an earlier age at autism evaluation or diagnosis. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cross-sectional study of autistic 8-year-old children was conducted using Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network data between surveillance years 2000 and 2016. ADDM Network data are population based and are drawn from 17 sites across the US. Data were analyzed from October 2023 to August 2024. Exposure: Binary indicator of motor milestone delays documented in health or educational records. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was the prevalence of motor milestone delays among autistic 8-year-old children. Associations between motor milestone delays and age at autism evaluation or diagnosis were evaluated using linear regression. Covariates included study site, surveillance year, the number of autism discriminators, intellectual disability, child sex, and child race and ethnicity. Results: Among 32 850 children aged 8 years identified with autism by active surveillance, 23 481 children (71.5%) met criteria for motor milestone delays. A total of 5973 children (18.2%) were female. In linear regression models, children with motor milestone delays were evaluated for autism significantly earlier (mean age, 43.65 months; 95% CI, 43.38-43.91) than children without motor milestone delays (mean age, 51.64 months; 95% CI, 51.22-52.06). After stratifying by the co-occurrence of intellectual disability (ID), children with motor milestone delays were evaluated for autism earlier than those without motor milestone delays, regardless of ID. Conclusions and Relevance: This cross-sectional study estimates the prevalence of motor milestone delays among autistic 8-year-old children and highlights the association between these delays and an earlier autism evaluation, even in children without co-occurring ID. Early identification of autism is a public health priority, and assessing motor milestone delays, particularly in children with an increased likelihood of being autistic, may facilitate an earlier autism evaluation, leading to more timely interventions and better developmental outcomes.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• NIH Grant R01NS036285

  NIH · $2.8M · 2002

• NIH Grant UR3DD000677

  NIH · $2.4M · 2015

• NIH Grant R01NS051813

  NIH · $1.3M · 2012

• Component A: Wisconsin Study to Explore Early Development of Autism (SEED)

  NIH · $3.9M · 2016–2022

• NIH Grant UR3DD000078

  NIH · $1.3M · 2011

Frequent coauthors

• Russell S. Kirby

  University of South Florida

  115 shared

• Lisa D. Wiggins

  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

  114 shared

• Matthew J. Maenner

  National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities

  98 shared

• Jon Baio

  Baidu (China)

  90 shared

• Ellen Giarelli

  Drexel University

  87 shared

• Jennifer Pinto‐Martin

  University of Pennsylvania

  86 shared

• Catherine E. Rice

  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

  82 shared

• Paul Shattuck

  Mathematica Policy Research

  81 shared

Education

• Ph.D., Population Health Sciences

  University of Wisconsin–Madison

  2005

• M.S., Population Health Sciences

  University of Wisconsin–Madison

  2001

• B.A., Biology

  University of Wisconsin–Madison

  1997