Figure 1.

Summary of dates relevant to the study’s design and cohort definitions. The total study period spanned from January 1, 2000 to September 30, 2015 and included children must have been born between the years 2000 and 2010. The first date of a child’s coverage enrollment (index date) must have been within 1 year of the child’s birth year, and at least 5 years of continuous coverage (medical, pharmacy, and behavioral) must have followed the index date and been reached before the end of the study period. Autism spectrum disorder diagnoses were only considered if they were made at least 2 years after the birth year and prior to the end of the year 2012.