Are the Australian guidelines asking too much of the Pneumonia Severity Index (PSI)?

received for only 31% of children living in rural areas, 25% of children with no intellectual disability, 23% of children not Australian-born, and 16% of children from families whose primary language is not English. Without consent for every case, the register cannot accurately reflect the age or geographic distribution of children with autism. If the register only collected information on consenting cases, there would be severe under-ascertainment and the output would be notably biased. Perhaps more importantly, unidentifiable records cannot be linked to other datasets. Other WA population databases include information on hospitalisations, genetic testing, genealogical links, midwife notifications, birth defects, pharmaceutical history, and people with cerebral palsy. Linkage to these datasets would enormously facilitate population-based autism research to investigate the aetiology, associations and natural progression of autism disorders. The WA autism register is an internationally unique population-based resource, but its application is limited without the inclusion of identifying information. This remains the reality at a time when the research community and affected families desperately seek information about the condition and solutions for their children.