Prevalence of autism spectrum disorder in a large, diverse metropolitan area: Variation by sociodemographic factors.
Josephine Shenouda, Emily Barrett, Amy L Davidow and 3 others
PMID 34672116WHAT IT FOUND
Active surveillance found ASD in 36 per 1,000 public school children in four New Jersey counties.
Prevalence varied widely by district and county. Hispanic children were identified less often than White peers. Mid-income districts showed higher rates than low or high-income ones.
Key findings
01Overall ASD prevalence was 36 per 1,000 in the combined four-county surveillance region.
02Hispanic children had significantly lower identified ASD prevalence compared to White (Non-Hispanic) children.
03Mid SES districts had significantly higher ASD prevalence compared to Low and High SES districts.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study only included children attending public schools, excluding approximately 21% of the birth cohort who were in private schools or home-schooled. SES and district size were ecological variables, not individual-level data, which may obscure personal socioeconomic factors. Small sample sizes in some stratified groups (by race/SES) may have affected the precision of estimates. The study was limited to four urban/suburban New Jersey counties, so findings may not generalize to rural areas or other regions. Identification depends on the quality and availability of records; children with fewer visits to providers or incomplete records may be missed, contributing to lower identification rates in Hispanic and Black populations.
Declared interests
The study was supported by the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, CDC. No specific commercial conflicts of interest were reported in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that a lack of 'Autism' special education classification or a community diagnosis means a child does not have ASD. The surveillance method found that 18.6% of children meeting criteria had no prior diagnosis, and only 40.7% were classified under 'Autism' in schools.