Autism is a complicated neurodevelopmental disorder now affecting 1 in 150 children at an early age, and is expected
to last a lifetime. Autism can often be diagnosed in children as young as 18 months old, and affects every race, ethnic group
and socio-economic status.
A child with autism will show different behaviors than typical developing children. Parents become concerned that their
child may lack eye contact, be deaf, is not yet talking, resists cuddling, needs repetitive routines, have repetitive interests,
and avoids interacting with others.
These behaviors may begin shortly after birth or develop as a child grows older.
Symptoms may range from mild to severe. Mental retardation is commonly associated with autism. Epilepsy may also develop
in some cases.
Healthcare, African-Americans and autism
There are clear racial disparities in healthcare and special education, parents and caregivers must help arrest to
ensure a brighter future for our loved ones with autism.
Studies have consistently reported negative biases toward minorities in the areas of diagnosis and treatment.
Black autistic children were diagnosed later, received more misdiagnoses than Whites, and were more likely to be misdiagnosed
as having organic psychoses, mental retardation, or selective mutism.
Clinicians may interpret autism symptoms differently in children of different races.
African-Americans are less likely than Whites to see the same doctor over time. A pediatrician who treats a child over
time may recognize autism sooner than others may.
All children with autism are eligible to receive a free appropriate public education, services provided by your state,
behavioral treatments and enrollment in a classroom geared toward their condition.
Early diagnosis and early intervention is critical for a better prognosis. Minority families and families with
lower incomes or limited education had more difficulty entering the early intervention system.
National Early Intervention Longitudinal Study
The probability of parents having a second child with autism is 1 in 20.
Excerpts from Race Differences in the Age at Diagnosis Among Medicaid-Eligible Children
with Autism, David S. Mandell, Sc.D., John Listerud, M.D., Ph.D.
Special Education,
African-Americans and autism
Minority children with disabilities all too often experience inadequate services, low-quality curriculum and instruction,
unnecessary isolation from their nondisabled peers and hardship.
African-American students are about twice as likely as White students to be educated in a restrictive, and separate
educational setting. Minority disabled students also have much higher rates of school disciplinary action.
African-American Adults with Disabilities
Among high school students with disabilities, about 75% of African-Americans are not employed two years out of school.
Three to five years out of school, the arrest rate for African-Americans with disabilities is 40%. Minority disabled
students also have much higher rates of placement in correctional facilities.
Excerpts from Racial Inequity in Special Education, 2002, Daniel J. Losen & Gary Orfield,
Editors, Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.
