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. 2017 Nov;107(11):1818-1826.
doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2017.304032. Epub 2017 Sep 21.

Autism Spectrum Disorder Among US Children (2002-2010): Socioeconomic, Racial, and Ethnic Disparities

Maureen S Durkin  1 , Matthew J Maenner  1 , Jon Baio  1 , Deborah Christensen  1 , Julie Daniels  1 , Robert Fitzgerald  1 , Pamela Imm  1 , Li-Ching Lee  1 , Laura A Schieve  1 , Kim Van Naarden Braun  1 , Martha S Wingate  1 , Marshalyn Yeargin-Allsopp  1
Affiliations

Autism Spectrum Disorder Among US Children (2002-2010): Socioeconomic, Racial, and Ethnic Disparities

Maureen S Durkin et al. Am J Public Health. 2017 Nov.

Abstract

Objectives: To describe the association between indicators of socioeconomic status (SES) and the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the United States during the period 2002 to 2010, when overall ASD prevalence among children more than doubled, and to determine whether SES disparities account for ongoing racial and ethnic disparities in ASD prevalence.

Methods: We computed ASD prevalence and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) from population-based surveillance, census, and survey data. We defined SES categories by using area-level education, income, and poverty indicators. We ascertained ASD in 13 396 of 1 308 641 8-year-old children under surveillance.

Results: The prevalence of ASD increased with increasing SES during each surveillance year among White, Black, and Hispanic children. The prevalence difference between high- and low-SES groups was relatively constant over time (3.9/1000 [95% CI = 3.3, 4.5] in 2002 and 4.1/1000 [95% CI = 3.6, 4.6] in the period 2006-2010). Significant racial/ethnic differences in ASD prevalence remained after stratification by SES.

Conclusions: A positive SES gradient in ASD prevalence according to US surveillance data prevailed between 2002 and 2010, and racial and ethnic disparities in prevalence persisted during this time among low-SES children.

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Figures

FIGURE 1—
FIGURE 1—
Autism Spectrum Disorder Among 8-Year-Old Children Indicating (a) Prevalence by Educational Attainment (EA) Tertiles and (b) Prevalence Differences Between High and Low EA Tertiles: United States, 2002–2010 Note. 95% confidence intervals provided around the point estimates. Educational attainment tertiles based on percentage of adults aged ≥ 25 years with a bachelor’s degree or higher per census tract, based on 2000 Census data for surveillance year 2002, and on 2006–2010 ACS data for surveillance years 2006, 2008, and 2010. Source. Based on 2000 US Census data (SF3) for surveillance years 2002 and 2006, and on 2006–2010 American Community Survey (ACS) data for surveillance years 2006, 2008, and 2010.
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