Autism Spectrum Disorder Prevalence in Diverse

Communities in Minnesota
Jennifer Hall-Lande, PhD, Libby Hallas-Muchow, MS, Jenny Poynter, PhD, A m y Esler, PhD, A m y Hewitt, PhD

Background Results
• University of Minnesota was funded b y Centers for Disease • ASD Prevalence in MN-ADDM surveillance area was higher than
Control and Prevention (CDC) t o conduct a multi-source public most other ADDM sites (24.0 per 1,000 vs. 16.8 per 1,000).
health project that monitors prevalence of ASD and ID in 8-year- • Comparing across racial/ethnic subgroups, there were no significant
old children within Hennepin and Ramsey counties Minnesota. differences in ASD prevalence using p-value of <0.01.
• Presence of co-occurring ID differed for Somali children compared
• In addition t o race and ethnicity categories routinely studied b y the t o Hmong children (p=.03). Of the Somali children w ith ASD w h o had
CDC, Minnesota-Autism and Developmental Disabilities IQ data in their records, 43% had co-occurring ID, while 18% of
Monitoring Network (MN-ADDM) project was interested in Hmong children wit h ASD had co- occurring ID
understanding prevalence among Somali and Hmong immigrant • Sample sizes were small, especially for subgroups. Expansion of
populations. geographic area and additional data will be required t o determine
whether ASD prevalence is higher or lower in these communities.
• Data were collected fr om health and special education records of
children w h o were 8 years old in 2014. Table 1. Prevalence of ASD in 8 year olds by sex and
Figure 1. Prevalence of ASD in 8 year olds in
race/ethnicity, MN-ADDM 2014
MN-ADDM: Prevalence MN- ADDM and all ADDM sites combined
MN Analysis Population ASD Prevalence 95% CI
Size Cases (p e r 1,000)
DSM-IV
Overall 9,767 234 24.0 21.1-27.2
Males 4,953 193 39.0 33.8-44.9
45

Prevalence, per 1,000 children

Females 4,814 41 8.5 6.3-11.6 40
Non-Hispanic 3,793 92 24.3 19.8-29.8 35
white
30
Non-Hispanic 2,145 53 24.7 18.9-32.3 1 in 42
25
black, non-Somali
20 1 in 59
Non-Hispanic API, 766 14 18.3 10.8-30.9 15
n o n -H mo n g
10
Hispanic 1,486 31 20.9 14.7-29.7 5
Somali 574 22 38.3 25.2-58.2 0
Total Girls Boys
H mo n g 810 15 18.5 11.2-30.7
ADDM sites combined MN-ADDM

Methods Conclusions
• Standardized ADDM methods were used t o calculate ASD prevalence in 8 year • Because ASD early identification can improve outcomes, identifying
olds in 2014 using an active surveillance system in a t w o phase process subgroups of children w ith a higher prevalence or more severe forms of ASD
• Phase 1, health and special education records were systematically abstracted can help inform public health policy and improve outcomes for individuals
t o identify children w ith triggers for ASD. wit h ASD and their families.
• Phase 2, abstracted records were reviewed b y a trained clinician t o
determine the child’s ASD case status. DSM-IV criteria were used t o determine • Expansion of the surveillance area and increasing the number of children in
ASD cases status. different racial, ethnic and linguistically diverse groups will be required t o
• The surveillance area includes four school districts in t w o large urban counties permit meaningful comparisons of ASD prevalence in immigrant populations.
in MN, including the metropolitan area of Minneapolis and St Paul.
• Population denominators were obtained from CDC’s National Center for Health • Differences in prevalence b y racial/ethnic group may suggest that culturally
Statistics vintage 2016 post-censal bridged-race population estimates for sensitive methods for outreach and diagnosis are warranted.
2014 and adjusted t o include only children living in the surveillance area.
• Children were classified as Somali or Hmong based on reported home • It is important t o continue t o build ASD workforce capacity and ASD
language in education and health records. providers in culturally and linguistically diverse communities.
• All analyses were conducted using SAS v9.3 (Cary, NC)
This research was supported b y Grant DHHS-ADDM-CDC grant # NU53DD001171 t o the Institute on Community
Integration f rom the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Grantees undertaking projects under government sponsorship are encouraged t o express freely their findings
and conclusions. Points of view or opinions do not therefore necessarily represent official CDC policy.