Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorders in Guanajuato, Mexico: The Leon survey

Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

There are no epidemiological data on autism for Mexico. This study was conducted to generate a first estimate of ASD prevalence in Mexico. We surveyed children age eight in Leon (Guanajuato). The sample was stratified in two strata: (1) children having special education and medical records (SEMR; N = 432) and (2) children attending regular schools (GSS; N = 11,684). GSS children were screened with the SRS and those with the highest scores were invited to a diagnostic evaluation. The final sample comprised 36 children (80.6 % male) who had confirmed ASD. A third had intellectual disability, 25 % were non-verbal, 69 % had co-occurring behavioral problems. The prevalence overall was 0.87 % (95 % CI 0.62, 1.1 %). This survey provides an estimate for ASD prevalence in Mexico that is consistent with recent studies.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • American Psychiatric Association (APA). (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington, DC: APA.

    Google Scholar 

  • American Psychiatric Association (APA). (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). (DSM-IV). Washington, DC: APA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Avchen, R. N., Wiggins, L. D., Devine, O., Braun, K. V. N., Rice, C., Hobson, N. C., et al. (2011). Evaluation of a records-review surveillance system used to determine the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 41(2), 227–236.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Buescher, A. V., Cidav, Z., Knapp, M., & Mandell, D. S. (2014). Costs of autism spectrum disorders in the United Kingdom and the United States. JAMA Pediatrics, 168(8), 721–728.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • CDC. (2007a). Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network surveillance year 2000 principal investigators; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Prevalence of autism spectrum disorders—Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, six sites, United States, 2000. MMWR Surveillance Summery, 6(1), 1–11.

    Google Scholar 

  • CDC. (2007b). autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network surveillance year 2002 principal investigators; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Prevalence of autism spectrum disorders—Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 14 sites, United States, 2002. MMWR Surveillance Summery, 56(1), 12–28.

    Google Scholar 

  • CDC. (2009). Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network surveillance year 2006 principal investigators; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Prevalence of autism spectrum disorders—Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, United States, 2006. MMWR Surveillance Summery, 58(10), 1–20. (Erratum in: MMWR Surveill Summ. 2010 Aug 6;59(30):956).

    Google Scholar 

  • CDC. (2012). Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network surveillance year 2008 principal investigators; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Prevalence of autism spectrum disorders–Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 14 sites, United States, 2008. MMWR Surveillance Summery, 61(3), 1–19.

    Google Scholar 

  • CDC. (2014). Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network surveillance year 2010 principal investigators; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Prevalence of autism spectrum disorder among children aged 8 years—Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 11 sites, United States, 2010. MMWR Surveillance Summery, 63(2), 1–21.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen, J. A., Peñagarikano, O., Belgard, T. G., Swarup, V., & Geschwind, D. H. (2015). The emerging picture of autism spectrum disorder: Genetics and pathology. Annual Review of Pathology: Mechanisms of Disease, 10, 111–144.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Constantino, J. N., & Todd, R. D. (2003). Autistic traits in the general population: A twin study. Archives of General Psychiatry, 60(5), 524–530.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dawson, G., Jones, E. J., Merkle, K., Venema, K., Lowy, R., Faja, S., et al. (2012). Early behavioral intervention is associated with normalized brain activity in young children with autism. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 51(11), 1150–1159.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Dawson, G., Rogers, S., Munson, J., Smith, M., Winter, J., Greenson, J., et al. (2010). Randomized, controlled trial of an intervention for toddlers with autism: The Early Start Denver Model. Pediatrics, 125(1), e17–e23.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Durkin, M. S., Bilder, D. A., Pettygrove, S., & Zahorodny, W. (2015). The validity and usefulness of public health surveillance of autism spectrum disorder. Autism, 19(1), 118–119.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Elsabbagh, M., Divan, G., Koh, Y. J., Kim, Y. S., Kauchali, S., Marcín, C., et al. (2012). Global prevalence of autism and other pervasive developmental disorders. Autism Research, 5(3), 160–179.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Fombonne, E. (2003). Epidemiological surveys of autism and other pervasive developmental disorders: An update. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 33(4), 365–381.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fombonne, E. (2009a). Epidemiology of pervasive developmental disorders. Pediatric Research, 65(6), 591–598.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fombonne, E. (2009b). A wrinkle in time: From early signs to a diagnosis of autism. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 48(5), 463–464.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fombonne, E., Marcin, C., Bruno, R., Manero, C., & Marquez, C. D. (2012). Screening for autism in Mexico. Autism Research, 5(3), 180–189.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hill, A. P., Zuckerman, K., & Fombonne, E. (2014). Epidemiology of autism spectrum disorders. In F. R. Volkmar, S. J. Rogers, R. Paul, & K. A. Pelphrey (Eds.), Handbook of autism and pervasive developmental disorders. Diagnosis, development, and brain mechanisms (4th ed., Vol. 1, pp. 57–96). New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Instituto Nacional de Estadistica y Geografia. (2015a). Censos económicos 2014: Resultados definitivos, Julio Results from 2010 census. http://www.inegi.org.mx/est/contenidos/Proyectos/ce/ce2014/doc/presentacion/pprd_ce2014.pdf.

  • Instituto Nacional de Estadistica y Geografia. (2015b). Results from 2010 census. http://www.inegi.org.mx/default.aspx.

  • Jo, H., Schieve, L. A., Rice, C. E., Yeargin-Allsopp, M., Tian, L. H., Blumberg, S. J., et al. (2015). Age at autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis by race, ethnicity, and primary household language among children with special health care needs, United States, 2009–2010. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 19(8), 1687–1697.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Kim, Y. S., Leventhal, B. L., Koh, Y. J., Fombonne, E., Laska, E., Lim, E. C., et al. (2011). Prevalence of autism spectrum disorder in a total population sample. American Journal of Psychiatry, 168(9), 904–912.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Korkman, M., Kirk, U., & Kemp, S. (1998). NEPSY: A developmental neuropsychological assessment. San Antonio, TX: Psychological Corporation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lecavalier, L., & Mandell, D. (2015). Autism developmental disabilities monitoring network surveillance: A reply to Drs Durkin, Bilder, Pettygrove, and Zahorodny. Autism, 19(1), 120–121.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lejarraga, H., Menendez, A. M., Menzano, E., Guerra, L., Biancato, S., Pianelli, P., et al. (2008). Screening for developmental problems at primary care level: A field programme in San Isidro, Argentina. Paediatrics and Perinatatal Epidemioliogy, 22(2), 180–187.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lord, C., Risi, S., Lambrecht, L., Cook, E., Leventhal, B., DiLavore, P., et al. (2000). The autism diagnostic observation schedule-generic: A standard measure of social and communication deficits associated with the spectrum of autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 30(3), 205–223.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lord, C., Rutter, M., DiLavore, P., et al. (2002). The autism diagnostic observation scale (ADOS). Los Angeles, CA: Western Psychological Services.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mandell, D., & Lecavalier, L. (2014). Should we believe the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s autism spectrum disorder prevalence estimates? Autism, 18(5), 482–484.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Montiel-Nava, C., & Peña, J. A. (2008). Epidemiological findings of pervasive developmental disorders in a Venezuelan study. Autism, 12(2), 191–202.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Newschaffer, C. J., et al. (2015). Regarding Mandell and Lecavalier’s editorial “should we believe the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s autism spectrum disorders prevalence estimates” and subsequent exchange with Durkin. Autism, 19(4), 505–507.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pantelis, P. C., & Kennedy, D. P. (2015). Estimation of the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder in South Korea, revisited. Autism [Epub ahead of print].

  • Paula, C. S., Ribeiro, S. H., Fombonne, E., & Mercadante, M. T. (2011). Brief report: Prevalence of pervasive developmental disorder in Brazil: A pilot study. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 41(12), 1738–1742.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pedersen, A., Pettygrove, S., Meaney, F. J., Mancilla, K., Gotschall, K., Kessler, D. B., et al. (2012). Prevalence of autism spectrum disorders in Hispanic and non-Hispanic white children. Pediatrics, 129(3), e629–e635. doi:10.1542/peds.2011-1145. Epub 2012 Feb 20.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pelly, L., Vardy, C., Fernandez, B., Newhook, L. A., & Chafe, R. (2015). Incidence and cohort prevalence for autism spectrum disorders in the Avalon Peninsula, Newfoundland and Labrador. CMAJ Open, 3(3), E276–E280.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • R Development Core Team. (2008). R: A language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria. ISBN:3-900051-07-0. http://www.R-project.org.

  • Randall, M., Sciberras, E., Brignell, A., Ihsen, E., Efron, D., Dissanayake, C., et al. (2015). Autism spectrum disorder: Presentation and prevalence in a nationally representative Australian sample. The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry [Epub ahead of print].

  • Riviere, A. (2002). IDEA—Inventory of autism spectrum. Buenos Aires: FUNDEC, Fundacion para el Estudio del Desarrollo Cognitivo.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rutter, M., LeCouteur, A., & Lord, C. (2003). The autism diagnostic interview-revised (ADI-R). Los Angeles, CA: Western Psychological Services.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shopler, E., Reichler, R. J., & Rochen, B. (2010). CARS 2—Childhood autism rating scale (2nd ed.). Torrance: WPS Western Psychological Services.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sparrow, S. S., Cicchetti, D. V., & Balla, D. A. (2005). Vineland adaptive behavior scales: Second edition, survey interview form/caregiver rating form. Livonia, MN: Pearson Assessments.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Naarden Braun, K., Pettygrove, S., Daniels, J., Miller, L., Nicholas, J., Baio, J., et al. (2007). Evaluation of a methodology for a collaborative multiple source surveillance network for autism spectrum disorders—Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 14 sites, United States, 2002. MMWR Surveillance Summery, 56(1), 29–40.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weschler, D. (2004). Weschler intelligence scale for children (4th ed.). Toronto, ON: Harcourt Assessment. WISC IV - Escala de inteligencia Wechesler en Español, Manual Moderno 2007 copyright The Psychological Corporation 2003.

  • Wiggins, L. D., Baio, J., & Rice, C. (2006). Examination of the time between first evaluation and first autism spectrum diagnosis in a population-based sample. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 27(2 Suppl), S79–S87.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Willsey, A. J., & State, M. W. (2015). Autism spectrum disorders: From genes to neurobiology. Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 30, 92–99. Epub 2014 Nov 28.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Yeargin-Allsopp, M., Rice, C., Karapurkar, T., Doernberg, N., Boyle, C., & Murphy, C. (2003). Prevalence of autism in a US metropolitan area. JAMA, 289(1), 49–55.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zablotsky, B., Black, L. I., Maenner, M. J., Schieve, L. A., Blumberg, S. J. (2015). Estimated prevalence of autism and other developmental disabilities following questionnaire changes in the 2014 National Health Interview Survey. National Health Statistics Reports, 13(87), 1–20.

Download references

Acknowledgments

The study has been supported by a grant from Autism Speaks (6424). The authors express their gratitude to Andy Shi and Michael Rosanoff (Autism Speaks) who were instrumental in facilitating the planning and execution of the study. We thank Dr Kuri, Chairman of the Health System Surveillance in Mexico City, the Educational authorities of Guanajuato state and of the city of Leon, the city hall of Leon and the Mayor’s office, the child neurologists, the school teachers, the director and staff at DIF and CLIMA, especially Norma Alicia Manero Tinoco. We express our special gratitude to those families and their children who participated to the study and made it possible. The PI Eric Fombonne was at McGill University when the grant was awarded. Ruth Bruno was funded through the Canada Research Chair in Child Psychiatry awarded to the PI. Katrina Ramsay and Benjamin Nealy were supported by Oregon Clinical and Translational Research Institute (OCTRI), through a Grant UL1TR000128 from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Author Contributions

Eric Fombonne and Carlos Marcin designed and funded the study, organized the data collection and wrote the manuscript. Eric Fombonne, Ruth Bruno, Katrina Ramsay and Benjamin Nealy performed data and statistical analyses. Ana Cecilia Manero, Christian Diaz and Michele Villalobos collected data. All authors reviewed and approved the manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Eric Fombonne.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Fombonne, E., Marcin, C., Manero, A.C. et al. Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorders in Guanajuato, Mexico: The Leon survey. J Autism Dev Disord 46, 1669–1685 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-016-2696-6

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-016-2696-6

Keywords

Navigation