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Phenotypic Characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorder in a Diverse Sample of Somali and Other Children

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Abstract

The potential for culture to impact diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is high, yet remains largely unstudied. This study examined differences across racial/ethnic groups in ASD symptoms, cognitive and adaptive skills, and related behaviors in children with ASD that included a unique subgroup, children from the Somali diaspora. Somali children were more likely to have ASD with intellectual disability than children from all other racial/ethnic groups. Few differences were found in the presence of specific symptoms and behaviors across groups once IQ was controlled. Results lend support to previous studies that found higher rates of ASD intellectual disability in children of immigrants from low human resource index countries compared to other groups. Implications for future research are discussed.

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Acknowledgments

Our research team would like to acknowledge the assistance of Dr. Judy Punyko (Minnesota Department of Health), Dr. Susan Brower (Minnesota State Demographer), and Dr. John Connett, Anab Gulaid, and Kristin Hamre (University of Minnesota). We are grateful to our community advisers for their guidance during this project and Minneapolis Public Schools for their partnership and collaboration.

Funding

The preparation of this report was supported by a cooperative agreement with the Association of University Centers on Disability (AUCD) (Award No. CON000000031900) with additional funding provided by the National Institute on Disability Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), U.S. Department of Education (Agreement Nos. H133B080005-09 and H133B130006) awarded to Research and Training Center on Community Living, Institute on Community Integration at the University of Minnesota. Additional financial support contributed by Minnesota Department of Health and the Institute on Community Integration. Technical assistance and funding was provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and Autism Speaks, and managed through the Association of University Centers on Disability (AUCD).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, 717 Delaware St SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55414, USA

    Amy N. Esler

  2. Institute on Community Integration, University of Minnesota, 150 Pillsbury Dr SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA

    Jennifer Hall-Lande & Amy Hewitt

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  1. Amy N. Esler
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  2. Jennifer Hall-Lande
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  3. Amy Hewitt
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Contributions

ANE conceived of the study, participated in its design and coordination, performed the statistical analyses and interpreted the data, and drafted the manuscript. JHL participated in the design and coordination of the study, participated in interpretation of the data, and helped to draft the manuscript. AH conceived of the study, participated in its design and coordination, participated in interpretation of the data, and helped to draft the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Amy N. Esler.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human participants performed by any of the authors. This study was a surveillance study of clinic and special education records. There was no direct contact with study participants. However, a passive (informed consent) process was included in the study in which a letter was sent home and families could decline participation.

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Esler, A.N., Hall-Lande, J. & Hewitt, A. Phenotypic Characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorder in a Diverse Sample of Somali and Other Children. J Autism Dev Disord 47, 3150–3165 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-017-3232-z

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