Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Prevalence in Somali and Non-Somali Children

The current study presents results from an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) public health surveillance project conducted in Minneapolis. The study was designed to compare ASD prevalence in Somali children (ages 7–9) to that of non-Somali children. The study adapted methodology used by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network. Results indicated that Somali (1 in 32) and White (1 in 36) children were about equally likely to be identified with ASD, but more likely to be identified with ASD than Black and Hispanic children. Somali children with ASD were significantly more likely to have an intellectual disability than children with ASD in all other racial and ethnic groups.