title: Prevalence of autism spectrum disorders in Hispanic and non-Hispanic white children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The number of individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) continues to increase in the United States and other developed countries; however, ASD is diagnosed less commonly in Hispanic than in non-Hispanic white individuals. This report analyzes differences in ASD prevalence between Hispanic and non-Hispanic whites in a large, population-based sample of 8-year-old children, and explores how prevalence has changed over time.
  
  
  METHODS
  Population-based surveillance of ASD was conducted on 142 717 8-year-old children. Evaluation of clinical and educational records resulted in 1212 children meeting the case definition criteria in 4 study years between 2000 and 2006.
  
  
  RESULTS
  ASD prevalence in Hispanic children was lower than in non-Hispanic white children (P < .005) for all study years. More Hispanic than non-Hispanic white children met the case definition for intellectual disability (P < .05) in study years 2004 and 2006. Prevalence of ASD diagnosis increased in both groups; the Hispanic prevalence almost tripled, from 2.7 per 1000 in 2000 to 7.9 per 1000 in 2006. A comparison of prevalence ratios found that Hispanic and non-Hispanic white ASD prevalence became significantly more similar from 2000 to 2006 (χ(2) = 124.89, P < .001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The ASD prevalence for Hispanic individuals in this population-based sample is substantially higher than previously reported. Nonetheless, Hispanic children continue to have a significantly lower ASD prevalence in comparison with non-Hispanic whites. The prevalence of ASD is increasing in both populations, and results indicate that the gap in prevalence between groups is decreasing.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA.
authors.forename: Anita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pedersen
authors.forename: Sydney
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pettygrove
authors.forename: F John
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Meaney
authors.forename: Kristen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mancilla
authors.forename: Kathy
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gotschall
authors.forename: Daniel B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Kessler
authors.forename: Theresa A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Grebe
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cunniff
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002659:Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*