Autism, more common in children than previously thought. The largest study ever done

    Autism, more common in children than previously thought. The largest study ever done

    Autism is more common among children than previously thought, with higher rates among blacks than their white peers.

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    In England, autism was found to be more common among children than previously thought, with higher rates among black pupils than their white peers. Socially disadvantaged children, that is, would be more likely to suffer from autism spectrum disorder.





    This is what emerges from a study on children conducted by scientists from Cambridge University and researchers from Newcastle University and Maastricht University, which found that 1 in 57 children in England is on the autism spectrum and that black and Chinese are 26% and 38% more likely to be autistic, respectively.

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    Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects communication and behavior and is thought to affect 1-2% of people worldwide, with diagnoses more common among males than females. However, there has been little large-scale research into its prevalence and whether it differs with ethnicity.

    Now the researchers say that an analysis of data from over 7 million schoolchildren in England not only reveals that ASD is more common than previously thought, but that there are significant differences in its prevalence across the country and between different groups.

    A systematic review

    "This is the largest study to date in the world," said Dr. Andres Roman-Urrestarazu of the Cambridge University Psychiatry Department and co-author of the new research.

    In the journal Jama Pediatrics, Roman-Urrestarazu and colleagues reveal how they analyzed data from the 2017 spring school census obtained from the national pupil database in England to determine the prevalence of ASD among schoolchildren aged 5 to 19 in schools.

    This census records whether children received a diagnosis of ASD through local authorities and the NHS, or were flagged as having autism through a school assessment.


    The results reveal that 119.821 pupils had ASD, of which 21.660 had learning difficulties. When adjusted for age, gender and other factors, the team say it equates to 1,76% of schoolchildren in England with ASD, a figure higher than 1,57% suggested by an earlier and smaller study conducted by the team.


    The increase, they add, is likely due to better recognition of ASD. However, the prevalence was not uniform. As in previous studies, ASD was found to be more common in boys and men than in girls and women, but there were geographical and ethnic differences surprising, with autism spectrum defects more common among black pupils, of which 2,11% had ASD, and lowest in Irish pupils, of which 0,85% had ASD. Among white pupils, the figure was 1,84%.

    Obvious disparities, underlying which could be individuals' access to diagnosis or recognition of symptoms, prejudices, local authority budgets and other issues. In addition, the study may have limitations, including the fact that it may underestimate the number of children with autism. But one thing seems certain: social disadvantage is an important factor. Again this time.



    Sources: Jama Pediatrics

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