New study from Texas Children’s doctors finds racial disparities in children with autism

June 3, 2014

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Some children with autism appear to be developing normally when they are very young. They babble or even talk, make eye contact with their parents and crawl and walk on schedule. Then suddenly, these skills seem to vanish.

Described as developmental regression, this loss of language, motor or social skills occurs more often in Black and Hispanic children compared to White children, according to a study led by Dr. Adiaha Spinks-Franklin, associate director of the Meyer Center for Developmental Pediatrics at Texas Children’s Hospital.

“Lost skills are very difficult to recover and unfortunately, there is no way to prevent developmental regression,” said Spinks-Franklin. “What we know is important is helping children with autism learn to communicate better, develop improved social skills, engage in more functioning behaviors, participate in an appropriate school curriculum that addresses their unique needs and learn to function as independently as each child can.”

Spinks-Franklin and her team analyzed data on 1,353 preschool children with autism enrolled in the Autism Speaks Autism Treatment Network database between March 2008 and December 2011. The database includes demographic and medical information on each child enrolled at one of 17 locations across the United States and Canada. Information collected included whether parents reported that their child had lost skills.

Results showed that 27 percent of children experienced developmental regression according to their parents. Black children were twice as likely to have parent-reported regression compared to White children. Hispanic children were about 1.5 times more likely than White children to lose early skills according to their parents. This difference was apparent even when researchers controlled for primary caretaker’s education and the child’s insurance status.

“Each child with autism is a unique individual with their own strengths and challenges,” said Spinks-Franklin. “It is very important that all parents in all communities become aware of the early signs of autism – poor communication skills, impaired social skills and unusual behaviors and interests.”

According to Spinks-Franklin, the rates of Autism are the same among African American, Hispanic and White children. However, African American and Hispanic children are generally diagnosed with Autism at later ages than White children and have less access to much-needed educational, therapeutic and medical resources that are designed to help address the needs of children with Autism.

The study, which is an insightful exploration of racial disparities among children with Autism, is Spinks-Franklin’s latest step towards understanding how culture impacts child development. Her previous research experience includes studying the development of children in Senegal, West Africa, and studying the mental health impact of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina on school-aged African American children in Houston, as well as exploring the racial identity development of school-aged African American and Latino children in the Houston area who participated in a reading intervention program.

“The earlier a child is diagnosed with Autism, the better chance they have to receive the help and interventions the child needs to function to the best of their ability,” said Spinks-Franklin. “One of my goals is to increase awareness of Autism in underserved communities in the Houston area in order for all children to have a better chance of obtaining the help they may need.”

If a parent reports that a child has lost a developmental skill, health care providers should address the parent’s concerns with appropriate screening and referrals. Texas Children’s staff should be aware that there are many community-based and school-based services available to support and help children who have Autism and their families.

Spinks-Franklin presented the study, titled “Racial Differences in Developmental Regression in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders” on May 6 at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.