LONDON (Commonwealth Union) – Autism is derived from the Greek word auto which is translated into alone and can be characterized by a variety of conditions such as avoiding eye contact, repeating statements, minimal facial contact and more. The diagnosis of new autism cases is usually clustered within specific NHS (National Health Service) areas, implying that where an individual resides may influence if they receive an autism diagnosis and entry to special education needs support. The University of Cambridge joined hands with researchers from the London School of Economics and Political Science and Newcastle University for a new study.
Following the evaluation of all new autism cases across England with NHS health service boundaries for possible hotspots, some locations stood out. An example, was 45.5 percent of the NHS Rotherham catchment area had more than average new autism diagnoses clusters. For NHS Heywood, it was 38.8 percent of its catchment area and 36.9 percent for NHS Liverpool, indicating a potential health service effect for who receives an autism diagnosis.
The study was based on 4 years’ worth of data from the Summer School Census, which took data from individuals between 1-18 years old in government funded schools in England. Of the 32 million pupils studied, over 102,000 new autism diagnoses were marked between 2014 and 2017.
The study also found that autism diagnosis varied on gender and ethnicity where black students and other ethnic minorities had higher rates than white students and males were higher than females. “These new findings show how social determinants interact and can combine to significantly increase the likelihood of an autism diagnosis. As a result, individuals from a minority ethnic background experiencing economic hardship may be significantly more likely to receive an autism diagnosis than their peers,” said Dr Robin van Kessel, who was the co-lead researcher from the London School of Economics and Political Science, Department of Health Policy.
