African American Autism often ignored

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ASPartOfMe
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13 Apr 2017, 12:47 am

Editorial: Autism Isn’t Color Blind

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autism is mostly seen as a white disease. Nearly all genetic research on autism involves Caucasian children, and one is hard pressed to even find studies that includes African-American children

According to the CDC, while many children are diagnosed with autism at around 2 years old, researchers have determined that African-American children may be diagnosed as much as 18 to 24 months later. The research shows that even when Black parents suspect a problem early on and take their child to a pediatrician, their concerns are far too often brushed aside; parents are cavalierly told things such as "their child will be fine," or that he or she is just a "late bloomer."

But not only are African American children diagnosed with autism later than their white peers, they are also referred to specialists less often and are less likely to receive medical tests. And even when these children are seen by healthcare professionals, they are often misdiagnosed as having another condition, such as ADHD or a conduct disorder. These systemic biases manifest themselves in other agencies and systems of care as well.


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AlphaNtu
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13 Apr 2017, 2:29 am

I can't say I'm surprised. This is the case not just for Autism but many other diagnoses.



green0star
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13 Apr 2017, 10:31 am

Well I'm black and I wasn't diagnosed till I was 19 so there was not really much that could be done for me at that point heh



Dear_one
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13 Apr 2017, 8:33 pm

One of the American black comedians did a rant about some very crazy-making times he had to get through on his own because his culture told him that all kinds of psychological help was only for whites. He probably would have had to do a lot more shopping than usual to find a counsellor who could get past cultural stereotypes, too. Segregation causes lots of problems, even when it is not rigid or current.



CockneyRebel
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13 Apr 2017, 9:17 pm

That doesn't surprise me at all. Experts see autism as a condition among white children.


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