Black parents may be less likely to report concerns about autism symptoms in their children than white parents are, which could partly explain why far fewer black children are diagnosed with autism, suggests a study in Autism that was conducted with families in Connecticut and Georgia. Researchers asked 174 parents of toddlers, 58 black and 116 white, to complete a free-response questionnaire in which they could list nay concerns they had about their children’s development. The toddlers were prescreened and shoed signs of autism risk, but they had not been formally diagnosed. The researchers later grouped the parents’ responses into 10 categories of concerns, some of which were autism-related (such as social-behavior problems and restricted/repetitive behavior) and some of which were non autism-related (such as motor skill problems and disruptive behavior). Black parents reported significantly fewer autism-related concerns than white parents did, but just as many non autism concerns. (Monitor on Psychology)

Susie Bean Gives