thevaccinereaction--2020-04-12--Autism Prevalence is Declining in California Counties With Higher Incomes

Higher income , primarily Caucasian communities in California were once considered to have a greater number of children with autism spectrum disorders ( ASD ) .1 The differences in prevalence of ASD among different communities were often attributed to socioeconomic factors influenced by adequate or inadequate access to healthcare services , which impacted evaluation , diagnosis and treatment of ASD.2 A recent study out of California shows that autism rates are declining among Caucasian families with higher incomes , while prevalence of ASD among those families of all races living in poverty are increasing .
Using data from California ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) , the researchers looked at children born between 1993 and 2013 in the 36 most populous counties in California .
They found that , while rates of ASD continued to climb among all children with birth years up until 2000 , the numbers subsequently diverged , flattening or decreasing among Caucasians living in communities with higher incomes and continuing to climb among both Caucasians and Hispanics living in poorer counties .
In most of California ’ s counties , ASD incidence in Asian children began as comparable to or lower than that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was comparable to or higher than that for Caucasians by birth year 2013 .
For the minority of African American children , insufficient data were available for most counties .
Where prevalence could be assessed , ASD rates were higher than for Caucasians in five counties , comparable to Caucasians in two other areas and slightly lower than for Caucasians in Los Angeles.3 For African Americans in California overall , the ASD incidence rate of 1.8 percent is in keeping with other data showing that autism is increasing markedly among African Americans.4 Breaking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about the decelerating but still continuing rise in incidence of ASD among Caucasians in California .
The study showed that , rather than a decelerating increase among Caucasians as a whole , there appear to be steep increases in lower income counties contrasting with declines in higher income counties .
The authors concluded that starting in about 2000 , Caucasian parents with higher incomes were either opting for private services in lieu of DDS or were making environmental exposure and lifestyle changes that lowered their children ’ s risk for ASD .
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They suggest that higher income and education may be associated with better prenatal and postnatal practices , as well as improved birth outcomes that might lower the risk of ASD .
Parents with higher incomes also may have access to early and proactive interventions that either change the diagnosis or decrease the severity of ASD , which could make their children ineligible for involvement with DDS , a state social service that tends to focus on the most severely affected children .
The researchers also speculated about whether families with higher incomes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ through private insurance or channels , while poorer families must rely on DDS .
Lead researcher Cynthia Nevison said , “ While autism was once considered a condition that occurs mainly among whites of high socioeconomic status , these data suggest that the brunt of severe autism is now increasingly being borne by low-income families and ethnic minorities.
” Other lifestyle choices that can limit immune inflammation and oxidative stress , both strong markers associated with ASD , include healthy dietary choices , avoidance of environmental toxins , and reduction of chronic stress @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accessible to the wealthy .
Another factor common to the same demographic of parents—Caucasian , well educated , and financially secure—is the tendency to question vaccine safety and effectiveness , described by some as “ vaccine hesitancy.
” Though not mentioned by the researchers of this particular study , parents who question vaccination also “ tend to be better educated.
” A recently published study looking at communities in Texas found that parents who are “ college-educated , live in suburban or urban areas , have higher median incomes and are ethnically white @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” 5 The authors of the California study concluded that further study is needed to determine whether their findings will hold true in other areas of the country .