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Abstract
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) affects individuals across varying racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups. However, there are several studies that highlight inequities related to prevalence rates, age of diagnosis, access to interventions and service delivery. Children within minority populations, either displaying characteristics or previously diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, historically have had less access to early intervention services when compared to White children. Critical race theory is the active framework applied to examine these disproportionalities. The objective of this study was to determine if correlations exist between race and service usage in early childhood and compare identification of ASD in preschool age children to the sample reviewed in the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)-Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network’s most recent study. Quantitative analysis of record review data on 178 children with ASD evaluated by the Gwinnett County Public Schools-Early Childhood Program between 2016-2018 was performed. Results indicated that there was no significant difference in service type (public, private, or combined) between minority and white children. White children were more likely to be classified under the Georgia-Department of Education (GA-DOE) eligibility category of ASD when compared to minority children. A significant difference was found between preschool age children and the ADDM Network study for the median age of first comprehensive evaluation and age of diagnosis. Therefore, while minority and White preschool-aged children are accessing services comparably for public and private intervention types, increasing access to appropriate school personnel for ASD identification may improve outcomes for accessing Autism-specific services.