Rates of Autism in Somali Children in Minneapolis (2)
Why is the rate of autism in Somali children in Minnesota so high?
A few weeks ago, the Minnesota Post addressed this question. The August 24th Star-Tribune also reported on this “cluster of affected kids”; state and federal officials are investigating.
In Minneapolis, fears have been fueled by some puzzling statistics. Last year, Somali children made up just under 6 percent of the school population, but 17 percent of those in the early childhood autism programs (14 of 81 children). The numbers have been creeping up for several years, especially among young children.
“People are worried,” said Saeed Fahia, who heads a Somali community group. “Nobody remembers any autistic children in Somalia. I’m sure there must have been some, but there were not that many.”
The Star-Tribune also notes the “cultural stigma” of autism in Somail culture. One Somali-born women was “so alarmed by the number of Somali children in her son’s autism class that she started calling politicians, news organizations and state officials to call attention to the issue,” but still kept her son’s being autistic a “secret from relatives.”
“Not only is it high among us here, but we Somalis don’t accept this disorder,” said the woman, who asked not to be identified.
Before rushing to suspect “something about America” (or something in the lake water) as linked to autism, consider: A commenter who’s an autism researcher, lives in Minnesota, and is autistic made a number of observations about the rate of autism among Somali children; he notes that, according to the WHO, there are officially 16,000 cases of autism in Somalia (a rate of 1 in 2000), but no full-scale study has been conducted. It’s also of interest to consider a 2003 study by Gurney, et al., on Analysis of Prevalence Trends of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Minnesota .
Tags: asd, asperger, autism, autism blog, disabilities blog, disability, Health, immunization, minneapolis, minnesota, Myth, Parenting, pdd-nos, Science, shots, somalia, sweden, Vaccines, vitamin d
6 opinions for Rates of Autism in Somali Children in Minneapolis (2)
C. S. Wyatt
Aug 27, 2008 at 1:12 am
Somali culture has made outreach extremely difficult. I am conducting in-services for teachers and speaking to parent organizations, but I have yet to have any Somali parents in an audience.
I had a Peace Corp volunteer who has been in the region of Africa that includes Somalia tell me that families still believe their sins and lack of faith lead to diseases in children. Other immigrants, namely from Congo (another large group here) still believe very strongly in curses and family fates.
Because I have strong biases against how I have seen Somali men treat women and girls on the light rail and buses, I can only imagine the blame women receive for autism, retardation, or any other conditions a child might have.
Education is supposed to be the answer — but most of the women will only talk to another woman, ideally a Muslim woman familiar with their fundamentalist Sunni sect. I made the mistake of asking a Shiite from Pakistan about the Somalis and learned that education doesn’t end regional and religious hatreds.
It was clear that autism outreach had to come from within the Somali community or at least from the same understanding of Sunni Islam.
Somehow, autism no longer seemed like a big issue.
H6
Aug 27, 2008 at 11:09 am
It seems like this is a good opportunity to determine if a virus is involved. They should just test the children in the cluster for activated HHV-6, the virus that the HHV-6 Foundation told Age of Autism that their experts think is involved in triggering autism.
It’s always possible that HHV-6 has changed and may be causing more severe autism. Or the children have come in contact with a different strain of HHV-6 that they can’t make the right antibodies for. Better to know sooner than later.
What an unnecessary tragedy if HHV-6 is going untreated and could affect the course of autism.
Kristina Chew, PhD
Aug 27, 2008 at 5:02 pm
@CS Wyatt, in an earlier post you cited a WHO 2005 survey that cited a statistic about autism in Somalia—-do you have a reference for it?
C. S. Wyatt
Aug 27, 2008 at 10:41 pm
One link I use to check international rates:
http://www.autism-society.org/site/PageServer?pagename=community_world_countries
The CDC link I had used is now dead (annoyingly) but I know I must have the PDF versions of the WHO report.
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss5601a1.htm
I always make sure I have a copy of any report I cite. As school starts, I archive things on my laptop, so I’ll so some searching.
Wrong Diagnosis has a chart, but I would not rely on it:
http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/a/autism/stats-country.htm
@H6:
I hope this doesn’t sound wrong:
The problem to begin with is you can’t test these children for most things: culturally, they distrust all “Western” researchers. I understand this (the West was so nice to African colonies). There are also the religious issues that I will never understand.
Today being all-day staff meetings, my head is spinning as it is…
H6
Aug 28, 2008 at 10:33 am
If the CDC or NIH wants to test the children for HHV-6 it will be done faster than you can say “public health trumps civil rights.”
Ali
Sep 1, 2008 at 4:00 am
C.S.Wyatt,
After reading all the comments on both sides it clear to me that you don’t understand anything about the Somalis and ofcourse you don’t like them at all for whatever reason. I think its better for you to try force yourself to stop this bias behivior and may aproach differently. If you have had some difficulties with few somalis I don’t they are representing for whole the Somalis people in here MN or else where and I don’t blame those parents for not attenting for your conducting in-services for teachers, coz you hate them maybe. Also, I don’t think we ( the somali men) abuse our women or girls on the rail or buses and I am sure you’re making up some stories without prove.
I don’t regard the American people such a bad or evil sociatiy but very decent people regardless how many pedophiles lives next door or maybe going to jail everyday.
Once again, please stop this and leave the Somalis alone!
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