AsianScientist (Apr. 5, 2019) – A team of scientists in China and the UK has revealed that around one in a hundred people in China has autism spectrum conditions—a proportion similar to that of the West. They published their results in Molecular Autism.
Autism spectrum conditions—which include autism and Asperger’s syndrome—are characterized by impairments in social interaction and communication, alongside the presence of unusually repetitive behavior, narrow interests, difficulties adjusting to unexpected changes and sensory hyper-sensitivity. Autism was first described in Western cultures, and only later recognized in Asian countries.
Around one in a hundred school-aged children in the UK is autistic, but autism prevalence in China has been reported to be lower than in the West. The reasons for this difference are that most studies in China have only included the special school population, overlooking the mainstream school population, and that most studies in China have not used validated and reliable screening or diagnostic methods.
In the present study, researchers led by Dr. Sophia Sun Xiang at the Star Kay Bridge Research Centre for Children with Autism in Xiamen, China, tested the total autism prevalence in mainstream and special schools in Jilin City, and mainstream school autism prevalence in Jiamusi and Shenzhen cities. They screened children aged six to ten years old in the three cities using the Childhood Autism Screening Test (or CAST), a 37-item questionnaire, completed by parents.
In Jilin city, from a total population of 7,258, the team identified 77 cases of autism, equating to a prevalence of 108 per 10,000, very similar to that found in the West. Meanwhile, in Shenzhen and Jiamusi, only data for children in mainstream education was available—42 out of every 10,000 children in mainstream education in Shenzhen city had autism, and in Jiamusi city this figure was 19 per 10,000. In all three cities, the researchers identified new cases of autism in mainstream schools, confirming that there is under-diagnosis of autism in China.
“Contrary to previous studies, we have shown that the prevalence of autism spectrum conditions in China is in line with that found in the West,” said Sun.
Professor Carol Brayne from the Cambridge Institute of Public Health, UK, a co-author of the study, added that understanding the prevalence of autism is important because of its relevance to planning services to support those living with the condition, as well as their families.
The researchers noted that this collaborative research is especially valuable in helping clinicians understand what is universal and what is culture-specific in autism.
The article can be found at: Sun et al. (2019) Autism Prevalence in China Is Comparable to Western Prevalence.
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Source: University of Cambridge; Photo: Pixabay.
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