In education circles, it is widely accepted that minorities are overrepresented in special education. New research from the University of Kansas has found, in terms of autism, minorities are widely underrepresented in special education. The underrepresentation varies widely from state to state and shows that students from all backgrounds are not being identified accurately, resulting in many students, especially those from minority backgrounds, not receiving services that are crucial to their education.

Jason Travers, associate professor of special education at KU, led a study that analyzed autism identification rates for every state. Travers then compared the percentage of minority students with autism to the percentage of white students with autism in each state and compared rates for each group to the rate for white students with autism in California. The analyses looked at data from 2014, which was three years after federal regulations changed from five racial categories to seven. It was also the most current year for data analyzed by the Centers for Disease Control on the prevalence of autism. Travers’ research had previously shown underrepresentation of minorities in autism, but the change warranted a renewed look.

“A considerable change in demographic reporting happened at the federal all the way down to the local level,” Travers said. “So individual schools had to change their reports and send them to the state, who then sent them to the federal government. So, for several years we’ve had an incomplete picture of autism identification rates.”

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“Our results suggest that children with Autism Spectrum Disorder might be particularly susceptible to bullies exploiting their lower concern for personal gain and their increased tolerance of unfair behaviour.”

The research by Dr Calum Hartley and Sophie Fisher of Lancaster University involved young children playing trading games with a puppet

In the Ultimatum Game and Dictator Game, the children offered stickers to the puppet and received offers in return.

Children could accept or reject the puppet’s offers in the Ultimatum Game, but not the Dictator Game.

Both groups of children – one with ASD and one without – showed a willingness to share equally and neither prioritised self-interest.

But in the Ultimatum Game, children with ASD were 37% less likely to reciprocate fair offers and three times more likely to accept unfair offers of just one sticker.

“To a child with ASD, accepting an unfair offer may be favourable because it yields a greater physical reward than rejection.”

The researchers suggested these differences in sharing between the two groups may be linked to deficits in social and cognitive development.

“Importantly, reduced reciprocity and decreased inequality aversion when sharing could severely impact children’s ability to navigate the social world.

“We advocate that anti-bullying interventions address these risks by explicitly teaching children the importance of reciprocating prosocial actions, highlighting cues that indicate they are being treated unfairly, teaching prevention strategies, and role-playing good sharing behaviours.”

 

For Lancaster University site

There is a lot of anecdotal evidence that suggests that cannabis can treat autism, but there’s little research to back it up. To investigate these claims, two bi-coastal research groups are initiating major studies. In New York, researchers are looking at the effect of non-psychoactive cannabinoids over years. Additionally, at the University of California, San Diego team is studying cannabis’ neuronal and behavioral effects on children with autism.

Though parents of children with autism have long advocated for cannabis accessibility, this could be the first step in legitimating cannabinoid medication for autism.

What is Autism?
According to the Autism Society of America, autism is “a complex developmental disability; signs typically appear during early childhood and affect a person’s ability to communicate.”

Autism is a ‘spectrum disorder’, meaning that its severity and symptoms can vary. These can include seizures, the complete inability to speak, anxiety and frustration.

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The Minnesota Zoo has launched a sensory-friendly mobile app meant to help those on the autism spectrum better enjoy their zoo experience.

A release said the app features social guides, a sensory-friendly zoo map, communication tools, a zoo-themed memory game and other features.

It can be downloaded for free from the App Store and Google Play.