Differences in autism spectrum disorders incidence by sub-populations in Israel 1992-2009: a total population study.
ASD cases in Israel surged then plateaued, but Arab kids lagged ten years behind—showing that access and awareness shape the numbers you see.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Researchers tracked every autism diagnosis in Israel from 1992 to 2009. They counted kids who got an ASD label by age eight. They split the numbers by Jewish and Arab families.
They used national health and school records. No lab tests. Just counting who was already diagnosed.
What they found
ASD cases rose ten times from 1992 to 2004. Then the numbers stayed flat from 2005 to 2009.
Arab children had far fewer cases. Their rise started ten years later. The gap shows diagnosis, not just biology.
How this fits with other research
Pinborough-Zimmerman et al. (2012) saw the same pattern in Utah. Health records caught more kids than school labels. Both studies warn: one system alone misses cases.
Laugeson et al. (2014) and Saloner et al. (2019) flip the view. They show that when states pass autism insurance laws, service use doubles. Raz et al. (2015) shows who is left out before the laws even start.
Together the papers form a chain. First, some groups are under-counted. Then, new laws boost services. But only for kids who already have a diagnosis.
Why it matters
If you work with Arab families in Israel, expect late or missed diagnoses. Screen early and help families find health and school records. In the US, check both systems too. Push for dual reporting so no child slips through.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
We analyzed data from the Israeli National Insurance Institute (NII). Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) incidence was calculated for all children born in Israel 1992-2009, and by population groups. Overall, 9,109 ASD cases among 2,431,649 children were identified. ASD cumulative incidence by age 8 years increased 10-fold during 2000-2011, from 0.49% to 0.49%, while other child disabilities in NII increased only 1.65-fold. There was a consistent increase in ASD incidence with advancing birth cohorts born 1992-2004, stabilizing among those born 2005-2009. ASD rates among Israeli Arabs were substantially lower, and increased about 10 years later than the general population. The findings suggest a role for ASD awareness, accessing of the government benefit, or the way the concept of ASD is perceived.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2015 · doi:10.1007/s10803-014-2262-z