Black, Hispanic, female and low‑income elementary students are less likely to be identified with autism

AI Summary

Research reveals that Black, Hispanic, female, and low-income elementary students in the U.S. are less likely to be identified with autism compared to their white, male, higher-income peers. The findings raise important discussions about equity in educational assessments.

Students who are Black, Hispanic, female, from low-income families or multilingual learners are less likely to be identified with autism in U.S. elementary schools than their white, male, higher-income or English-speaking peers. This finding comes from our new research, published in April 2026 in the academic journal Autism.