Purpose
Autistic individuals experience discrimination as a neurominority. Nonetheless, there has been limited research on characteristics or factors contributing to discrimination against autistic people. Therefore, this study sought to examine demographic and clinical predictors of discriminatory experiences of autistic children and adolescents utilizing a large, population-based sample.
Methods
Data were obtained from the 2021 and 2022 National Survey of Children’s Health, a nationally distributed caregiver-report questionnaire. Participants included 2,297 autistic youth (6–17 years old). Two separate binary logistic regressions were conducted for the prediction of race or ethnicity discrimination and health condition or disability discrimination. Predictors were child age, sex, race, ethnicity, autism “severity,” behavior problems, and intellectual disability, and household income.
Results
Results demonstrated a relationship between minoritized racial and ethnic background and increased likelihood of discrimination due to race/ethnicity and health condition/disability. Relationships between older age and greater odds of race/ethnicity and health condition/disability discrimination experiences were also found. Furthermore, “more severe” autism, intellectual disability, and challenging behavior were associated with increased odds of health condition/disability discrimination.
Conclusion
This study highlights characteristics of autistic youth that may increase their risk for experiencing discrimination and should inform practices and policies to reduce discrimination against autistic people.
Discussion:
This study examined demographic and clinical predictors of discriminatory experiences of autistic youth. Results demonstrated an association between minoritized racial and ethnic background and likelihood of discrimination due to race or ethnicity and health condition or disability. Relationships between older age and greater odds of race/ethnicity and health/disability discrimination experiences were additionally found. Furthermore, “more severe” autism, ID, and challenging behavior were related to an increased likelihood of an autistic young person having experienced discrimination due to health condition or disability.
Aligned with hypotheses, increased odds of race or ethnicity discrimination were found for autistic youth identifying as Black, Asian, multiracial, and another (non-White) racial identity (i.e., American Indian/Alaska Native or Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander), as well as for Hispanic or Latino autistic children and adolescents. These findings align with previous research on racial discrimination experiences of the general population of marginalized youth (Datu, 2018; Lee et al., 2019) and marginalized youth with special health care needs (Helton et al., 2023). Results further previous research by demonstrating an association between minoritized racial and ethnic backgrounds and increased risk for race/ethnicity discrimination within the autistic community, which should prompt the implementation of policies and practices to address the complex vulnerabilities autistic youth from minoritized racial and ethnic backgrounds experience.
An increased likelihood of race or ethnicity and health condition or disability discrimination was found for older age, which was not predicted. This could result from bullying, harassment, and other forms of victimization and discrimination increasing as youth have more contact with external discriminatory systems as well as individuals in older childhood and adolescence (Fisher et al., 2000; Greene et al., 2006). In addition, victims may become more aware of their differing treatment. Peer victimizers may also become more perceptive of differences in characteristics (e.g., social differences associated with autism), and the general population may be less tolerant of social and behavioral differences in older children and adolescents than younger children (Locke et al.,2017; Rotheram-Fuller et al., 2010).
