Scientists Probe Reports of Somali Autism 'Cluster'

Researchers in Minneapolis and Sweden are investigating reports of so-called autism clusters among children from immigrant Somali populations. Some scientists say the clusters may be the result of a vitamin D deficiency ― a largely untested hypothesis.

A report from Swedish neurologists, published on 1 August, says the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders in Somali children aged 7 to 17 years in Stockholm is nearly four times higher than in non-Somali children.

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In Minneapolis, Somalis account for 6 percent of the cityʼs public school population, but make up 17 percent of early childhood special education students who have been labeled autistic, according to data aggregated by the Minneapolis Public Schools.

Epidemiologists are generally skeptical of disease clusters, and this one is no exception.

"Those numbers are strikingly different, but it's not really an appropriate comparison," says Judy Punyko, an epidemiologist at the Minnesota Department of Health.

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SFARI, September 2008.