TOWARDS MAPPING AND SPATIAL ANALYSIS OF AUTISM PREVALENCE WORLDWIDE

In this presentation, we will discuss the relationship between geographic locations and pointers to the possible causes and prevalence of Autism worldwide. Could looking at WHERE and not only WHO and WHAT lead us to the root cause(s) and possible solution to curb the rising number of people diagnosed with the disorder?

To answer this question, we make an initial study by generalizing the geographic relationship of places with noted prevalence of Autism and unearth the spatial relationships between the disorder and some key attributes discussed in medicine as possible root causes. These causes include environment/pollution, genetics/race, family structure, food, medicine/immunization, pollution and economic class. We critically analyze publicly available autism prevalence data from various countries and categorize them in terms of these causes and the rate of cases recorded over the past ten years.

Results from the study points to possible spatial relationships between autism prevalence and causative attributes currently considered as possible root causes. A further research could lead to more in-depth findings and could provide specific clues on WHERE to look for causes of specific cases of the disorder. This would help us decide on what specific interventions to employ for specific demographic groups.