Autism Cluster studies

I think it would be good to research/ map out the incidence of autism clusters in the US. There have been reports of an autism cluster among the Somali population in Minnesota. Interesting that there has been no rise in autism reported in Somalis in Lewiston, Maine.

A cluster suggest environmental exposure vs. genetic.

Where else may there be clusters in the US and why? Is there a common environmental exposure? What does this mean? Has anyone looked at this?

Hi Taylorsmom. Clusters are definitely an interesting research topic. Parents in Brick Township, New Jersey believed they had an autism cluster, and asked for an investigation of environmental factors a few years ago, although no cause was ever identified. You can read about that case here: http://www.iancommunity.org/cs/understanding_research/environment_brick_township

The only time a count of autism cases was made in a consistent way in the U.S., they also found higher rates of autism in New Jersey:http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss5601a2.htm

(This is the report which gave us the now often quoted "1 in 150" number.)

I understand there will be another count, done in precisely the same way, in the future, giving us the first really comparable numbers. It will be important to see if there are any changes in the overall rate of autism, and if the places that had "less" and "more" in the first report remain the same.

I have not heard of another investigation of a cluster since. I would be interested to hear if anyone does know of such an investigation, including any study involving the proposed Somali cluster.