Diversity and Equity in Autism Research

Autism research has advanced in methodology and rigor, however diversity and equity have been scarcely included or are limited in analyses. Race, gender, sexual orientation, class, religion and culture as well as intersections of them are important variables to consider as they affect diagnostic, intervention, and/or support service patterns. Evidence shows that racial/ ethnic minorities, females, and low-resourced autistic children often receive late diagnosis and have substantial unmet needs. To address these disparities in diagnosis, intervention, and/or support service it is necessary for researchers to include diverse populations and address issues of equity in their studies.

We are pleased to invite global autism researchers to submit manuscripts addressing diversity and equity in autism research. We welcome original research, review articles, theoretical pieces, and case studies specifically including diverse populations and discussions of equity to help reduce disparities in diagnosis, intervention, and/or support services.

Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

- Studies of specific diverse populations
- Cross-cultural population studies
- Longitudinal studies for early diagnosis among underserved populations
- Cross-sectional studies on diagnostic trends, intervention, and/or support service access
- Studies using culturally-informed interventions
- Community inclusive studies (i.e. studies with community advisory boards, autistic/minority researchers etc)
- Equity focused studies
- Studies on intersectionality in autism research

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Registered Report
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review

Keywords: autism, diversity, equity, inclusion, DEI

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.