Table 2.

Gaps in the Literature on Health Disparities in ASD

Area	Knowledge Gap
Fundamental Factors	Race: Most studies focus on race, but more evidence needed from a wider diversity of populations to draw firm conclusions.
	Ethnicity: No studies examine disparities for individuals from diverse ethno-religious (e.g., Muslim, Sihk) or ethno-racial/regional (e.g., Asian, Native American, Pacific Islander, Middle Eastern, or Puerto Rican) backgrounds; more research is needed.
	Culture: No studies conducted outside of North America; no studies examine the impact of culture on health or health care access within the US; more research is needed.
	Geography: Only one study examined disparities for individuals with ASD living in urban or rural areas; no studies examined other geographical variables; more research is needed.
	Socioeconomic status: Only one study examined the impact of family-level poverty; more research is needed.
	Environment: No studies examined neighborhood poverty; more research is needed.
	Sex: Only one study examined disparities between men and women; more research is needed.
	Gender identity: No studies examined disparities related to gender identity; more research is needed.
Proximal Causes	Studies identified by review examine disparities in access but employ these disparities in analyses as outcome variables.
	No studies investigate causal pathways at the environmental, sociocultural, behavioral, or biological level; more research is needed.
Health Outcomes	No studies investigated health outcomes within traditional health outcome categories (e.g., adverse health outcomes, costs); more research is needed.