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Research has documented inequities in geographic access to Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, research on their accessibility is outdated. Between July 1, 2018 and July 1, 2021 the number of BCBAs in the U.S. increased by 65%, from 27,320 to 45,103. In this study we examined trends in geographic access to BCBAs among children with ASD between 2018 and 2021. The sample included all U.S. counties in 50 states and D.C. (N = 3138). Using GIS software we examined change in county-level access to BCBAs between 2018 and 2021 and mapped ASD/BCBA ratios across all counties in both years. Study results indicate that despite modest improvements (e.g., 266 counties added BCBAs), inequitable access persists.

Research has documented inequities in geographic access to Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, research on their accessibility is outdated. Between July 1, 2018 and July 1, 2021 the number of BCBAs in the U.S. increased by 65%, from 27,320 to 45,103. In this study we examined trends in geographic access to BCBAs among children with ASD between 2018 and 2021. The sample included all U.S. counties in 50 states and D.C. (N = 3138). Using GIS software we examined change in county-level access to BCBAs between 2018 and 2021 and mapped ASD/BCBA ratios across all counties in both years. Study results indicate that despite modest improvements (e.g., 266 counties added BCBAs), inequitable access persists., Author(s): Marissa E. Yingling [sup.1] , Matthew H. Ruther [sup.2] , Erick M. Dubuque [sup.3] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.266623.5, 0000 0001 2113 1622, Kent School of Social Work, University of [...]

This study examined variation in geographic access to Board Certified Behavior Analysts for children with autism spectrum disorder. Between March and May 2019, we integrated public data from the U.S. Department of Education's Civil Rights Data Collection, Behavior Analyst Certification Board's certificant registry, and U.S. Census. The study sample included all U.S. counties and county equivalents in 48 states and D.C. (N = 3108). Using geographic information systems software, we assigned Board Certified Behavior Analysts to counties based on their residence, allocated children via school districts to counties, and generated per capita autism spectrum disorder/Board Certified Behavior Analyst ratios. We calculated the Getis-Ord G* statistics for each county and each ratio and compared counties in high-ratio clusters with counties in low-ratio clusters by socioeconomic variables. More than half of all counties had no Board Certified Behavior Analysts. Counties in the highest accessibility category had [less than or equal to]17.1 children with autism spectrum disorder per Board Certified Behavior Analyst (n = 770), while counties in the lowest accessibility category had [greater than or equal to]137.1 children with autism spectrum disorder per Board Certified Behavior Analyst (n = 12). In all, 55 of the 129 counties with the highest autism spectrum disorder prevalence had no Board Certified Behavior Analysts. Higher accessibility counties were wealthier and had smaller uninsured populations. To improve geographic access, we must identify factors driving unequal distribution that can inform provider recruitment and retention efforts in underserved areas.

This paper investigates how ancillary geographic data – in particular, information on land or assessor parcels – might be used to improve estimates for small area populations and population characteristics. It seeks to determine whether parcel land use codes can be used to reliably replicate population and housing distributions within small (subcounty) areas and whether other parcel attributes – in addition to land use – exhibit any explanatory power in replicating population and housing characteristics within these same places. The basis for this paper was Professor Barbara Buttenfield's service on the Census Scientific Advisory Committee, in which her working group explored the utility of administrative source data as an alternative or complement to federal survey data. This analysis highlights some of the benefits and complications of the incorporation of parcel data into geodemographic estimation, and the findings demonstrate that such a use is problematic but encouraging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individual health is affected not only by characteristics and behaviors of the individual, but also by the environment in which the individual lives. Although neighborhood effects are well-established in the health IRerature, whether these effects are different for sexual minority populations is unknown. There is evidence that the neighborhoods in which sexual minoMtles reside are distinct from those in which heterosexuals reside, which could give rise to differential neighborhood effects. This research uses restricted data from the National Center for Health Statistics Research Data Center-which include neighborhood identifiers-to investigate health-relevant differences between the neighborhoods in which heterosexuals and sexual minorities reside. We also provide preliminary evidence on whether neighborhood effects explain any or all the disparities in health behaviors or health outcomes between sexual minority and heterosexual populations or mediate or moderate the effects of other covariates in explaining these disparities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Madden provides evidence that African American head coaches in the National Football League (NFL) significantly outperformed whites between 1990 and 2002. She concludes that this evidence is consistent with African Americans being required to be better to be hired as head coaches. In 2002, the NFL promulgated the Rooney Rule requiring that NFL teams make various affirmative efforts when hiring coaches. This article finds that the performance advantage of African American head coaches has been eliminated since the Rooney Rule but finds no similar time trends in racial differentials in performance for other NFL coaching positions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Firearm violence is an American public health crisis that negatively impacts children and disproportionately affects Black youth. Few firearm injury prevention programs have been described in pre-adolescent children. The Future Healers Program is a novel collaboration constructed via partnership between the medical school, trauma center, academic surgery department, and local non-profit community organization. Our study sought to evaluate if (1) partnering with community organizations facilitated recruitment of children with prior exposure to firearm violence and (2) the health care community was a potential trusted partner appropriate for program delivery. Methods: Children aged 4-13 were recruited to join the program via news outlets and social media and in partnership with a local non-profit organization. Of the children and parents participating in the program, 48% (44/92) and 59% (38/64), respectively, completed an IRB-approved survey study. Pearson's chi-square, percentages, and 95% confidence intervals evaluated differences between children and caregivers on sociodemographic characteristics, firearm exposure (FE), firearm violence exposure (FVE), and perception of health care. Participant's residence was geocoded in relationship to incidents of firearm injury (2008-2021) in the same region. Results: Caregivers (95%) and children (84%) reported substantial exposure to firearm violence and resided in areas with frequent firearm injury incidents. Notably, 82% of caregivers and 66% of children reported having a family member injured by gunfire. A high percentage of caregivers (79%) and children (91%) self-reported trust in the health care system. Conclusion: Partnerships between community organizations and health care systems can develop prevention programs that effectively recruit and engage pre-adolescent children impacted by firearm violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Madden (2004) and Madden and Ruther (2009) provide evidence that African American National Football League (NFL) head coaches significantly out-performed their white counterparts between 1990 and 2002. They conclude that this evidence is consistent with the hypothesis that African Americans had to be better coaches than whites in order to be hired as a head coach in the NFL. In 2002, the NFL promulgated the Rooney Rule requiring NFL teams to interview a minority candidate when appointing new head coaches, as well as other affirmative efforts. This paper analyzes whether the performance advantage of African American head coaches has been eliminated in the time since the Rooney Rule's affirmative efforts have been in effect. The paper also examines racial differentials in performance in other NFL coaching positions that were less affected by Rooney Rule affirmative efforts, finding no similar time trends in performance differentials by race.