Epidemiology of Neurodevelopmental Disorders among Indigenous Children: from Global to Métis-specific Contexts

• Author / Creator

  Lau, Stuart C.

• Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) have been found to be more prevalent among Indigenous children. However, it is unclear whether this extends to all Indigenous children from countries with similar colonial histories. In this thesis, we conducted a systematic review to assess the evidence on the prevalence of NDDs among Indigenous children in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the USA and compared these estimates with those among non-Indigenous children. Limited evidence suggests a greater burden of Intellectual Disability affecting Indigenous children in Australia, New Zealand. This review also found a greater burden of Specific Learning Disorders affecting American Indian/Native American children compared to White children. There was inconclusive evidence or no evidence informing the prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Motor Disorder, and Communication Disorder in Indigenous children. This thesis also includes a population-based retrospective cohort study that evaluated the prevalence of neurodevelopmental disorders and disabilities (NDD/D) of all singleton Métis live births and a random sample of non-Métis live births in Alberta from 2006-2016. The study also compared maternal and neonatal characteristics of Métis and non-Métis children with NDD/D. This study found that the prevalence of NDD/D was similar between Métis and non-Métis children (adjusted odds ratio: 1.15; 95% confidence interval: 0.98, 1.34) adjusting for covariates. We found that compared to non-Métis children, Métis children with NDD/D in our cohort had a greater likelihood of being born to mothers who were younger than 20 years old, lived in rural locations, from the most materially deprived areas, and who smoked and used alcohol or drugs. These findings will be useful to inform strategies to improve the neurodevelopmental health of Indigenous children from countries with similar colonial histories and for Métis children in Alberta.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Indigenous
  • Métis
  • Neurodevelopmental Disorders
  • Children

• Graduation date

  Fall 2022

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Science

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/r3-an3k-yq26

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Library with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.