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disabilities and associated conditions. Children with autism and other developmental disabilities experience disparities in health and healthcare service utilization. Autism is linked to many health conditions such as epilepsy, gastrointestinal problems and other mental disorders. These health problems affect each individual with autism in a unique way negatively affecting his/her existing social interaction and communication impairments. Again, health facilities and medical equipment are not disability friendly making it difficult for this special group to effectively have access to quality care. In addition, most healthcare providers do not possess adequate knowledge and skills required to make critical decisions regarding this very special group of persons. Furthermore, due to cultural differences certain diagnosis and treatment regarding autism and other developmental disabilities may not be welcomed. These among others create barriers to the effective provision and utilization of healthcare services by children with disabilities in general and those with developmental disabilities in particular. The public health sector of all nations has the duty to promote health and prevent diseases for all including children with disabilities. This can be done by developing and implementing strategies to include persons with disabilities in all aspects of work as suggested by the UN and WHO. If this is done it will go a long way to reduce disparities in health and barriers to health service utilization especially for children with autism. This will in turn decrease stigmatization, discrimination and enhance the delivery of quality and holistic care to persons with disabilities particularly children with autism and related disorders. REFERENCES 1. National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Developmental monitoring and screening. 2020. Web site. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/screening.html. Retrieved October 10, 2020. Accessed December 17, 2021. 2. Batshaw ML, Roizen NJ, Pellegrino L. Children with Disabilities. 8th ed. Baltimore, Maryland: Brookes Publishing Co; 2019. 3. Hill CV, Pérez-Stable EJ, Anderson NA, Bernard MA. The national institute on aging health disparities research framework. Ethn Dis. 2015; 25(3); 245-254. doi: 10.18865/ed.25.3.245 4. The Westminster Commission on Autism. A spectrum of obstacles: An inquiry into access to healthcare for autistic people. 2016. Web site. ar1011_ncg-autism-report-july-2016.pdf. Accessed December 17, 2021. 5. Krahn GL, Fox MH. Health disparities of adults with intellectual disabilities: What do we know? What do we do? J Appl Res Intellect Disabil. 2014; 27(5): 431-446. doi: 10.1111/jar.12067 6. Kripke C. Adults with developmental disabilities: a comprehensive approach to medical care. Am Fam Physician. 2018; 97: 649-656. 7. Bishop-Fitzpatrick L, Kind AJ. A scoping review of health disparities in autism spectrum disorder. J Autism Dev Disord. 2017; 47(11): 3380-3391. doi: 10.1007/s10803-017-3251-9 8. Shenae C, Amirul IFM, Jonathan K, Rachael M. The disparities of healthcare access for adults with autism spectrum disorder: Protocol for a systematic review. Medicine (Baltimore). 2019; 98(7): e14480. doi: 9. Buckley C. Making your practice autism friendly. InnovAiT. 2017; 10(6): 327-331. doi: 10.1177/1755738017692002 10. Buckley C. Autism in adults. InnovAiT. 2017; 10(6): 319-326. doi: 10.1177/1755738016683410 11. Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP). 2017. Web site. clinical-and-research/resources/ toolkits/asd-toolkit.aspx. Retrieved October 11, 2020. Accessed December 17, 2021. 12. Hirvikoski T, Mittendorfer-Rutz E, Boman M, Larsson H, Lichtenstein P, Bölte S. Premature mortality in autism spectrum disorder. Br J Psychiatry. 2016; 208(3): 232-238. doi: 10.1192/bjp. bp.114.160192 13. Guan J, Li G. Injury mortality in individuals with autism. Am J Public Health. 2017; 107(5): 791-793. doi: 10.2105/ajph.2017.303696 14. Sharpe RA, Curry W, Brown R, Shankar R. A public health approach to reducing health inequalities among adults with autism. Br J Gen Pract. 2019; 69(688): 534-535. doi: 10.3399/bjgp19X706133 15. Romero M, Aguilar
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