In recent years the prevalence of autism has risen significantly across all

populations in the US. Diagnoses are more common among children of color

but one group Somali Americans is seeing an alarming increase.

Fred to Sam Lazzaro has this report from Minnesota

home to the largest Somali community in America.

Where are we going to go?

So it's a three Sunday.

I have three children, two three Sunday.

I have three children, two girls and a boy, and they have all been diagnosed autistic.

Like this?

Two of my children are verbal.

One is partially verbal and we speak, eat, sleep, autism.

Look, look, look.

For Anisa Haji Muhammad and husband Duran Ali,

this is one of few outings the family does together in a routine otherwise individually

tailored for their eight six and three year old children. On Sundays the kids get to

play in a safe space set aside just for autistic children.

Haji Muhammad was a teacher. She has a degree in linguistics, but has devoted her life to advocating for autistic

children in the Somali-American community. I always tell parents you are

going to face a period of denial. I experience it with myself even though my daughter was showing very

visible signs of autism. She was refusing affection. She had you know different

behaviors.

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