Core priority · Community pediatric health
A child should not wait until four for a first look.
The most critical years are ages 0–5. Diagnosis still arrives at 47 months.
QuietScan: five minutes, on a parent’s lap, no sedation. MECHA brings the families. We need you to help build it.
1 in 6
U.S. children with a developmental disability
1 in 31
8-year-olds identified with autism (CDC 2022)
1 in 29
New Jersey 8-year-olds identified with autism
47 mo.
Median age of first autism diagnosis — too late for ages 0–5
Since 1985 · MECHA
Hispanic children are being identified later — and more often with harder needs. MECHA’s goal is earlier monitoring.
CDC’s 2022 ADDM Network found autism in 33.0 of every 1,000 Hispanic 8-year-olds — about 1 in 30. Among those children, 38.8% also had intellectual disability, higher than White children (32.7%). Median first diagnosis is still 47 months. QuietScan is built for ages 0–5, five minutes, no sedation, on a parent’s lap. MECHA will bring that access to the families in our classrooms. Nickan Scientific, in Unit 5-1 of this building, develops the device. We need sponsorship and community support to develop and deploy it.
Per 1,000 children · CDC ADDM, 16 U.S. sites, 2022
- White27.7
- All children32.2
- Hispanic33
- Black36.6
Percent · CDC ADDM 2022. Higher shares often mean later, harder identification.
- White32.7
- Hispanic38.8
- Black52.8
What the numbers miss
Parent surveys still find Hispanic children less likely to carry an ADHD diagnosis (29% less likely in 2024, HHS Office of Minority Health) and slightly less likely to have a recorded developmental diagnosis. Identification is not the same as care. A family in our ESL class should not wait until age four for a first look.
MECHA’s health goal
Stand up a Community Pediatric Health Access Program. Connect Mercer County Hispanic and underserved families to early, no-sedation monitoring for children ages 0–5. Contract Nickan Scientific as the technology provider. Keep the charitable purpose inside this 501(c)(3). QuietScan remains investigational — not FDA cleared, not for sale, not a treatment, not a diagnosis. Sponsorship pays development, community training, and a careful pilot — not a product on a shelf.
We need sponsors and this community.
Foundations, churches, clinics, and neighbors: fund the access program at MECHA. Households: become a house member or pledge $5. Banks: the CDFI desk is the other door. Write us. Visit Unit 5.
QuietScan is investigational. Not available for sale. Not FDA cleared. Not a treatment. Not a diagnosis. MECHA does not sell devices and does not provide clinical care on this website.
Sources: CDC ADDM / MMWR 2025 · HHS OMH · CDC NCBDDD
Our mission
The Mercer County Hispanic Association (MECHA) was founded in 1985 to establish and ensure that adequate representation and services are provided to meet the needs of the Latino population of Mercer County. MECHA’s mission is to provide and/or facilitate access to social services and advocate on behalf of community members. MECHA serves people in need from all communities in Mercer County, working to provide them with the skills and services necessary to promote self-sufficiency.
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