ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
HUMAN HEALTH CATASTROPHES
LIFESTYLE RELATED DISASTERS
AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER
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At least 1 in 68 children identified with autism spectrum disorder
The estimated number of children identified with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exploded by 30 percent between 2008 and 2010, according to new data released by CDC’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is described as “a group of developmental disabilities that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges.”
Signs of ASD begin during early childhood and usually last throughout a person’s life.
The estimates that are highlighted below are based on data collected from the health and special education (where available) records of children aged 8 who lived in areas of Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, Utah, and Wisconsin in 2010. [Some of the following excerpts from CDC report have been edited for brevity. Editor]
- About 1 in 68 children (or 14.7 per 1,000 children aged 8 living in 11 diverse communities) were identified with ASD. [The data does not represent the entire population of children in the United States.]
- This latest estimate is about 30% higher than the estimate for 2008 (1 in 88), 60% higher than the estimate for 2006 (1 in 110), and 120% higher than the estimates for 2002 and 2000 (1 in 150). CDC does NOT know what is causing this dramatic increase.
ASD among children aged 8 (living in 11 diverse communities) between 2000 and 2010. The latest estimate (2010) is about 30% higher than the estimate for 2008 (11.4 per 1,000), 60% higher than the estimate for 2006 (9.1 per 1,000), and 120% higher than the estimates for 2002 and 2000 (6.7 per 1,000). Copyright FIRE-EARTH Blog.
- The number of children identified with ASD varied widely by community, from in 45 children in areas of New Jersey to 1 in 175 children in areas of Alabama.
- Almost half (46%) of children identified with ASD had average or above average intellectual ability (IQ greater than 85).
- About 1 in 42 boys and 1 in 189 girls were identified with ASD, or a ratio of 5:1.
- About 1 in 63 white children, 1 in 81 black children, and 1 in 93 Hispanic children were identified with ASD.
- Less than half (44%) of children identified with ASD were evaluated for developmental concerns by the time they were 3 years old.
- Most children identified with ASD were not diagnosed until after age 4, even though children can be diagnosed as early as age 2.
- Black and Hispanic children identified with ASD were more likely than white children to have intellectual disability. A previous studyExternal Web Site Icon has shown that children identified with ASD and intellectual disability have a greater number of ASD symptoms and a younger age at first diagnosis. Despite the greater burden of co-occurring intellectual disability among black and Hispanic children with ASD, these new data show that there was no difference among racial and ethnic groups in the age at which children were first diagnosed.
- About 80% of children identified with ASD either received special education services for autism at school or had an ASD diagnosis from a clinician. This means that the remaining 20% of children identified with ASD had symptoms of ASD documented in their records, but had not yet been classified as having ASD by a community professional in a school or clinic.
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