10 Things to Know about the New Autism Data

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You might remember from the beginning of the month that April is Autism Awareness Month and there is new data from the CDC's Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network which shows that the estimated number of children identified with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) continues to rise. The following are based on information collected from health and special education records of children who were 8 years old in 11 states in 2010:

1. About 1 in 68 children were identified with ASD. 
2. This new estimate is roughly 30% higher than the estimate for 2008, roughly 60% higher than the estimate for 2006, and roughly 120% higher than the estimates for 2002 and 2000. We don't know what is causing this increase. Some of it may be due to the way children are identified, diagnosed, and served in their local communities.
3. The number of children identified with ASD varied widely by community, from 1 in 175 children in areas of Alabama to 1 in 45 children in areas of New Jersey.
4. Almost half (46%) of children identified with ASD had average or above average intellectual ability.
5. Boys were almost 5 times more likely to be identified with ASD than girls. 
6. White children were more likely to be identified with ASD than black or Hispanic children. 
7. Less than half (44%) of children identified with ASD were evaluated for developmental concerns by the time they were 3 years old.
8. Most children identified with ASD were not diagnosed until after age 4, even though children can be diagnosed as early as age 2.
9. Black and Hispanic children identified with ASD were more likely than white children to have an intellectual disability. 
10. About 80% of children identified with ASD either received special education services for autism at school or had an ASD diagnosis from a clinician. The remaining 20% of children had symptoms of ASD documented, but had not yet been classified by a professional in a school or clinic.

Check out the full report and get more information here.

Register for the Alabama Public Health Training Network's upcoming satellite conference and live webcast, "Developing Alabama's System of Services and Resources for Children With Autism: Lessons Learned and Taught." This program will be broadcast on Wednesday, May 7, 2014; 12:00-1:30 p.m. (Central Time). To see the conference flyer for this program click here (pdf). To register for this program click here.