New data suggests 1 in 44 American children have autism

New autism figures released Thursday suggest more American children are being diagnosed with developmental disabilities – and at younger ages.

In an analysis of 2018 data collected from nearly a dozen states, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 1 in 44 8-year-old children have been diagnosed with autism. This rate compares to 1 in 54 people identified as autistic in 2016.

Autism numbers in the United States have been on the rise for several years, but experts believe this reflects greater awareness and availability of services to treat the disease rather than a real increase in the number of children. affected.

A separate CDC report released on Thursday said that children were 50% more likely to be diagnosed with autism by age 4 in 2018 than in 2014.

“Progress is being made and the earlier children are identified, the earlier they can access the services they might need to improve their development,” said Kelly Shaw, CDC researcher and co-author.

Geraldine Dawson, director of the Center for Autism and Brain Development at Duke University, said the new estimate is similar to that found in research based on screening a large population of children rather than those already diagnosed . As such, she said it might be closer to reflecting the true state of autism in American children than previous estimates.

The CDC reports are based on data from counties and other communities in 11 states – some with more urban neighborhoods, where rates of autism tend to be higher. The rates are estimates and do not necessarily reflect the entire situation in the United States, the authors said.

Autism rates varied widely – from 1 in 26 in California, where services are plentiful, to 1 in 60 in Missouri.

Overall, the prevalence of autism was similar across racial and ethnic lines, but rates were higher among black children at two sites, Maryland and Minnesota. Until recently, US data showed the prevalence in white children to be higher.

At a third site, Utah, rates were higher among children from lower-income families than those from richer families, reversing a long-standing trend, the report co-author said. Amanda bakian, a University of Utah researcher who oversees the CDC’s autism surveillance in that state.

Bakian said this likely reflects greater coverage of autism services by Medicaid and private health insurers.