Autism Numbers Are Rising. Why?

December 22, 2009

One in 110 American children are considered to fall somewhere along the

autism spectrum, according to the latest report released by the federal

government. The new figure, which was released initially in October,

comes from

the most comprehensive set of data yet on the developmental health of

eight-year-olds.

Increasing the previous federal estimate of 1 in 150, the new data

suggest

that 1% of children now exhibit some symptoms of an autism spectrum

disorder (ASD), a collection of neurological conditions whose symptoms

may range from mild social impairment to more serious communication,

language and cognitive deficits. The estimate also represents a stunning

57% increase in

prevalence since 2002, when health officials first began a nationwide

effort

to quantify the risk of autism in childhood.

For the detailed report, published by the Centers for Disease Control

and

Prevention (CDC) on Friday, researchers combed through health and

education

records in 11 U.S. cities. In some sites, the rate of autism was as high

as 12 cases per 1,000 children, but averaged across the country the

final

autism case rate was calculated at 9 per 1,000 children. That's compared

to a

national rate of 1 per 2,000 children prior to the 1980s, and 6 per

1,000

children as recently as the 1990s.

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