February 9, 2007
CDC Releases New Data on Autism Spectrum Disorder

It is extremely difficult to accurately estimate the number of children who have an ASD (autism spectrum disorder), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), but data released yesterday appear to indicate that at least six in every 1,000 eight-year-old children may have conditions such as autistic disorder, pervasive developmental disorder, and Asperger syndrome. The figures are based on surveys conducted in 20 states in the years 2000 and 2002, in which parents were asked if their children had ever been diagnosed as having an ASD. The best previous estimate of the incidence of ASD had been four or five in every 10,000 children. The CDC cautions that the new figures are not national estimates but do confirm that ASDs in the areas surveyed are more common than previously thought. In most cases, the children identified as having ASD had exhibited "developmental concerns" before the age of three, but the surveys used age eight as the marker because previous research has shown that most children with ASD have been identified by this age for services, often by schools or education specialists. The CDC press release notes that ASDs are developmental disabilities defined by considerable impairments in social interaction and communication and the presence of unusual behaviors and interests. They can be diagnosed as early as 18 months and last throughout a person’s life. The full text of the CDC's announcement is available at http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/pressrel/2007/r070208.htm.