1 in 68

The Centers for Disease Control announced March 27, 2014 that overall autism prevalence rates in the US have increased, indicating that 1 in 68 American children are on the autism spectrum.

According to the new report:

• The estimated number of children identified with ASD continues to rise.This latest estimate is roughly 30 percent higher than previous estimates fromCDC’s autism tracking system.
• Some things about ASD have remained the same. For example, ASD is almost five times more common among boys than girls. White children are more likely to be identified with ASD than Black or Hispanic children. And, most children with ASD are still not diagnosed until after age 4, even though ASD can be diagnosed as early as age 2.
• However, the picture of ASD in communities is changing. Almost half of children identified with ASD have average or above average intellectual ability (an IQ of 85 and above) compared to a third of children a decade ago.

CDC continues to be in the forefront of documenting changes in the picture of autism over time. More is understood about autism than ever before, but there is an urgent need to continue the search for answers and provide help now for people living with autism. (Source CDC.gov)