The percentage of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder in the U.S. continues to increase, according to new CDC data.
The agency published a report April 15 detailing the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder. Rates of autism have increased since 2000, when the CDC began collecting data on the topic. In 2020, around 1 in 36 children had been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, In 2000, this number was 1 in 150.
According to the CDC, rates of autism are likely increasing due to increased awareness and identification of the condition, rather than increasing rates of autism itself.
In an April 15 statement, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., said the “autism epidemic is running rampant.”
Several autism experts, however, said the condition is not an epidemic.
Alex Kolevzon, MD, clinical director of the Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment at Mt. Sinai told NBC News increasing rates of autism are likely tied to increasing awareness and expanded diagnosis criteria.
“Parents shouldn’t panic,” Dr. Kolevzon said. “We’re not seeing an epidemic with autism.”
Here are five things to know:
- Autism spectrum disorder was 3.4 times more prevalent among boys than among girls in 2022.
- Overall, ASD was lower among non-Hispanic White children than among Asian or Pacific Islander, American Indian or Alaska Native, Black, Hispanic and multiracial children.
- At five of the 16 sites the CDC studied, ASD was more common in lower-income neighborhoods.
- Around 4 in 10 children with ASD were classified as having an intellectual disability.
- Children born in 2018 were more likely to be diagnosed with autism by the time they were 4 years old than those born in 2014.
Read the full report here
