Autism rates on the rise again, CDC reports

As the nation celebrated World Autism Awareness Day on April 2, we learned that new government estimates show autism on the rise among U.S. children.  About 1 in 88 children has been identified with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), according to estimates from the Center for Disease Control's Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network. This is a considerable increase over the 1 in 6 children identified with a developmental disability in 2006-2008, ranging from mild disabilities such as speech and language impairments to serious developmental disabilities, such as intellectual disabilities, cerebral palsy, and autism.. Some experts have speculated that the increase in ASD cases is due to the improved diagnosis and expanded definition of autism and autism spectrum disorders.  Differences in record-keeping across different states also may account for the increasing numbers, the CDC notes, as the number of cases fluctuate from one state to another.  The CDC also found that ASDs are almost 5 times more common among boys (1 in 54) than among girls (1 in 252). ADDM Network investigators will continue to explore the factors surrounding ASDs, reports the CDC in a recent Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, with a focus on understanding disparities in the identification of ASDs among certain subgroups.  Researchers will also examine how these disparities have contributed to changes in the estimated prevalence of ASDs and will also take a look at risk factors that can contribute to these disorders.