News and Knowledge

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released the results of a new study in which 2 percent of nationally surveyed parents of children ages 6-17 reported that their child had been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (prevalence rate of 1 in 50, and 1 in 31 for boys). This is an increase from the 1.16 percent that was reported in a similar study in 2007.

While this study was initially met with surprise, the reactions that followed have been more critical. Several experts say that the reported increase in diagnostic prevalence is simply the result of rising autism awareness among parents, medical professionals, and school staff. ANew York Times article quoted Stephen J. Blumberg, Ph.D., a senior scientist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), who explained that “our findings suggest that the increase in prevalence is due to improved recognition of autism spectrum disorders as opposed to children with newly developed risks for them.”

Many people were also hesitant to accept the findings of the new study due to its controversial methodology. The researchers randomly called landlines and cell phones to ask parents if their child was diagnosed with autism. Less than a quarter of contacted parents agreed to be surveyed, and it is highly possible that parents of children on the spectrum might have been more inclined to participate.

Last year, the CDC reported an autism prevalence rate of 1 in 88 children; for that study, researchers analyzed official medical records and school reports in 14 states before writing their report. Because the new study used a different methodology, this official estimate remains unchanged. As Catherine Lord, Ph.D., director of the Center for Autism and the Developing Brain in New York, notes, “We can’t dismiss this [new] report, but we can’t interpret it to mean that more people have a diagnosis. It means that more families are thinking of this as a possibility and maybe more professionals are bringing it up.”