News and Knowledge

In March, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the autism prevalence rate rose from 2014 to 2016. One in 54 8-year-old children have been identified with autism, according to an analysis of 2016 data, compared to one in 59 as reported in 2014. The report also found that 33 percent of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were also diagnosed as having an intellectual disability.

For the first time, the analysis, from the CDC’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network, showed that the prevalence for black children is the same as for white children. Despite increased diagnosis of black children, there is still a racial gap in rates of diagnosis. Hispanic children, for instance, are identified with autism at lower rates than black or white children.

Both black and Hispanic children identified with autism received evaluations at older ages than white children. This means black and Hispanic children with autism who do not have intellectual disability might not be identified at the same rates as white children.

Boys were more than four times as likely to be identified with autism as girls. However, girls identified with autism were more likely to have intellectual disability than boys (39 percent of girls vs. 32 percent of boys).

In a separate report about the identification of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), researchers found substantial improvement in developmental screenings. Eighty-four percent of 4-year-olds had received a first developmental screening by 36 months of age compared to 74 percent in 2014.