Autism rates have fluctuated since 2000 from 1 in 150 kids to 1 in 88 and now 1 in 68 in school-age children, which was the same as the 2014 estimate.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explains how it comes up with this rate:
The data come from CDC’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network – a tracking system that provides estimates of the prevalence and characteristics of ASD among 8-year-old children in 11 communities within Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Utah, and Wisconsin. The data in the latest report are for 2012 while the data in the previous 2014 report were from 2010.
Rates varied among the CDC’s study communities and especially varied by race and socioeconomic differences, pointing out the need for more awareness and faster diagnosis.
The CDC says:
The report also shows that, overall, less than half (43%) of children identified with ASD receive developmental evaluations by age 3. This suggests that many children may not be getting identified as early as they could be. Progress needs to be made to reach the Healthy People 2020 goal of increasing to 47% the proportion of children with ASD having a first evaluation by age 3.
Know the signs of autism. The CDC has an age-by-age checklist of what you as a parent should be looking for and discussing with your doctor if your child is missing the milestones.
April is Autism Awareness Month. Thursday the City of Austin made a proclamation declaring it so and recognized the city for providing Applied Behavioral Analysis therapy for city employees’ children who have autism.
Sunday, the Autism Society of Central Texas is having its eighth Autism Bike Ride and Fun Run/Walk. The bike ride begins at 7:30 a.m., the fun run at 9:30 a.m. There will be a resource fair from 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. as well as lunch, awards, live music, a kids zone and more family activity. P. Terry’s, Schlotzsky’s and Chuy’s are providing the food. The event will also remember Hunter Hinze, a young man with Autism who died last spring after participating in the event last year. His family has established a scholarship fund to help people with autism transition into adulthood. Everything is happening at Georgetown High School, 2211 N. Austin Ave., Georgetown. Find out more at austinautismsociety.org.
Read other stories about autism we’ve covered in Raising Austin:
Sorting through implications of one label for all on the autism spectrum
Finding his voice: Teen with autism shares his journey
Does my child need early intervention?
Could folic acid be the missing link to autism?
