A new study has found that 1 in 30 children in the US has autism, and this may be a call for additional help and support for families across the country. It has been clear that the amount of children, and adults, being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (AS) has increased throughout the years.
This is not due to something that is causing more cases, but instead, to improved diagnosing tools and identification. Medical professionals are better able to diagnose and identify those that have ASD, and this leads to a higher amount of the population with the diagnosis.
According to New York Post, a new study has found that 1 in 30 children have ASD. This study was done by researchers at the Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, and they used data from the CDC. Their results can be read in full here.
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The results found that there was a nearly 52% spike in ASD prevalence among children and youth in the US between 2017 and 2020. Now they know that 1 in 30 children have been diagnosed and are all presenting with a range of behavioral and cognitive symptoms.
The data showed that the numbers have been rising since 2014. There was a slight dip in 2016/2017, but then they continued to rise again by 2020. As an example, in 2014, 2.24% of children were diagnosed with ASD. By 2020, that percentage had risen to 3.49%. They also were able to notice that boys are being diagnosed at a much higher rate than girls and that there was a trend in family income and lower economic status in the health diagnosis.
This study shows not only how prevalent the condition is, but that there is a clear need for more help. If the number of children with ASD is rising, there needs to be a direct correlation to the number of services and support. There should be more help and treatment available for families, but this is an area that has struggled.
It may also indicate to mothers out there that if they feel something is not right with their child, they should get an opinion from their doctor. Doctors are better able to identify neurodivergent challenges in children and youth, and they will be able to work with you to discover what is going on. The earlier a diagnosis is given, the earlier mom can access help and support for her and her child.
Sources: New York Post, JAMA Network