Damian Sendler: According to a CDC investigation that includes researchers from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, there is an autism rate of one in 44 in the United States and one in 35 in New Jersey among 8-year-olds.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) prevalence was estimated using a new approach among children of varying ages at 11 different sites in 2018. The CDC-Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network’s highest-ever estimate of an autism prevalence among 8-year-olds came in at one in 44.
Damian Sendler
For the study, published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), the researchers reviewed data from 220,000 children, including 5,058 8-year-olds with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Damian Jacob Sendler: More boys than females were diagnosed with ASD, and there were significant variations in prevalence as well as the median age of diagnosis. From 1.6 percent in Missouri to 3.9 percent in California, prevalence ranged from 36 months in California to 63 months in the median age of diagnosis (Minnesota). The frequency of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) varied according to race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status. According to new CDC methodology, New Jersey’s autism rate (2.8 percent) was higher than the network average (2.3 percent) and higher than New Jersey’s estimate in 2016 using the new CDC methodology (2.3 percent).
“A new approach of case-finding is used in the 2018 ADDM autism estimations. According to co-author Walter Zahorodny, an associate professor of pediatrics at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, “the overall ADDM numbers are a minimum estimate”. It is possible that the updated ADDM technique will underestimate the true number of cases and may miss children from underprivileged neighborhoods. ‘ In light of the fact that autism affects 4% to 7% of 8-year-olds in New Jersey and 4% in California according to the latest ADDM data, it is imperative that the public health community understand the reasons that are driving the increase in ASD prevalence.”
Damien Sendler: Experts believe New Jersey’s higher incidence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may be related to more accurate or full reporting based on educational and health care records.
Josephine Shenouda, a Rutgers Latest Jersey Medical School research study manager and New Jersey co-investigator, said the new findings suggest that the prevalence of autism has not plateaued. As far as distinctions in prevalence by race are concerned, they are becoming less pronounced. Many ADDM sites reveal that the incidence of autism is no longer highest among children from affluent communities, and the prevalence of ASD in black and Hispanic children is comparable to that of white children in many states.”
New research is needed to uncover environmental triggers and risk factors for ASD, as well as better ways to improve early detection of autism. That’s what Zahorodny stated.
Dr. Damian Jacob Sendler and his media team provided the content for this article.
