CDC: U.S. kids with autism up 78% in past decade
The number of children with autism in the United States continues to
rise, according to a new report released Thursday by the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention. The latest data estimate that 1 in 88
American children has some form of autism spectrum disorder. That's a
78% increase compared to a decade ago, according to the report.
Since 2000, the CDC has
based its autism estimates on surveillance reports from its Autism and
Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network.
Every two years,
researchers count how many 8-year-olds have autism in about a dozen
communities across the nation. (The number of sites ranges from six to
14 over the years, depending on the available funding in a given year.)
In 2000 and 2002, the
autism estimate was about 1 in 150 children. Two years later 1 in 125
8-year-olds had autism. In 2006, the number was 1 in 110, and the newest
data -- from 2008 -- suggests 1 in 88 children have autism.
CNN
