WASHINGTON, D.C. — Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) now affects 1 in 31 children born in 2014, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) latest Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network survey. This marks a significant increase from the previous estimate of 1 in 36, reported just two years ago, and reflects a nearly fivefold rise compared to the 1 in 150 prevalence recorded when the ADDM survey began 22 years ago.
“The autism epidemic is running rampant,” said U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. “One in 31 American children born in 2014 are disabled by autism. That’s up significantly from two years earlier and nearly five times higher than when the CDC first started running autism surveys in children born in 1992. Prevalence for boys is an astounding 1 in 20 and in California it’s 1 in 12.5.”
The findings reveal concerning trends beyond overall prevalence. While the scope of ASD diagnoses has expanded in recent years, the CDC data show a steady decrease in the percentage of children categorized as having higher IQs (> 85). Currently, nearly two-thirds of children diagnosed with ASD in the survey meet criteria for either severe or borderline intellectual disability (ID).
Disparities across racial and ethnic groups persist, with Black, Asian, and Hispanic children showing higher ASD prevalence rates than their White peers and being more likely to experience severe forms of autism. For example, among children aged 8 years, the ASD prevalence was 3.66% for Black children, 3.82% for Asian children, and 3.30% for Hispanic children, compared to 2.77% among White children. Additionally, the majority of Black, Asian, and Hispanic children with ASD reported either severe or borderline ID, at 78.9%, 66.5%, and 63.9%, respectively.
Addressing these troubling statistics, Secretary Kennedy emphasized the necessity of immediate action. “The autism epidemic has now reached a scale unprecedented in human history because it affects the young,” he said, asserting, “The risks and costs of this crisis are a thousand times more threatening to our country than COVID-19. Autism is preventable and it is unforgivable that we have not yet identified the underlying causes.”
Moving forward, the government is prioritizing research into the origins of ASD. Secretary Kennedy highlighted that teams of leading scientists are being assembled to uncover the root causes of the ongoing epidemic, with findings expected by September. This renewed focus reflects a commitment to reducing prevalence, easing the disparities faced by affected populations, and safeguarding the futures of millions of American families.
For the latest news on everything happening in Chester County and the surrounding area, be sure to follow MyChesCo on Google News and MSN.