New government survey pegs autism prevalence at 1 in 45

[nitpicker]

Source: Autism Speaks

A new government survey of parents suggests that 1 in 45 children, ages 3 through 17, have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This is notably higher than the official government estimate of 1 in 68 American children with autism, by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Because the new numbers come from a parent survey, they don’t replace the CDC’s 1-in-68 figure as the official estimate of autism prevalence in the United States. However, the CDC has acknowledged that its estimate has significant limitations. It’s based on an analysis of the medical and school records of 8-year-old children at monitoring sites across the country. As such, it can miss children who are not receiving medical or special education services related to autism.

“The 1 in 45 estimate is not surprising and is likely a more accurate representation of autism prevalence in the United States,” comments epidemiologist Michael Rosanoff, Autism Speaks director for public health research. “This means that 2 percent of children in the U.S. are living with autism. The earlier they have access to care, services and treatment, the more likely they are to progress.”

The parent survey results released today are from the 2014 National Health Interview Survey. Conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics, it’s the most in-depth survey of its kind in the United States. In all, more than 12,000 parents are interviewed on family health conditions. As part of the interview, one child in each family is randomly selected to be the subject of detailed questions on health and disabilities.


Read more: https://www.autismspeaks.org/science/science-news/new-government-survey-pegs-autism-prevalence-1-45

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I'm not sure if this is lumping in kids who really have other developmental disabilities, or not.

I remember when I started having difficulties in school, and it turned out I needed eyeglasses.

It's better to address ALL needs sooner rather than later.

[Android3.14]

1. I have a son on the spectrum, and I'd bet a nickel a diagnosis would have pegged me in school

Just a touch, but enough to get us both labelled and bullied. I remember the best times on the playground were when I was alone on a small patch of sand way at the back of the lot.

I remember a couple of assaults when I was in middle school and high school that left emotional scars I can feel today.

One bully said, "I'm fuckin' killin this faggot nerd!" With others it was, "You weird little poindexter, I'm going to kick your ass." Bloody nose, busted lip and parents who thought I was responsible.

I just didn't understand why people behaved the way they did. You know what saved my life? The book Games People Play. Using game theory to model human behavior allowed me to understand and finally interact with far fewer missteps.

[sybylla]

2. Because Autism treatment gets funded by schools and paid for by insurance companies

Other issues get labeled as Autism when they may or may not be that closely related, but the treatment is similar.

We are going through this with my grandson.

[KamaAina]

3. Aut$peaks is a source for LBN?!

It's a bloated nonprofit whose sole aim is to "cure" (that is, eliminate) Autistic people like myself.

And it turns out that a change in methodology is likely responsible for the new figure.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1145371

The simple change to emphasize the autism question resulted in the near doubling of prevalence from 2011–2013 to 2014. Underscoring that this increase reflects a shift in how parents responded to the questions, the prevalence of ‘other developmental disorders’ dropped in that same time period from 4.84% in 2011-2013 to 3.57% in 2014.

[Marrah_G]

4. I hope they figure out what is causing it

I have a son with autism and it is very frustrating. The more people that are diagnosed the more people think it's no big deal and that they are all like Sheldon on the Big Bang Theory. They miss the people who can't get/keep jobs, the ones, who can't move out on their own, who can't drive, etc.

I also think there is a lot of misdiagnosing and self diagnosing going on. The biggest thing I can suggest to people who think they or a loved one has ASD is to insist on getting a Neuro Psych evaluation to get an accurate diagnosis.

[proverbialwisdom]

5. CDC: ASD is almost 5 times more common among boys than among girls.

http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/data.html

Do the math. Assertions that concern about these trends reflects negatively on any individual with an ASD diagnosis who is happy, healthy, capable and well functioning are SIMPLY WRONG. Many people are not as fortunate. Efforts to silence their advocates are unacceptable no matter how the censorship is framed or by whom.

[proverbialwisdom]

6. Gobbledygook reporting from NJ.com; possibly, developing material in comments (unable to source).

http://www.nj.com/healthfit/index.ssf/2015/11/njs_high_autism_rate_now_seen_around_the_nation_cd.html

N.J.'s high autism rate now seen around the nation, CDC reports

By Kathleen O'Brien | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on November 17, 2015 at 8:14 AM, updated November 17, 2015 at 8:21 AM

A new federal report shows a startlingly higher national rate of autism – bringing the rest of the country into line with the high prevalence long seen in New Jersey.

The 50 percent jump is due to a different way of surveying parents, not because prevalence of the developmental disorder has suddenly skyrocketed.

The latest report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now puts the national rate of autism at 2.2 percent of the childhood population. The previous estimate was 1.5 percent. The National Health Interview Survey questioned 12,000 households about their children, ages 3 through 17.

While that may not sound like a big jump, it means the national rate is now 1 in every 45 children, a startling increase from the previous estimate of 1 in 68 children, said Walter Zahorodny, director of the New Jersey Autism Study and a pediatrics professor at the Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in Newark.

New Jersey's rate has always been among the highest in the nation. In the last estimate, compiled in 2014 (surveying children age 8yo in 2010), it had the highest rate of 11 states that were survey. That rate? One in 45 – or exactly the number now found in this newest survey.

"It's not that our estimates have pointed to something weird going on in New Jersey," Zahorodny said. "It's just that we're doing a better job of finding them and counting them than other states."

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COMMENT:

MSkilling 4 hours ago
Why is the rate in Toms River 1 in 4 births will be autistic? That should be a big red flag and the Gov should be back in our state addressing that!

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2015/11/nj_locales_with_the_highest_amount_of_toxic_chemic.html

COMMENTS:

MSkilling Nov 2, 2015
An Autism expert recently said that 1 in 4 births in Toms River results in an Autistic child! This should be a huge wake up call!!!

notshocked@all Nov 2, 2015
@MSkilling i tried finding a link to this, can you please post it....I was wondering why there was a lot of autism in the area.

TisReality Nov 2, 2015
@MSkilling There is this one here: http://www.nj.com/ocean/index.ssf/2015/02/chemical_found_at_toms_river_superfund_site_didnt.html

TisReality Nov 2, 2015
@MSkilling CIBA-GEIGY was or is a big mess in that area: http://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/cursites/csitinfo.cfm?id=0200078