Spike in Autism Numbers Might Reflect Rise in Awareness

[Katashi_itto]

About 1 in 68 children in the U.S. is diagnosed with autism, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), scientists from the organization reported Thursday.

This estimate represents a 30 percent increase in prevalence from the 1 in 88 children reported in 2012 to have autism.

The researchers evaluated school and medical records of 363,749 children who were 8 years old in 2010. The prevalence data are from 11 states but vary widely by geography, from 1 in 45 in New Jersey to 1 in 175 in Alabama. The numbers also vary based on ethnicity, sex and co-occurring conditions.

As in previous years, the gender ratio is skewed, at 4.5:1 for boys versus girls.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/spike-in-autism-numbers-might-reflect-rise-in-awareness/

[sakabatou]

1. It might be awareness

It could also be better tests to confirm it.