In a higher than previous U.S. estimate of 1 in 150, two new government studies revel that about 1 in 100 children have autism disorders.
Health officials believe that more awareness, more expansive definitions and more discoveries of autism in younger children could explain some of the increase in numbers of this dreaded disease.
Dr. Thomas Insel, the director of the National Institute of Mental Health, is afraid that there may be a real increase in the numbers from this disorder. Diagnosis is based on a child’s behavior, so diagnosis is especially difficult, according to Dr. Susan Levy of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics subcommittee on autism. She said it is hard to diagnose autism because there is no biological marker such as a blood test.
This new estimate could mean that around 673,000 American children have autism. Past estimates have put the number at around 560,000.
One of the studies came from the 2007 National Survey of Children’s Health. The results were released and published in the October issue of Pediatrics. The study, based on telephone surveys, parents reported that about 1 in 91 children ages 3 to 17 had autism, which included milder forms of the disease like asperger’s syndrome.
The other government estimate has not been officially released as of yet. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has decided to announce that their early findings show that about 1 in 100 children have the disorders because of the new published findings.
Researcher Catherine Rice said that the CDC employs an intensive method for its estimation. The education and health records of 8-year-old children in selected cities are evaluated by an agency network and they then determine whether the children have autism. Experts of autism usually consider this method more reliable and complete than a simple telephone survey.
President Obama has even made autism a priority for research. Federal stimulus money has been set aside for it and a 2006 law poured millions of federal money into autism research, screening and treatment.
The newly published data, which includes state-level data, will aid the government in planning new services, says Michael Kogan, who is a researcher with the federal Health Resources and Services Administration and who also led the new study.
The findings are based on results of a national telephone survey of more than 78,000 parents of children ages 3 to 17. The survey examined many health issues and included two questions on autism.
Parents were asked if a health care provider had ever told them that their child had autism, asperger’s syndrome, pervasive developmental disorder or other autism spectrum disorder. If the parent said yes, they were also asked if their child currently has autism or an autism spectrum disorder. If they answered yes to both questions, they were counted as a child with autism disorder.
Children with autism may have trouble communicating and interacting socially. They have little or no eye contact and engage in repetitive behavior like rocking back and forth and hand-flapping.