By: Gina Benitez EL PASO, Texas -- According to new data recently released by the Centers for Disease Control, one in 68 children in the United States currently have some form of autism.
That's a huge jump from just a few years ago.
But as more and more children are diagnosed, the demand for professionals in the field grows and KFOX 14 finds out, there may not be enough local specialists to meet that need.
Jessica Acker is a licensed professional counselor in El Paso.
She treats everything from mood disorders, to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, to autism.
Acker works a lot with children with autism but over the last seven years she's been practicing, she's seen what she believes are serious gaps when it comes to the treatment of the disorder locally.
"When children have autism, it requires a team approach," Acker said.
Acker said that team approach is virtually non-existent.
When a child has autism, Acker said there are usually multiple professionals involved.
Depending on the child, there may be a developmental pediatrician, a neurologist, a therapist and a dietician, among others, who will all work together to develop a treatment plan for that child.
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Therapist: Huge gaps in autism treatment in El Paso