The number of children with autism is "significantly" higher than previously thought, according to a new report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
School-aged boys were four times more likely to have an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis than girls, according to the new data.
The CDC released a report a year ago estimating 1 in 88 American children has a form of autism spectrum disorder - neurodevelopmental disorders that lead to impaired language, communication and social skills. The report looked at medical and educational records of all 8-year-olds living in 14 areas of the United States during 2008.
This new report is drawn from answers given by parents of children between the ages of 6 and 17 in a telephone survey. Based on the answers provided by parents who chose to answer questions, the survey suggests that 1 in 50 school-aged children have autism.
The research
The CDC's National Center for Health Statistics conducted the survey between February 2011 and June 2012. When the topic of autism was raised, the family member was asked if they had ever been told by a doctor or other health care provider that their child had any form of autism. If the answer was yes, they were asked if the child currently had autism. If the answer to that question was also yes, then the parent or guardian was asked if the autism diagnosis was "mild," "moderate" or "severe."
The findings
"The new data does suggest that the number of children with autism is higher than we had estimated four years ago. This will have implications for health care providers and school systems," says Stephen Blumberg, a health scientist with CDCs National Center for Health Statistics and lead author of the research published online Wednesday.
When this survey was conducted in 2007, 1.6% of parent said they had a child with an autism diagnosis -- which suggests 1 in 86 school-age children have some form of autism. In this latest study, 2% of parents said their child currently had a diagnosis of some for of autism.
Based on this new CDC report and last year's CDC report, "it's really tough to know what the true prevalence of ASD is," says Zachary Warren, director of Vanderbilt University's Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders.
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CDC: 1 in 50 children have autism