A 2020 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder among 8-year-old children is the highest it’s ever been.
The rate of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the United States has reached an all time high, a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has revealed. However, the sky-high rate is likely due to improved screening and diagnosis, not an epidemic of new cases, the study suggests.
One in 36 children had an ASD diagnosis in 2020 compared to one in 44 in 2018, according to data collected across 11 states by the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network. Wisconsin recorded the largest relative change between 2018 and 2020, with a 49.5% increase in the overall prevalence of ASD.