Autism Rates In The US Have Risen To 1 in 31, CDC Says. This Is Why

“Prevalence of [autism] among children aged 8 years was higher in 2022 than previous years,” reads the report. “ASD prevalence was higher among [Asian/Pacific Islander], Black, and Hispanic children aged 8 years than White children aged 8 years, continuing a pattern first observed in 2020.”

The study included children aged 4 and 8 at 16 sites across 14 states of the contiguous US and Puerto Rico. Kids were classed as having autism if they had ever received a positive diagnostic statement after a screening assessment; had special education eligibility related to autism; or met the criteria for one of two possible sets of international clinical guidelines.

For the 4-year-olds, a suspected autism diagnosis was also taken into account as long as it was supported by strong documentary evidence from an evaluator. 

Overall, autism was 3.4 times as prevalent among boys in this cohort than girls. As the report notes, prevalence varied across different racial categories, but no association with median household income was observed at the majority of the sites. 

Among the 8-year-olds with an autism diagnosis, 66.5 percent had a documented screening test within their medical history, although the use of such tests varied greatly by location.

In its conclusions, the report emphasizes the role of identification of autism, mentioning “increased access to identification among previously underserved groups.”

We know from prior research that autism was once considered much more common in boys and men, and that greater awareness of how the condition presents differently in girls is leading to much higher diagnosis rates. Access to autism assessments has also historically not been equal across different racial, geographic, and socioeconomic groups, meaning that past data was not a true reflection of the prevalence of autism.

In a statement on the research, the Autism Society highlighted that the paper “challenges outdated myths” about autism: namely, that autism affects people of all backgrounds; that access to screening is a key factor in diagnosis; and that access to affordable screening and care is of paramount importance for families.

Studies have found that receiving a diagnosis of autism, even much later in life, can be a positive experience. For kids, recognizing autism early maximizes the chances that they will have access to any support services they may need to thrive during their education and beyond.

However, in an official statement and subsequent press conference, US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr reacted to the report with negativity.

“The autism epidemic is running rampant,” Kennedy’s comments began.

“The autism epidemic has now reached a scale unprecedented in human history because it affects the young. The risks and costs of this crisis are a thousand times more threatening to our country than COVID-19. Autism is preventable and it is unforgivable that we have not yet identified the underlying causes. We should have had these answers 20 years ago.”

Not only is this statement in disagreement with the conclusions of the study itself, leading autism nonprofits and advocacy groups have come out stridently to refute Kennedy’s claims.

“In both his statement and his press conference, Kennedy repeated false claims that autism was a ‘preventable’ ‘epidemic’ and that the ADDM report findings could not be explained by improved access to screening,” said the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN).

“Autism is not a disease. You cannot ‘catch’ autism. It is genetic. We are born autistic, and are autistic our whole lives. Autism is a normal part of life. You cannot ‘prevent’ or ‘cure’ autism, and you should not try to. It is a waste of time and money and harms autistic people.”

Similarly, the Autism Society said, “This rise in prevalence does not signal an ‘epidemic’ as narratives are claiming – it reflects diagnostic progress, and an urgent need for policy decisions rooted in science and the immediate needs of the Autism community.”

Just days before the report was released, Kennedy sparked controversy by claiming that the cause of autism will be known definitively “by September”. Not only was this assertion riddled with scientific inaccuracies, it once again framed autism as an “epidemic” in precisely the way that many autistic people and their families are loudly objecting to.

The department had already been under fire for its contentious decision to appoint David Geier, a known vaccine skeptic, to lead a fresh study into the long-debunked lie that vaccines cause autism. Kennedy made a renewed vow to conduct research into environmental causes of autism in the wake of the new CDC report, despite the fact that an “overwhelming amount of evidence points to a genetic cause,” according to the Autism Science Foundation.

The discourse in recent days has prompted a group of national organizations in the US to come together and issue a joint statement “calling for evidence-based research and investments in diverse supports for the Autism community.”

“We are deeply concerned by growing public rhetoric and policy decisions that challenge these shared principles,” the statement reads. “We urge public leaders, institutions, and media to uphold scientific integrity and work together to strengthen – not weaken – the infrastructure of support for the entire Autism community.”

The study is published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.