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UA Public Health Researchers Contribute to CDC Study that Estimates 1 in 59 U.S. Children Having an Autism Spectrum Disorder

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Researchers from the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health participated in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study that estimates 1 in 59 children in the United States has been identified as having an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), based on tracking across multiple areas of the nation. 

In Arizona, prevalence was slightly lower, with 1 in 71, 8-year-old children in Maricopa County identified with ASD. Since 2000, ASD prevalence has more than doubled in Arizona, but the current estimate was slightly lower than in 2008-2012. 

Sydney Pettygrove, PhD
Sydney Pettygrove, PhD
Margaret Kurzius-Spencer, PhD, MS, MPH
Margaret Kurzius-Spencer, PhD, MS, MPH

Margaret Kurzius-Spencer, PhD, MPH, MS, assistant professor of Pediatrics and Public Health and Sydney Pettygrove, PhD, epidemiologist and assistant professor in the UA Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, are co-principal Investigators for the Arizona Developmental Disabilities Surveillance Program (ADDSP). The ADDSP is the Arizona site of the CDC Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network. 

Their team reviewed special education and clinical health records of 8-year-old children living within the boundaries of 11 school districts in Maricopa County during 2014 to determine the prevalence of ASD and intellectual disabilities in that region.

Key findings:

  • Approximately 1 in 59, or 1.7 percent, of 8-year-old children were identified with autism in 2014, based on tracking in 11 states across the United States. The overall prevalence of autism was higher in 2014, as compared to 2012, when we identified autism in 1 in 68, or 1.5 percent of children.
  • The recent change in the diagnostic criteria for autism has had little effect on the percentage of school-aged children identified as having ASD in this study. 
  • The researchers found that children identified with autism are not receiving comprehensive developmental evaluations as early as they could, despite developmental concerns, and frequently fail to receive a diagnosis prior to 4 years of age. 
  • Although a higher percentage of white children are identified with autism, compared to minorities, disparities in the identification of autism in minority populations have narrowed and the prevalence among black and Hispanic children is approaching that of white children. This finding suggests communities have improved in identification of ASD in minority populations. 
  • Lastly, the study continues to highlight the vital role parents, pediatricians and other clinicians play in getting children who have developmental delays evaluated early and the important role of schools in providing services for children with autism. 

Complete Arizona findings in the Arizona Developmental Disabilities Surveillance Program will be available April 30 at: https://www.cdc.gov/features/new-autism-data/index.html​

“Together, we can make a difference,” said Dr. Pettygrove. “Parents can track their child’s development and act early if they have a concern. Providers can acknowledge and help parents act on those concerns. Parents and professionals can join forces to ensure that all children with autism get identified and connected to the services they need as early as possible.” 

“The prevalence of autism has increased markedly since the early 2000s,” said Dr. Kurzius-Spencer, a researcher with the UA Steele Children’s Research Center. “We know there are many children living with autism who need services and support, both now and as they grow into adolescence and adulthood. More needs to be done to ensure children are evaluated as soon as possible after developmental concerns are identified.”

The Arizona Developmental Disabilities Surveillance Program (ADDSP) is a joint undertaking with the CDC, the Arizona Department of Education and many other agencies and organizations that serve children with developmental disabilities and their families. The ADDSP has completed the 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2014 surveillance years and is collecting data for the 2016 surveillance year. 

Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder Among Children Aged 8 Years — Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 11 Sites, United States, 2014
Surveillance Summaries. April 27, 2018 
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/67/ss/ss6706a1.htm?s_cid=ss6706a1_w

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