Autism may be significantly more common than previously thought, researchers said Monday.
In a unique study of 55,000 children in a South Korean town, researchers from George Washington University and Yale found that 1 in 38 had autism.
That rate is nearly three times as high as the most recent prevalence estimates in the United States, which show that the developmental disorder affects 1 in 110 kids.
The finding is significant because the study looked at every child ages 7 to 12 in one particular community. Previous efforts to determine autism prevalence from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other agencies have relied on existing medical or educational records.
“While this study does not suggest that Korean children have more autism than other populations… it does suggest that autism may be more common than previously thought,” said Roy Richard Grinker of George Washington University who worked on the study, which was published online Monday in the American Journal of Psychiatry. “This research powerfully demonstrates that the methods one uses to study prevalence will profoundly influence the estimate.”
For the study, Grinker and his colleagues looked at both children who were and were not enrolled in special education. Parents and teachers were surveyed and the kids underwent diagnostic assessments to determine who had autism.
Ultimately, some children were identified who would have been missed in traditional prevalence studies — including those conducted by the CDC — that rely on existing records, researchers said.
I think this study will help society define a “new normal”. When you are dealing with the spectrum, there are so many different types of people, all with different symptoms. Having two girls with ASD, and both of them so different, it is almost hard for me to even think of them as having the same disorder. Either way, it is good to get more data and more information out there. Now let’s see how we can stop it and how we can help those who have it.
They also need to work out how many of us ADULTS have been struggling with the syndrome, in many cases not even diagnosed until middle age or later. Kids do grow up, but they do not grow out of autism spectrum disorders. As an adult with Asperger’s, I have felt very ignored all these years.
I think the discussion has to switch from just speaking about children. The public doesn’t get it that this is a lifelong disorder that is being ignored. I work with adults and there is little or nothing, as my participants tell me, in the way of services for them. The public and government officials have to begin thinking seriously about the huge numbers, 500,000 in the next 15 years who will be without programs, supportive housing, etc. Paying for training and programs now will allow this population to find and hold jobs, learn independent living skills, so when their parents are no longer able to help in their care, they can do it themselves with a supportive environment. Ignoring this issue will not make it go away. We need to increase the public awareness of this.
Fairlady68 I was diagnosed autistic at age 39. I have always had “professionals” get frustrated with me because I am so high functioning. I had my state tell me I do not have the social skills to hold down a job. Nobody knows what social skills I am lacking. Any agency set up here in my city to help people like me usually wind up becoming courrupt in nature to the point I do NOT know who to trust any more or to even trust an agency.
I would caution against using a headline such as “Autism Rate Could Be As High As 1 In 38″, when the study involved children in ONE S. Korean community. According to the abstract of the original article, “These findings suggest that rigorous screening and comprehensive population coverage are necessary to produce more accurate ASD prevalence estimates and underscore the need for better detection, assessment, and services.” Nothing about general prevalence rates.