Study: 1 in 110 U.S. children had autism in 2006
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close windowOne child in 110 had autism in 2006, a jump of 57 percent from 2002
A new report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds that one in 110 children in the United States had autism in 2006.
"The average prevalence of autism among 8-year-olds increased by 57 percent," according to Catherine Rice, lead author of the report and a behavioral health scientist at the CDC's National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities.
The research shows that boys still outnumber girls in autism prevalence. One in 70 boys were diagnosed with the disorder, compared with one in 315 girls. However, girls diagnosed with autism often have more severe symptoms.
To better understand the prevalence of autism, the CDC reviewed the records of children diagnosed with autism from physicians and schools in 11 sites across the country that are part of the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network.
The new report tracks autism prevalence among 8-year-olds from 2006 in 11 states and compares it with data collected at 14 monitoring sites in 2002, when the prevalence of autism averaged 1 in 150 children. Ten of these sites are represented in both reports.
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