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News › CDC Examines Autism Among Children - Statistics
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Autism Statistics: CDC Examines Autism Among Children - Statistics
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Posted by Sylvia on Sunday, November 09, 2003 (22:15:07)
National Center for Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, CDC
It is not known how many children in the United States currently have autism or a related disorder. Studies done in Europe and Asia indicate as many as 2 out of every 1,000 children have some type of autism.
A recent investigation by CDC in Brick Township, New Jersey, found a prevalence rate for the autism of 4.0 per 1,000 children and a rate of 6.7 per 1,000 children for the more broadly defined category of autistic spectrum disorders. Although the rates obtained in Brick are high compared to other published reports, it is important to keep in mind that there are no current rates for autism from the United States.
Furthermore, investigators in other countries who used intense case finding methods in small communities are finding rates of autism in the range of those found in Brick Township. The interpretation of the results from the Brick prevalence investigation will not be fully understood until additional prevalence rates have been obtained from other communities and compared to those in Brick Township.
CDC runs the Metropolitan Atlanta Developmental Disabilities Surveillance Program (MADDSP), one of the few programs in the world that conducts active and ongoing monitoring of the number of children with developmental disabilities in the multiracial Atlanta area. CDC added autism to the program in 1998 and anticipates having prevalence rates for autism in the fall of 2000.
Autism is a spectrum of disorders that are complex and lifelong. Individuals with autism have problems with social interaction, communication difficulties, and restrictive or repetitive interests/behaviors. Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) includes autistic disorder, pervasive developmental disorder - not otherwise specified (also known as atypical autism), and Asperger’s disorder as defined by the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual - Fourth Edition (DSM-IV).
Children with autism require long-term care and services. Special education costs for a child with autism are more than $8,000 per year, with some specially structured programs costing about $30,000, and care in a residential school costing $80,000 - $100,000 per year.
Little is known about causes of autism, although genetic and early prenatal exposures have been suggested. There is no cure for autism. However, early and intensive education can help children develop skills and reach their potential. Although available medicines cannot cure autism, some may relieve symptoms associated with the disorders.
Other Related CDC Activities
CDC funds Marshall University Autism Training Center, West Virginia, to develop and implement a program to prevent secondary conditions among children with autism and their families. Marshall University is also developing a prevalence system for autism in six counties of West Virginia.
Click here to find out more about survey of immunization coverage
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Posted by Sylvia on Sunday, November 09, 2003 (22:15:07) (18545 reads)
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