One in 88 children in the U.S. has autism, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That's almost 25 percent more than in 2006, and nearly double the rate of 2002.
Published today in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the study looked at 2008 data from 14 communities. Autism and related problems are almost five times more common in boys than girls, and the number of children identified with the disorders ranged from one in 210 children in Alabama to one in 47 children in Utah. The largest increases were among Hispanic and black children.
Finding out that your child has autism or some other developmental delay is difficult. See our report on a checklist that can be an early alert to autism spectrum disorders.