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The number of American children diagnosed with autism is steadily increasing
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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The number of American children diagnosed with autism has been steadily increasing, from one in every 110 in 2006 to one in 88 in 2008.
Autism manifests itself in various behavioral deviations. Some children have a mild form of autism (called Asperger syndrome ) – they often find themselves in awkward situations. Others have more pronounced symptoms: these people experience significant difficulties in socialization and communication; as a rule, they avoid communicating with other people.
The federal research agency the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) evaluated observational data on 8-year-olds from 14 states collected in 2008. It found that 11 or more children out of every 1,000 were diagnosed with autism. Autism is five times more common among boys, the CDC says, at an average of one in 54.
CDC Director Thomas Frieden says the rise in autism diagnoses may reflect improved diagnostic techniques. “Doctors have gotten better at diagnosing it,” he says. “So it’s possible that the increase in children with autism is simply a sign of better diagnosis.”
Because autism typically appears in the first three years of life, the CDC encourages early and frequent screenings for children—at ages 1½, 2, and 2½.
Susan Heyman, who chairs the American Academy of Pediatrics' subcommittee on autism, says waiting until a child is 4 to diagnose autism is too late. Early intervention, she says, can help children with the condition lead relatively normal lives.
Heyman says parents should seek immediate medical attention if they notice their children behaving unusually: "Children who don't point to objects or avoid eye contact when communicating may have autism."
The largest U.S. organization advocating for autism sufferers, Autism Speaks, claims that autism affects approximately 67 million people worldwide.