Autism Prevalence

• About 1 in 54 children are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) according to estimates from CDC’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network.
• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is more than 4 times more common among boys than among girls.
• More than 3.5 million Americans live with an autism spectrum disorder.
• Prevalence of autism in U.S. children increased by 119.4 percent from 2000 (1 in 150) to 2010 (1 in 68). (CDC, 2014) Autism is the fastest-growing developmental disability. (CDC, 2020)

Causes of Autism/Signs

• There is no one particular cause of autism
• The majority of cases have a link to genetics
• Certain environmental factors can have an effect on the amount of risk
• Some possible signs according to http://www.center4research.org/causes-autism-kids-diagnosed/

• • no babbling or pointing by age 1
  • no single words by 16 months or two-word phrases by age 2
  • no response to name
  • loss of language or social skills
  • poor eye contact
  • excessive lining up of toys or objects
  • no smiling or social responsiveness