Autism Affects More Children Than Previously Estimated
Posted on: Monday, 5 October 2009, 14:45 CDT
A new government study has found that the ratio of autism for children may be closer to 1 in 100 rather than the previous estimate of 1 in 150.
Writing in the journal Pediatrics on Sunday, researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Harvard Medical School, found new alarming figures to show that autism appears to affect about 1 in 91 US children, and about 1 in 58 boys.
"The statistical aspect of autism is just staggering," Bob Wright, co-founder of the autism advocacy group Autism Speaks, told Reuters.
"If we had 1 in 58 boys getting swine flu, the country would be crazy," he added.
The new estimate translates to about 673,000 US children with autism, compared to the previous estimate of 560,000 children.
"We're going to have to think very hard about what we're going to do for the 1 in 100," said Dr. Thomas Insel, director of the National Institute of Mental Health.
But the effort to document the total number of autism cases in children is a daunting task because health care officials still have no biological way of determining the disease’s onset.
"With diabetes you can get a blood test," Dr. Susan E. Levy of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia told the Associated Press.
"As of yet, there's no consistent biologic marker we can use to make the diagnosis of autism."
In the recent study, researchers relied on information gathered through telephone surveys from parents. It included cases of Asperger’s syndrome, which is a milder form of autism.
Dr. Ileana Arias, deputy director of CDC, referred to autism as “an urgent public health concern.”
“A concerted effort and a substantial national response is warranted in addressing the issue," she added.
"Unfortunately, the information that we currently have doesn't allow us to give a true account of whether the apparent increase is an actual increase or the result of changes in the way we describe or diagnose ASD."
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Source: RedOrbit Staff & Wire Reports
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