Autism Speaks together with Autism Speaks Canada, North America's largest autism science and advocacy organization, today responded to a new study published in the American Academy of Pediatrics' journal Pediatrics that found a parent-reported autism prevalence rate of one in every 91 American children, including one in 58 boys. The most recent ASD prevalence estimate reported by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in the United States in 2007 was approximately one in 150 (including one in 94 boys), making autism the most prevalent childhood developmental disorder. Autism Speaks and Autism Speaks Canada said the new findings reinforced the fact that autism is an urgent and growing global public health crisis that affects most individuals across their lifespan and demands a commensurate level of action from both the public and private sectors.
"There is converging evidence that autism spectrum disorders affect about one percent of the population," said Geraldine Dawson, Ph.D., Autism Speaks Chief Science Officer. "This study further emphasized that autism affects boys at a significantly higher rate. It is imperative that more resources be given to autism research so we can understand the causes and biology of autism and develop more effective treatments."
"Canadians have, in the past, used CDC statistics to describe prevalence rates in Canada. While this study was conducted with data gathered from parental reports in the United States, we have no reason to believe that the prevalence rates for Canada or for other countries would differ significantly from what is reported in this newest study," said Suzanne Lanthier, Executive Director of Autism Speaks Canada. "The number is shocking but not surprising for those of us who are in constant contact with families and service providers. We hear, first hand, about lengthy wait lists for diagnosis and treatments on a daily basis."