The number of Americans diagnosed with autism increased by 175% between 2011 and 2022 thanks to an increase in new cases among young adults, a new study finds.
A developmental disorder, autism affects the way people learn, behave, communicate and interact with others. For the new study, a team led by Kaiser Permanente’s Division of Research in California examined health records and insurance claims for 12.2 million Americans for trends in autism diagnoses.
The study authors identified a 450% increase in diagnoses among adults aged 26 to 34 during the study period, while female cases overall increased by 315%.
Boys are four times more likely to be diagnosed with autism than girls, but the gender gap is clearly narrowing.
New diagnoses among boys increased by 185% – among girls, they increased by 305%, the study found.
Overall, about 30 out of every 1,000 children between the ages of 5 and 8 have an autism diagnosis, according to the new data, which was published Wednesday in the journal JAMA Network Open..
Researchers say “increased protection and education” may be encouraging more people to screen themselves or their children.
They also speculated that the increase in cases may be due to changes in screening practices, diagnosis definitions, policies, and environmental factors.
However, the study authors say their data may underestimate the true prevalence of the condition, particularly among older women. Historically, it has been easier to identify autism in males than in females, because males tend to show more obvious symptoms.
There is no cure for autism, but treatments such as speech therapy or physical therapy, behavioral interventions, or medications can help with symptoms.
Scientists aren’t exactly sure what causes the condition – some have explored the effect of the mother’s infection during pregnancy.
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