1 in 45 US children has ASC

News from the US this week: About 1 in 45 children in the United States has an autism spectrum condition, according to a new government estimate of the condition’s prevalence in 2014. This is a significant increase from the previous figure of 1 in 70.

This new report is based on data collected during the yearly National Health Interview Survey, from interviews of parents about their children, and is the first report of the prevalence of autism in the U.S. to include data from the years 2011 to 2014, according to the researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

interestingly, it appears that a small change in the survey questions has resulted in the higher figures. An article in Forbes Magazine goes into detail on this. Another article here at The Verge.

With a change to the wording of a survey making a big difference to results, it’s difficult to know the true prevalence of ASC. However these new figures confirm what is already known: ASC is far more common than previously thought.