Prevalence was 3.4 times higher among boys than girls and was lower among White children versus those of other races/ethnicities
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, April 16, 2025 (HealthDay News) — The prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was 32.2 per 1,000 children aged 8 years across 16 sites in the United States in 2022, according to research published in the April 17 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Kelly A. Shaw, Ph.D., from the CDC in Atlanta, and colleagues conducted an active surveillance program to estimate the prevalence and characteristics of ASD and monitor timing of ASD identification among children aged 4 and 8 years in 2022. Sixteen sites conducted surveillance in 2022.
The researchers found that the prevalence of ASD was 32.2 per 1,000 children across 16 sites among children aged 8 years in 2022, ranging from 9.7 to 53.1 in Texas (Laredo) and California, respectively. The prevalence of ASD was 3.4 times higher among boys than girls (49.2 versus 14.3). ASD prevalence was lower among non-Hispanic White children than among Asian or Pacific Islander, American Indian or Alaska Native, non-Hispanic Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, and multiracial children (27.7 versus 38.2, 37.5, 36.6, 33.0, and 31.9, respectively). At 11 sites, there was no association observed between ASD prevalence and neighborhood median household income (MHI); at five sites, higher ASD prevalence was associated with lower MHI. At 13 sites able to abstract records, the cumulative incidence of ASD diagnosis or eligibility by age 48 months was higher for children born in 2018 than those born in 2014.
“Prevalence of ASD among children aged 8 years was higher in 2022 than previous years,” the authors write. “Increased identification of autism, particularly among very young children and previously underidentified groups, underscores the increased demand and ongoing need for enhanced planning to provide equitable diagnostic, treatment, and support services for all children with ASD.”
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