A new government study indicates that one in 100 American children has autism. This is up from the 2007 federal estimate that one in 150 children suffers from this lifelong disorder that impedes communication and social interactions.

Since boys are four times more likely to have the disorder than girls, the new study indicates that one in 58 boys is autistic.

The new estimate is the result of a telephone survey of 78,037 parents by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and a study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The figures are more accurate than those in the past because the CDC used a network of 11 sites around the country to gather exact information concerning childrens medical and special education needs.

"[The new study] provides what scientists call convergent validity-- no matter how you shake the bushes, you come up with this 1 percent," said Richard Roy Grinker, an expert on autism at George Washington University.

Labels: autism, research

Posted By: Aspen/CRC