Autism on the rise in the U.S. - nearly 1% of eight-year-olds affected

A study of 300,000 eight-year-olds in the U.S. has found that 1 in 110 has autism, a 57% increase in cases since four years ago. The study was carried out by researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and used data from the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring network made up of 11 sites across the country. The increase could be due to a broader definition of autism and an increased awareness of the condition among parents, doctors and teachers. The rate of autism among boys was 4.5x that in girls.

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http://psychcentral.com/news/2009/12/22/autism-on-the-rise-1-in-110-children-diagnosed/10351.html