Autism Spectrum Disorder is for the first time more frequently diagnosed in Black and Hispanic children than in White children in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But the numbers may reveal better screening of those populations — and not necessarily a higher risk for the disorder, which can affect communication abilities, social skills and other areas of development.
In the CDC’s report Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, which studied 11 states across the U.S., researchers found that 1 out of 36 (2.8%) children in America were diagnosed with autism in 2020. This shows a 22% increase from the data collected two years ago, which found 1 in 44 (2.3%) children with autism, up from the ratio of 1 in 54 (1.9%) in 2016.
While the rise in autism has been a national trend, the rate is rising faster for children of color than for white kids. Until 2010, autism was 30% more likely to be found in White children than in Black children and 50% more likely than in Hispanic children. However, the 2020 report found that the autism rate in Black (2.9%), Hispanic (3.2%), and Asian or Pacific Islander (3.3%) 8-year-olds were all higher than the rates among white children of the same age.
Some experts have attributed this shift in balance to improving screening and autism services for all kids.
“We can’t say if … the number of people with autism is actually increasing in our country — or that the number of people that are being diagnosed and then have access to services — is increasing,” Dr. Karen Remley, the director of CDC’s National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, told Today.com, in an interview.
Other experts are arriving at similar justifications. David Mandell, a University of Pennsylvania psychiatry professor, associated the increase in diagnosis with “this rush to catch up,” suggesting a growing awareness and advocacy for Black and Hispanic families in autism intervention.
While the rise in diagnoses can potentially mean more families are getting the services they need, it is still unclear whether children of color are receiving the equivalent help that White kids have had. A study published earlier this year suggests that Black and Hispanic children still have less access to autism services than their White counterparts as of the 2017-2018 academic year.
Across the board, parents have reported waiting for weeks or months to get an appointment for a diagnosis. However, the difficulty in accessing autism services may be contributing more heavily to the inadequate treatment received by children of color.
In addition, the autism rate remains far more likely among boys than girls. Yet, the latest CDC report showed that autism among 8-year-old girls had reached the landmark of 1% for the first time. One possible explanation is that as the sex gap continues to shrink, the margin of the ratio between the prevalence of autism in boys and girls is also narrowing.
Matthew J. Maenner, Ph.D., first author of the report on 8-year-olds and chief of the CDC’s child development and disability branch, tells TODAY.com, “Researchers have a lot of different ideas about why that might be. Some think there might be some biological or hereditary factors.”
He adds, “people have also raised questions about whether … The tests are designed to better measure symptoms in boys. If it’s a condition that is diagnosed on the basis of behavior and you’re saying maybe this group has autism but isn’t showing the behaviors, it’s a philosophical (issue).”
Diagnosing autism is not simple, as it has no single known cause. Current research suggests that autism can develop from a combination of developmental, genetic, nongenetic, or environmental factors. The disorder is related to brain development and impacts how one perceives and interacts with others. As a result, children with autism may experience learning disabilities and struggle to succeed in the classroom, or even get bullied in some cases due to their difficulties in communicating with others. Students with autism also have poor graduation rates and are often faced with unemployment and insufficient assistance from rehabilitation services when they enter adulthood.
While autism does not go away, and unsupported autism contributes to homelessness, abuse, and self-harm, research from the National Institute of Health has shown that early intervention and screening are more likely to have significant positive effects on symptoms and later skill development.
The CDC encourages parents who are concerned about their children’s development to talk to their healthcare provider and ask about developmental screening services. “Don’t wait. Acting early can make a real difference!” the CDC noted.
Furthermore, CDC officials also pointed out that early identification of autism has been improving until March 2020 but experienced a dramatic decrease due to the impact of the pandemic. In the first six months of the pandemic, there were 217 fewer evaluations conducted for every 1,000 4-year-old children than four years ago.
