April 20, 2023 – More children are diagnosed with milder types of autism than the more severe forms, a study finds. new study by the Associated Press.
Researchers examined the medical and college records of 20,000 8-year-olds with autism spectrum disorder between 2000 and 2016. They found that the variety of severe cases continues to rise, but at a slower rate than cases with milder symptoms.
They reported that the variety of severe cases increased from about 3 cases per 1,000 children to five cases in 2016. The number of youngsters with milder forms increased from 4 children per 1,000 to 14 in 2016.
The study estimates that 110,000 elementary school-aged children within the United States have severe autism, which is 1 / 4 of all children diagnosed with an autism disorder by age 8.
“It is very important to know how many people have severe autism so that we can adequately prepare for their needs,” including providing higher health and education services, Alison Singer, executive director of the Autism Science Foundation, told the Associated Press.
She was co-author of the paper and has a 25-year-old daughter with severe autism, which affects individuals with an IQ of fifty or less and no ability to speak verbally.
The study was published within the journal Public Health Reports. CDC scientists led the research.
Autism has traditionally been related to severe speech difficulties, social impairments and weird, repetitive behaviors. Today, the term can also be an abbreviation for a bunch of milder, related disorders, the AP wrote.