Autism diagnoses in America surge 175% in the last decade

The study was released in JAMA Network Open, and analyzed the data of 12.2 million Americans who participated at 12 locations in the Mental Health Research Network, an association of mental health diagnostic centers. Of those assessed 77,683 were diagnosed as autistic.

Young adults ages 26 to 34 experienced the largest increase, with a 450 percent escalation. But children from the years of five to eight remain the group most often diagnosed autistic with a rate of 30 per 1,000, the Daily Mail reported. About one in 36 US children and one in 50 adults will be diagnosed with autism, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

The spike may be due as much to higher incidence as it is to better assessment of the condition and more willingness by doctors to diagnose it. More girls and women are also getting the disease than previously, when it was overwhelmingly identified in elementary school boys. Medical experts say the increase in both genders may not yet be indicative of the larger picture because many autistic children are not diagnosed and symptomatic behavior is often dismissed or attributed to other factors.

According to the report, “Rates reported here may underestimate the true prevalence of ASD in adults, especially older female adults, as many would not have been screened in childhood and remain undiagnosed.”

“Nevertheless, our findings indicate that the population of autistic adults in the US will continue to grow, underscoring a need for expanded health care services.”

The autism surge is not limited to the US as the UK is experiencing even higher numbers. Britain’s National Health Service notes that 200,000 people are on the waitlist for an autism test. That is 30,000 more than the previous year.