More kids in the U.S. are being diagnosed with autism, according to new data analysis from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the numbers show the rise is particularly acute among children of color.
The CDC report looked at data from 2020 and found that one in 36 children had been diagnosed, compared to one in 44 during the previous report, which looked at data from 2018. And for the first time, the research found that more Black, Latino, and Asian or Pacific Islander children were diagnosed with autism compared to white children.
Dr. Shafali Jeste, chief of neurology at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and a professor of neurology and pediatrics at USC, told LAist’s public affairs show “AirTalk — which airs on 89.3 — that part of the increase in diagnoses can be attributed to better awareness.
“Pediatricians and healthcare providers are being more proactive about providing families with preliminary diagnoses so that children can access services,” Jeste told “AirTalk” host Larry Mantle.
The CDC runs a large program called the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network (ADDM), which goes to 11 sites around the country and examines the health and educational records of more than 200,000 8-year-old children. Jeste says these records reflect improved awareness and stronger healthcare practices that help reach historically underserved groups, specifically Black and Hispanic children.
Improved awareness
While there has been progress with early diagnosis, Jeste says there is a huge disparity in the services that these children are provided after they’re diagnosed, like interventions and educational…
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