Penn Researchers Produce Most Complete Census to Date of How Many Children in Philadelphia Have Autism Spectrum Disorders; Centers for Disease Control Release National Data
About 1 in 110 U.S. eight-year-olds and 1 in 120 in Philadelphia have an Autism Spectrum Disorder
One in 120 eight year olds living in Philadelphia have an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), according to data compiled in 2006 by the Pennsylvania Autism and Developmental Disabilities Surveillance Program (PADDSP) at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. Previously, based on data compiled in 2002, 1 in 190 Philadelphia eight-year-olds were classified as having an ASD, marking a 58 percent increase in known cases of the disorder.
Nationally, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports the national average is about 1 in 110 eight-year-olds compared to 1 in 150 reported in 2002 based on data compiled by Penn researchers and 10 other centers across the nation.
Knowing how many reported cases there are is the first step is determining whether autism is on the rise. In addition, new data reflecting current cases of children in need will influence healthcare and education policies and budgets as federal, state, and city agencies deal with the need for services. Other researchers at Penn Nursing in the Centers of Excellence for Autism and Developmental Disabilities Research and Epidemiology (CADDRE) are investigating potential causes.
The Penn team collected data on 17,886 8-year old children in Philadelphia County who are receiving health care services and identified 150 children with ASD and found:
- the breakdown in the percentage of cases by racial group did not change significantly from 2002 to 2006
- children were diagnosed, on average, six months sooner in the 2006 study (at four years and four months) than in the 2002 study which may produce improved outcomes
- 82 percent of children identified had reported problems with language development before the age of 3
- more boys than girls are diagnosed with ASD at a ration of 4:1
Responding to autism in Philadelphia and sponsored by the Philadelphia Health Care Trust, Penn Nursing has launched an initiative with the Center for Autism to train nurses to recognize ASD and manage care for families tasked with the major responsibility of preparing affected children for productive lives.
Autism Spectrum Disorders are a group of lifelong developmental disabilities that cause substantial impairments in social interaction and communication and for which there is no medical test.
Diagnoses are made after a thorough evaluation by a qualified professional that often includes clinical observation, parent interviews, psychological testing, speech and language assessment, and possible use of one or more autism diagnostic test.
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