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(Ivanhoe Broadcast News) -- Autistic children may appear to be the minority in schools and daycares throughout the United States, but a recent study reveals the number of children displaying autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) is much higher than previously thought.
Autism is a neurological disorder characterized by children with poor communication skills, exhibition of unusual behaviors and avoidance of social situations. Now, a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals 1 in 150 children in the United States displays symptoms of autism, while previous research suggests the ratio was 1 in 166 children.
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The CDC's study incorporated ASD data from 14 states, including Wisconsin, where five out of every 1,000 children born in 1994 display some form of autism. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wisconsin, studied the medical records of 8-year-old children across the state. The results of their study revealed ASD is more common in boys than girls and more prevalent in non-Hispanic whites than non-Hispanic blacks or Hispanics.
"Autism spectrum disorders are a huge public health issue in this state, affecting between one-half to 1 percent of school-age children," reports Maureen Durkin, Ph.D., Dr.PH., an epidemiologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health. "We have to be able to plan services accordingly, so we want the best numbers we can get."
Researchers are still unsure whether their results indicate a rise in autism or simply an increase in diagnosis. Either way, the picture is still incomplete, and study authors hope to find out more about the origins of ASDs.
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, which offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, click on: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
SOURCE: Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder -- Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 14 Sites, United States, 2002 conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Feb. 2007
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