Autism Estimated To Affect 1 in 45 Children

Health officials now estimate that as many as one in 45 children have autism.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Health Interview Survey conducted in 2014 showed that more than 2.2 percent of American children between three and 17 years old have the behavioral disorder characterized by impaired communication and social skills. More than 11,000 families were asked to complete the survey in 2014--which asked parents about one child in their household between the ages of 3 and 17. The researchers asked if the parents had ever been told that their child had autism, Asperger's disorder, autism spectrum disorder or pervasive developmental disorder.The numbers from 2011-2013 estimated that one in 68 children were affected. 

And while the number of children diagnosed with autism increased, the number of children reported to have been diagnosed with other developmental delays actually decreased. Furthermore, the overall number of parents who reported any developmental disability in their children also remained about the same at 5.75 percent, researchers say. 

The results may not necessarily suggest a growing number of cases, but more how researchers asked survey questions regarding the behavioral health issue.

"One in 45 is what we think is the most accurate parental report of autism to date," researcher Benjamin Zablotsky, an epidemiologist at the National Center for Health Statistics, said via TODAY. "I think within this report we found that the way that we ask the parents about autism spectrum disorder can have an impact on the way the parents respond to the question. We feel we are asking the question in a better way than before."For instance from 2011 to 2013, surveyors asked parents if they had been told by a doctor that their child had an intellectual disability-also asking about other developmental delays. The parents were also provided with a list of other conditions, including diabetes, arthritis and autism and were asked to report of their child had any of the conditions.

The latest survey did not lump autism in with a list of other conditions. But it included a question specific about ASD that came after questions on intellectual disabilities and other developmental delays.

Though researchers did not examine why the ASD rate has been increasing, some medical experts believe that increased awareness of the health problem may help explain why some parents want to get related symptoms seen in a child checked out. 

The research is published in the CDC's National Health Statistics Reports.

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