Shifting demographics among children identified with autism

ASD prevalence among Asian, Black, and Hispanic children was at least 30% higher in 2020 than 2018, and ASD prevalence among White children was 14.6% higher than in 2018. For the first time, the percentage of 8-year-old Asian or Pacific Islander (3.3%) Hispanic (3.2%) and Black (2.9%), children identified with autism was higher than among 8-year-old White children (2.4%). This is the opposite of racial and ethnic differences observed in previous ADDM reports for 8-year-olds. These shifts may reflect improved screening, awareness, and access to services among historically underserved groups.

Additionally, disparities for co-occurring intellectual disability have persisted. A higher percentage of Black children with autism were identified with intellectual disability compared with White, Hispanic, or Asian or Pacific Islander children with autism. These differences could relate in part to access to services that diagnose and support children with autism.

Overall, autism prevalence within the ADDM sites was nearly four times higher for boys than girls. Still, this is the first ADDM report in which the prevalence of autism among 8-year-old girls has exceeded 1%.

Community differences in autism prevalence

Autism prevalence in the 11 ADDM communities ranged from 1 in 43 (2.3%) children in Maryland to 1 in 22 (4.5%) in California. These variations could be due to how communities are identifying children with autism. The variability across ADDM Network sites offers an opportunity to compare local policies and models for delivering diagnostic and intervention services that could enhance autism identification and provide more comprehensive support to people with autism.

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~ CDC new release March 23, 2023; 1:00 p.m. ET

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