ASD

Another Major Increase in Diagnoses of Autism Spectrum Disorder

Published: March 27, 2014

Image: Norma Desmond

The incidence of autism spectrum disorders is rising in the United States, and the latest estimates reveal one in 68 American children is affected.In 2012, the rate of incidence was one in 88.

New findings released March 27 in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, include data collected by University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers who lead the Alabama Autism Surveillance project, a part of the CDC’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network.

Autism spectrum disorders are a group of developmental disabilities that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges. The ADDM Network data help the CDC direct research into potential risk factors and help communities direct outreach efforts to those who need it most.

“We are confident that some of this increase is due to increased awareness and access to services; however, those issues don’t explain all of the increase,” Martha Wingate, Dr.PH, director of the AASP and associate professor in the UAB School of Public Health, said of the data, which were collected at 11 ADDM sites during the 2010 surveillance year.

“Our study focuses on providing an estimate of children affected to help with policy development and planning for medical providers and schools, but other researchers are working hard to figure out why there is an increase,” Wingate said. “Some studies are looking at paternal age, preterm birth and other factors; but there is not one cause.”

In Alabama, the number of 8-year-olds identified was one in 175 children, compared with one in 303 in 2002. Wingate says this is lower than at some other ADDM sites, but it’s still an increase of more than 70 percent.

The study also found approximately one in 42 boys and one in 189 girls living in the ADDM Network communities were identified as having ASD. Non-Hispanic white children were approximately 30 percent more likely to be identified with ASD than were non-Hispanic black children, and they were almost 50 percent more likely to be identified with ASD than were Hispanic children.

“Our biggest focus continues to be on recognizing the signs and symptoms of autism spectrum disorders and other developmental disabilities and getting children access to services early,” Wingate said. “The CDC’s “Learn the Signs. Act Early.” campaign is focused on educating providers and parents about the importance of recognizing developmental delays and getting children into the appropriate services.”

Brain Imaging May Help Diagnose Autism

Published: January 8, 2010

A child reads instructions on a screen while seated with his head surrounded by the MEG's noninvasive magnetic detectors.

Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) process sound and language a fraction of a second slower than children without ASDs, and measuring magnetic signals that mark this delay may become a standardized way to diagnose autism.

Researchers at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia report their findings in an online article in the journal Autism Research, published today.

“More work needs to be done before this can become a standard tool, but this pattern of delayed brain response may be refined into the first imaging biomarker for autism,” said study leader Timothy P.L. Roberts, Ph.D., vice chair of Radiology Research at Children’s Hospital.

ASDs are a group of childhood neurodevelopmental disorders that cause impairments in verbal communication, social interaction and behavior. ASDs are currently estimated to affect as many as one percent of U.S. children, according to a recent CDC report. [continue reading…]

Autism genes found:Suggest biological ties

Published: April 28, 2009

Image credit: Wikemedia Commons

A research team has connected more of the intricate pieces of the autism puzzle, with two studies that identify genes with important contributions to the disorder. One study pinpoints a gene region that may account for as many as 15 percent of autism cases, while another study identifies missing or duplicated stretches of DNA along two crucial gene pathways. Significantly, both studies detected genes implicated in the development of brain circuitry in early childhood. [continue reading…]

Autism Linked to Being Firstborn, Breech or Moms 35 and Older Giving Birth

Published: April 27, 2009

Children who are firstborn or breech or whose mothers are 35 or older when giving birth are at significantly greater risk for developing an autism spectrum disorder, University of Utah School of Medicine researchers have reported in a new study with Utah children.

In the April 27, 2009, online issue of the journal Pediatrics, the researchers showed that women who give birth at 35 or older are 1.7 times more likely to have a child with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), compared with women between the ages of 20-34. Children diagnosed with ASD also were nearly 1.8 times more likely to be the firstborn child, the researchers found. [continue reading…]