According to the CDC

The rate of autism has steadily increased, according to the CDC. The CDC estimates that approximately 2% or more of children from birth to 21 years of age have Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in New Jersey.

Autism is a complex condition. No single factor can explain why more children are being identified with ASD, although a combination of genetic and environmental factors play a role. In addition, some of the increase in the rates in the CDC's study may be due to: changes in the diagnosis and treatment, greater awareness, and better record keeping.

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Previous CDC Autism Prevalence Study Results

A Decade of Data

With the report released in March 2014, we now have a decade of surveillance data utilizing consistent methodology that presents a clear picture of the trends since 2000. Here are the numbers:

1 in 68 (US); 1 in 45 (NJ)
Report Year: 2014
Surveillance Year:  2010

CDC’s ADDM Network reported that about 1 in 68 children had an ASD (based on children who were 8 years old in 2010). Data from 11 AADM Network Sites were reviewed, including New Jersey. New Jersey's rate was approx. 21.9 per 1,000 or 1 in 45.  See 2014 Report.

1 in 88 (US); 1 in 49 (NJ)
Report Year: 2012
Surveillance Year:  2008

CDC’s ADDM Network reported that about 1 in 88 children had an ASD (based on children who were 8 years old in 2008). Data from 14 AADM Network Sites were reviewed, including New Jersey. New Jersey's rate was approx. 20.5 per 1,000 or 1 in 49.  See 2012 Report.

1 in 110 (US)
Report Year: 2009Surveillance Year:  2006 

CDC’s ADDM Network reported that about 1 in 110 children had an ASD (based on children who were 8 years old in 2006).
Data from 11 AADM Network Sites were reviewed.  New Jersey was not included in this report.  See 2009 Report.

1 in 150 (US); 1 in 94 (NJ)
Report Year: 2007Surveillance Year:  2002

CDC’s ADDM Network reported that about 1 in 150 children had an ASD (based on children who were 8 years old in 2002).
Data from 14 AADM Network Sites were reviewed, including New Jersey. New Jersey's rate was approx. 10.6 per 1,000 or 1 in 94. This report combined results from 2002 with those from 2000.  See 2007 Report.

1 in 166 (US); 1 in 101 (NJ)
Report Year: 2007Surveillance Year:  2000

CDC’s ADDM Network first reported that about 1 in 166 children had an ASD (based on children who were 8 years old in 2000).
Data from 6 AADM Network Sites were reviewed, including New Jersey.  New Jersey's rate was approx. 9.9 per 1,000 or 1 in 101.  This report combined results from 2000 with the data from 2002.  See 2007 Report.

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Other Prevalence Studies/Surveys

National Survey of Children's Health -- 1 in 50 (US)

Report Date:  March 20, 2013
Survey Period:  2011 to 2012
Report:  http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr065.pdf

Statistics as reported by parents of school-aged children (ages 6–17 years) in 2011–2012.  Data were drawn from the 2007 and 2011–2012 National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH), which are independent nationally representative telephone surveys of households with children. The surveys were conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics with funding and direction from the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau.  Prior report of data from 2007 survey indicated a rate of 1 in 86 children (ages 6-17).

http://www.autismnj.org/prevalence-rates 

New Therapeutic Approach to Managing Autism

Summary: 

New research in mice suggests that autism is characterized by reduced activity of inhibitory neurons and increased activity of excitatory neurons in the brain, but balance can be restored with low doses of a well-known class of drugs currently used in much higher doses to treat anxiety and epileptic seizures. The findings, which are reported in the March 19th issue of the Cell Press journal Neuron, point to a new therapeutic approach to managing autism.

Article:

"These are very exciting results because they suggest that existing drugs -- called benzodiazepines -- might be useful in treatment of the core deficits in autism," says senior author Dr. William Catterall of the University of Washington, in Seattle.

In addition to finding that mice with autistic characteristics had an imbalance between the inhibitory and excitatory neurons in their brains, Dr. Catterall and his team found that reducing the effectiveness of inhibitory neurons in normal mice also induced some autism-related deficits in social behavior. Classical benzodiazepine drugs had the opposite effect, increasing the activity of inhibitory neurons and diminishing autistic behaviors.

"Our results provide strong evidence that increasing inhibitory neurotransmission is an effective approach to improvement of social interactions, repetitive behaviors, and cognitive deficits in a well-established animal model of autism, having some similar behavioral features as human autism," says Dr. Catterall.

Therapeutic approaches to treat autistic traits in animal studies or in clinical trials have primarily focused on reducing the activity of excitatory neurons, with only modest success to date. The results reported by Dr. Catterall and his colleagues suggest that augmenting the activity of opposing, inhibitory neurons could be an alternative strategy.

Clinical trials of classical benzodiazepines and next-generation drugs that have a similar mechanism of action are now needed to determine whether the researchers' findings in mice are relevant to humans. Astra-Zeneca and the National Institutes of Health have initiated one such trial.

Written on: 

March 19, 2014

Source:

Cell Press. "Low doses of antianxiety drugs rebalance autistic brain, study shows." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 19 March 2014. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/03/140319124806.htm>.

CDC Study Flags High Rate of Obesity Among Teens with Autism

Medications may play role in doubling obesity rate among teens with autism; associated health problems highlight need for expert help

Researchers with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have documented high rates of obesity among adolescents with developmental disabilities. The highest rate–around 32 percent–was among those with autism.

In their report, the investigators urge that more be done to help prevent and manage obesity in “these already vulnerable adolescents.”

Of particular concern, the study associated the combination of autism and obesity with increased rates of health problems including asthma and migraine headaches. This follows a study last month that associated obesity in children with autism with increased anxiety, depression and sleep problems.

“We’ve long known that nutritional problems, including obesity, are very common in autism,” says Paul Wang, Autism Speaks senior vice president and head of medical research. “These concerns are compounded by the use of psychotropic medications, especially medications like risperidone and aripiprazole, which can cause severe weight gain and metabolic problems.” Dr. Wang was not involved in the study. 

Dr. Wang urges physicians to help families manage diet and activity levels in children with autism – and to use behavioral medications only when other approaches to behavior management are unsuccessful.

In their investigation, the CDC researchers looked at more than 9,600 adolescents ages 12 to 17 years, whose parents completed the National Health Interview Survey. Of these, more than 1,400 had autism or another behavioral or learning disorder.

Table courtesy the CDC, from "Key Findings: Prevalence and Impact of Unhealthy Weight in a National Sample of US Adolescents with Autism and Other Learning and Behavioral Disorders"Parent-reported obesity increased from 13 percent for adolescents without learning or behavioral disabilities to 20 percent for those with any such disability to nearly 32 percent for adolescents with autism. (See table at right.)

Autism Speaks Autism Treatment Network (AS-ATN) has developed practice guidelines that urge close monitoring of individuals taking antipsychotic medications that can lead to weight gain, says AS-ATN director Dan Coury. These guidelines were developed as part of the AS-ATN’s role as the federally funded Autism Intervention Research Network on Physical Health. Monitoring is important for detecting and managing excessive weight gain early on, Dr. Coury explains. Regular, enjoyable exercise should be a part of any management plan, he adds.