Diagnosis rates are rising fastest among girls, adults, and racial/ethnic minority groups. Boys remain four times more likely to be diagnosed than girls, but the gap is steadily narrowing.
Autism Prevalence
• 1 in 31 children in the U.S. has autism, up from the previous rate of 1 in 36.
• 1 in 45 adults in the U.S. has autism.
• In the U.S., about 4 in 100 boys and 1 in 100 girls have autism.
• Boys are nearly 4 times more likely to be diagnosed with autism than girls.
• In the U.S., autism prevalence is lower among white children than other racial and ethnic groups:
– White – 2.7%
– Hispanic – 3.3%
– Black – 3.7%
– Asian or Pacific Islander – 3.8%
– American Indian or Alaska Native – 3.8%
• Around the world, 1 in 100 children are diagnosed with autism.
These changes reflect an improvement in outreach, screening and destigmatization of autism diagnosis among minority communities.
Source: www.autismspeaks.org
Diagnosis and Early Intervention
• Autism can be reliably diagnosed by a specialist by age 2, but the average age of autism diagnosis in the U.S. is 5 years.
• The average age of first intervention in the U.S. is 4.7 years.
• The average age of diagnosis for children in lower income households is 4.7 years compared to 5.2 years in higher income households.
The average ages of diagnosis and first intervention vary widely between states.
Source: National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) (2016-2019)
Special Education
• 74% of autistic students in the U.S. graduate with a diploma, versus 86% of all students.
• 19% of autistic students in the U.S. graduate with a certificate.
• 8% of autistic students in the U.S. don’t finish high school, versus 5% of all students.
Source: U.S. Department of Education (2018-2019)
Employment
• Only 21% of people with disabilities, including autism, are employed.
• Nearly 60% of people with autism in the U.S. are employed after receiving vocational rehabilitation (VR) services. These are state-provided services that help autistic individuals explore possible careers, find a job and secure needed accommodations in the workplace.
• 70% of eligible autistic individuals in the U.S. receive VR.
• 50% of autistic youth in the U.S. who receive VR begin those services in high school.
Sources: U.S. Department of Education (2014-2016), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2022)
This article was previously published at www.autismspeaks.org/autism-statistics-asd