The number of Americans diagnosed with autism jumped 175% between 2011 and 2022 thanks to a surge in new cases among young adults, new research finds.
A developmental disorder, autism affects how people learn, behave, communicate and interact with others. For the new study, a team led by Kaiser Permanente’s Division of Research in California examined health records and insurance claims for 12.2 million Americans for autism diagnosis trends.
The study authors identified a 450% increase in diagnoses among adults 26 to 34 years old during the study period, while female cases overall rose 315%.
Boys are four times as likely to be diagnosed with autism compared to girls, but the gender gap is noticeably narrowing.
New diagnoses among boys climbed 185% — among girls, they leapt 305%, the study found.
Overall, about 30 in every 1,000 children between the ages of 5 and 8 have an autism diagnosis, according to the new data, which was published Wednesday in the journal JAMA Network Open.
Researchers say “increased advocacy and education” may be prompting more people to get themselves or their children screened.
They also speculated the upswing in cases may be due to changes to screening practices, diagnosis definitions, policies and environmental factors.
Still, the study authors say their data may underestimate the true prevalence of the condition, especially among older women. Historically, it’s been easier to identify autism in males than in females because men tend to exhibit more overt symptoms.
There is no cure for autism, but treatments such as speech or physical therapy, behavioral interventions or medications may help with symptoms.
Scientists aren’t exactly sure what causes the condition — some have been exploring the effect of maternal infection during pregnancy.
