A report published in the American Academy of Pediatrics’ journal Pediatrics indicates that the autism rate in the U.S. is higher than previously believed. The new estimate is that 1 in 91 children have an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) which includes milder forms such as Asperger’s syndrome. What’s even more startling is that the rate for boys is 1 in 58. If this new estimate is accurate, it means that about $673,000 American children have Autism.

The study stems from the 2007 National Survey of Children’s Health which is based on a national telephone survey of 78,000 parents with children aged 3-17.

According to the report, a child was considered to have ASD if the parent/guardian reported that: 1) a doctor or other health care provider had ever said that the child had ASD and 2) the child currently has the condition.

Explanations for the unexpected increase in reported cases include greater awareness, broader definitions, and the ability to recognize autism in younger children. And while researchers never verified parental claims against actual medical records, Dr. Thomas Insel, director of the National Institute of Mental Health, says : “The concern here is that buried in these numbers is a true increase.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) just announced last week that preliminary findings from their own study, which have yet to be officially released, indicate that about 1 in 100 children have ASD. The methodology they used involved reviewing the education and health records of 8-year-old children in cities nationwide to ascertain whether or not these children met the diagnosis.

Other than wondering why this devastating disease has suddenly become so prevalent, as well as what we can do to stop it, my question is: What do we do for the 1 in 100 children currently affected? Is there enough funding for special services? Are schools equipped to properly integrate children whose symptoms put them on the milder side of the Autism spectrum?

On a positive note, President Barack Obama recently announced his commitment to invest $85 million into funding autism research. This will be the largest ever investment into what is increasingly becoming a major public health concern. In his speech to the National Institutes of Health, President Obama said:

Across the country, grant recipients will have the opportunity to study genetic and environmental factors of a disease that now touches more than one in every 150 children. What we learn will hopefully lead to greater understanding, early interventions, more effective treatments and therapies to help these children live their lives and achieve their fullest potential, which is extraordinary.

As for the ongoing debate about the link between autism and vaccines, that’s subject for a whole other post. In the meantime, you can read more on that issue here and here.

(Photo: jared’s flickr photostream/Creative Commons)