In contrast to previous findings, increased prevalence disproportionately affected children without coexisting intellectual disability
A study by Rutgers found that recorded cases of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the New York and New Jersey metropolitan areas increased by 500% between 2000 and 2016, increasing the number of children without intellectual disabilities. increased the most among
This is in direct contrast to previous findings that suggested that autism commonly co-occurs with intellectual disability.
“ohOne assumption about ASD is that it occurs together Intellectual disability” Said Josephine Shenuda adjunct professor Rutgers School of Public Health and first author of a study published in a journal Pediatrics. “This claim suggests that up to 75% of children with autism Intellectual disability.”
“Our paper shows that this assumption is incorrect.shenoda said“In fact, in this study, two out of three children with autism had no intellectual disability at all.”
Using semi-annual data from New Jersey Autism Research, Researcher 4,661 8-year-olds with ASD identified 4 Counties in New Jersey (Essex, Hudson, Ocean, Union) during study period. Of these, 1,505 (32.3%) had an intellectual disability. 2,764 (59.3%) did not.
A subsequent analysis found that the proportion of ASD with comorbid intellectual disability doubled between 2000 and 2016. The rate of ASD without intellectual disability jumped five-fold from 3.8 per 1,000 to 18.9 per 1,000.
Shenouda He said the observed increase may have an explanation, but further research is needed to determine the exact cause..
Walter Zahorodny, associate professor at Rutgers New Jersey School of Medicine and senior author of the study, said: “But the fact that there was a 500% increase in autism in children with nothing The mentally handicapped children we know are falling through the cracks, suggesting something else is causing the surge.
ASD prevalence has been shown to be related to race and socioeconomic status. Rutgers’ study found that black children with ASD and no intellectual disability were 30% less likely to be identified than white found to be 80% more likely to be identified compared to us. Underserved areas.
Using data from the New Jersey Autism Study and US Census data, researchers were able to estimate rates of ASD underestimation in four counties.
Shenouda said addressing the findings could help close the identification gap and ultimately bring much-needed ASD services to low-income communities.
“With up to 72% of the ASD population having borderline or average intellectual capacity, there is a need to focus on early screening, early identification, and early intervention,” she said. “Improvements in intellectual functioning are proportional to intensive interventions at a young age, so universal screening is essential, especially in underserved communities.”
