Archive for May 3rd, 2011
Article Date: 03 May 2011 – 6:00 PDT
In England, the prevalence of adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was estimated to be 9.8 per 1,000 population, according to a report in the May issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Among children and adolescents, in England, recent surveys have reported an ASD prevalence of approximately ten per 1,000, which is higher than some earlier studies estimating prevalence of 4.4 per 10,000 population and 12.7 per 10,000 population. “It is not known whether this reported increased prevalence reflects case finding changes or increasing incidence due to newly emerging causes,” the authors stated as context. At the same time, the authors noted a lack of validated information about the rate of ASDs in British adults, possibly because the symptoms may not be obvious in some: “Adults with ASDs are more likely to be recognized and supported if they also have severe intellectual disability; those with higher levels of functioning tend to be overlooked in the community.”
Previous research into England’s population of adults with ASDs have been largely based on self-reported data, which may affect the results.
Read in Full: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/224029.php
