Prevalence and Statistics
United States:
- 1 in 68 children in the United States are diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder
- ASD is the fastest growing developmental disabilities: from 2002-2010 the prevalence of ASD has grown from 1 in 150, to 1 in 68
- Almost 46% of children with ASD have average to above average mental functioning
- 5 times more boys (1 in 42) than girls (1 in 189) are diagnosed with ASD
- About 10% of children identified as having ASD also have a genetic mutation such a Down's Syndrome, Fragile X Syndrome, or tuberous sclerosis.
- Children born to older parents, born prematurely, or having low birth rate are at a higher risk for ASD
- More than 3.5 million Americans have an Autism Spectrum Disorder
(National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, 2014).
Minnesota:
- Minnesota schools report 15,378 individuals between birth and 21 years old meet the educational criteria for ASD and received services in 2001
- According to research done by the Minnesota Somali Autism Spectrum Disorder Prevalence Project, 1 in 32 Somali children ages 7-9 in Minneapolis in 2010 were diagnosed with ASD, while 1 in 48 students of the same age group in the same year were similarly diagnosed
- On average, for the state of Minnesota, 1 in 50 children are identified as having ASD
- In 2009, there were 155 students with an ASD diagnosis in the Mankato Public School District
(Southern Minnesota Autism Coalition, 2015).