According to researchers from George Washington University and Yale University, autism may be more common worldwide that previously thought. A large study on autism prevalence has found that the rate of children with autism in a portion of a South Korean city was more than double previous national estimates in other countries, leading researchers to call for similar reviews in the United States and abroad to better gauge the disorder's true extent.
The study, published Monday, found that 2.6 percent of the region's children were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, more than double the 0.7 to 1 percent now regularly found in other countries, including the United States.
Candice Burns Hoffman, a spokeswoman for the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the agency was considering a total population survey in light of the study. The CDC estimates the U.S. rate by using medical and special education records.
The Study "Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder in a Total Population Sample" published May 9th, 2011 in the American Journal of Psychiatry, reports autism among approximately 55,000 children ages 7 to 12 years in a South Korean community. "While the study does not suggest that Korean children have more autism than other populations or that a more accurate rate for the US is closer to 2.64 percent, it does suggest that autism may be more common than previously thought." said Roy Richard Grinker, GW professor of anthropology and international affairs and member of the study's research team.
"This research powerfully demonstrates that the methods one uses to study prevalence will profoundly influence the estimate" said Professor Grinker, author of Unstrange Minds: Remapping the World of Autism.
Under the leadership of Yale psychiatry and epidemiologist Young-Shin Kim, all children were screened with surveys distributed to both parents and teachers, and then evaluated using comprehensive diagnostic assessments. Unlike the studies carried out by the CDC which analyzed records and registries, the researchers attempted to look at each child in every school, even those without a record of any special education need. This method revealed cases that could have gone unnoticed to epidemiologists relying on a records-based approach.
"This study is further evidence that autism transcends cultural, geographic and ethnic boundaries and that autism is a major global public heath concern not limited to the western world." said Autism Speaks Chief Science Officer Geraldine Dawson.
Source: George Washington University
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