|
The United States Autism Epidemic:
Our Bitter Harvest
Tsunami Wave of Autism Builds...Nine [More] Per Day
Overwhelmed by Autism
The numbers of children being diagnosed with autism is rising at a
meteoric rate--too fast to be explained by more frequent diagnostic
recognition. The following figures are statistics maintained by the
Department of Education for children with autism aged 6-21, who are given
Special Education services under IDEA (the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act). The totals reflect each of the 50 states, the District of
Columbia and Puerto Rico, with combined totals below. Where increase
percentages rise past a certain point, approximately 5000%, the rate is
given below as "near infinite." Projections for coming years are listed
beneath, based on current figures, rates, and typical research/intervention
patterns. The increasing numbers of students with autism can also be seen
clearly when statistics are examined by age group. Below the nationwide
charts are the numbers of New Jersey students with autism as of December 1,
2001 (for the calendar year 2001/2002), broken down by chronological age,
taken from data compiled for the upcoming 24th Annual Report to Congress
on the Implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
by the Office of Special Education Programs, Trenton, New Jersey.
Explanations for the surge in autism rates abound. One recent
perspective appears in the Sunday Herald, United Kingdom, quoting
Autism Autoimmunity Project member F. Edward Yazbak, M.D., F.A.A.P. (http://www.sundayherald.com/print21347),
also available
on
this site. The argument that autism is primarily a genetic phenomenon
has been the leading one over the decades, and still receives significant --
probably the majority -- of scientific funding; however, an astute
delineation of the impacts of environmental factors versus genetics on
spiralling disease incidence was provided by Dr. Bengt Olle Bengtsson,
Professor of Evolutionary Genetics and Chairman of the Department of
Genetics at Lund University, Sweden, for FEATNews, April 1, 2002, excerpted
at
http://libnt2.lib.tcu.edu/staff/lruede/genetheory.html. Excerpts from a
variety of scientific publications are found in "The
Causes of Autism and the Need for Immunological Research: Excerpts from the
Autism Literature," elsewhere on this site.
Additional raw data can be accessed at
http://www.ideadata.org/tables24th\ar_aa3.htm, for 2000-2001; at
http://www.IDEAdata.org/tables/ar_aa2.htm, for the year 1999-2000; and
http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/OSEP/Research, for data prior to 1999
(Table AA2), along with complete texts of the Annual Reports to Congress
on the Implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act,
1996 forward.
Autism Incidence Rates Derived From U. S.
Department of Education Figures
| STATE |
1992-1993
|
2000-2001
|
PERCENT INCREASE |
| |
|
|
|
| Alabama |
68
|
765
|
1,025
|
| Alaska |
8
|
195
|
over 5000%
|
| Arizona |
199
|
1,119
|
462
|
| Arkansas |
30
|
671
|
2,137
|
| California |
1,605
|
10,557
|
558
|
| Colorado |
14
|
453
|
over 5000%
|
| Connecticut |
164
|
1,225
|
647
|
| Delaware |
15
|
263
|
1,653
|
| District of Columbia |
0
|
103
|
over 5000%
|
| Florida |
582
|
3,926
|
575
|
| Georgia |
262
|
1,916
|
631
|
| Hawaii |
52
|
276
|
431
|
| Idaho |
39
|
241
|
646
|
| Illinois |
5
|
3,103
|
over 5000%
|
| Indiana |
273
|
2,621
|
860
|
| Iowa |
67
|
537
|
701
|
| Kansas |
74
|
619
|
736
|
| Kentucky |
38
|
864
|
2,174
|
| Louisiana |
409
|
1,145
|
180
|
| Maine |
37
|
444
|
1,100
|
| Maryland |
28
|
1,933
|
over 5000%
|
| Massachusetts |
493
|
575
|
17
|
| Michigan |
288
|
4,075
|
1,315
|
| Minnesota |
296
|
2,448
|
727
|
| Mississippi |
0
|
385
|
over 5000%
|
| Missouri |
336
|
1,589
|
373
|
| Montana |
20
|
163
|
715
|
| Nebraska |
4
|
337
|
over 5000%
|
| Nevada |
5
|
394
|
over 5000%
|
| New Hampshire |
0
|
342
|
over 5000%
|
| New Jersey |
446
|
2,925
|
559
|
| New Mexico |
16
|
225
|
1,305
|
| New York |
1,648
|
5,943
|
260
|
| North Carolina |
786
|
2,374
|
202
|
| North Dakota |
9
|
118
|
over 5000%
|
| Ohio |
22
|
2,217
|
over 5000%
|
| Oklahoma |
31
|
666
|
2,048
|
| Oregon |
37
|
2,516
|
over 5000%
|
| Pennsylvania |
346
|
3,304
|
855
|
| Puerto Rico |
266
|
473
|
78
|
| Rhode Island |
19
|
309
|
1,526
|
| South Carolina |
141
|
852
|
504
|
| South Dakota |
36
|
227
|
531
|
| Tennessee |
304
|
935
|
208
|
| Texas |
1,444
|
6,023
|
317
|
| Utah |
105
|
584
|
456
|
| Vermont |
6
|
160
|
over 5000%
|
| Virginia |
539
|
1,983
|
268
|
| Washington |
476
|
1,620
|
240
|
| West Virginia |
101
|
312
|
209
|
| Wisconsin |
18
|
1,823
|
over 5000%
|
| Wyoming |
15
|
94
|
527
|
| TOTALS |
...1992-1993...
|
...2000-2001...
|
........OVERALL INCREASE
|
| |
|
|
|
| 50 States, DC, Puerto
Rico : |
12,222
|
78,717
|
544%
|
Projected Autism Incidence Rates Based
on U.S. Dept. of Education Figures
| TOTALS |
2 000- 200 1
|
2001-2002
|
2002-2003
|
| |
|
|
|
| 50 States, DC, Puerto Rico : |
78,717
|
94,965
|
113,000+
|
Age Breakdown of Students With Autism for the
State of New Jersey
December 1, 2001 -- Calendar Year In Progress, 2001/2002
|
Age 06
|
Age 07
|
Age 08
|
Age 09
|
Age 10
|
Age 11
|
Age 12
|
Age 13
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
514
|
505
|
465
|
439
|
360
|
257
|
208
|
165
|
|
Total number of students represented : 3,501
(presently posted figures do not yet include
2002) |
|
Age 14
|
Age 15
|
Age 16
|
Age 17
|
Age 18
|
Age 19
|
Age 20
|
Age 21
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
145
|
124
|
81
|
73
|
58
|
63
|
30
|
14
|
|
|
Back to the Autism Autoimmunity Project homepage |
