Vida Healing | Autism | Facts and Statistics

Autism | Facts and Statistics

• In 2020, the CDC found that around 2% of kids surveyed in the United States were identified as having Autism Spectrum Disorder
• There is a 4x increased likelihood of a boy being diagnosed with autism than a girl
• 3% of boys surveyed stated they had autism
• Just 1 out of 144 females stated they had autism
• Most kids were diagnosed after the age of 4 (though autism can be reliably diagnosed by age 2)
• Autism affects people from all ethnicities and social classes
• Minorities groups are often diagnosed much later
• There are no health-related detections for autism
• The earlier it is diagnosed, the better the management and treatment can be, and the better the quality of life will be later
• Over 30% of kids with ASD have at least one intellectual disability (under 70 IQ), about ¼ of kids are in the borderline range (IQ between 71 and 85), and about 45% have a typical-to-above-average (>85)

• Extensive research has suggested that the genes are active in most autism instances
• Children who were born to much-older parents have a higher likelihood of autism
• Parents who had a child with ASD have a between 2-18% chance of having a second affected kid
• Studies show if identical twins have one twin with ASD, there is a thirty-six to ninety-five-percent change of it occurring in the other twin. In non-identical twins, if one has ASD, then the other twin has a thirty-one-percent chance
• There have been many studies in the last two years, which explored the possibility of a link between autism and vaccines during childhood. The outcomes have clearly shown that vaccines do not result in autism

• Early treatment boosts interaction, social skills, and learning. It also supports underlying brain development
• Applied behavior analysis is based upon concepts that are explored and commonly used in autism behavioral interventions
• Many kids that have autism also get a lot of benefit from speech therapy and occupational therapy

• About 1/3 of autistic kids are nonverbal and cannot speak
• About half of people with autism run/wander into unsafe situations
• 66% of kids between ages 6-15 experience bullying
• Drowning accounts for about 90% of physical deaths in kids with autism ages 14 and under
• About 30% of 8-year-olds that have ASD have self-injured before (ex. arm biting/skin scratching/headbanging)

The typical autistic individual requires nearly $60k for annual medical expenses; Lost wages of the parents as they deal with the autistic children also must be taken into account. Moms of kids that have ASD are less likely to work outside the home, as they must spend time working with the children and their problems linked to autism. They work fewer hours a week and earn over 50% less than mothers without children with autism. They earn 35% less than moms with kids of other disorders and disabilities.