Autism Rate Underestimated? 1 In 41 Children Is Diagnosed With Autism in New Jersey

A recent study showed that the autism rate has significantly increased in New Jersey, affecting 1 in 41 children. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the result of the study, concluding that New Jersey has the highest cases of autism in the nation.

Researchers still don't know why New Jersey has the highest autism rate in country: https://t.co/zXeM1uw8cI

— PhillyVoice (@thephillyvoice) April 14, 2016

Results of the Study

The U.S. CDC has released a study conducted in 2014 and it showed that New Jersey has 12 percent higher rate compared to a study conducted in 2012, New Jersey Herald reports. However, there a notable difference between autism cases in boys and girls. There's one diagnosed with autism in every 31 boys while there's one diagnosed with autism for every 63 girls. For the study, researchers analyzed 33,000 children with autism spectrum disorder in New Jersey.

Meanwhile, the nationwide rate is still unchanged from the last study two years ago, with 1 in 68 children diagnosed with autism. The rate for boys is one in every 42 while there's one diagnosed with autism for 189 girls.

Now there are a lot of questions why New Jersey hit an all-time high autism rate in the past year. Most researchers believe that cases may not have risen significantly, rather the diagnosis for the disorder have improved.

Heightened Awareness

While it is still accurate to say that that there is one diagnosed with autism in every 42 children, experts say that the rise in cases may actually because of heightened awareness. A report from Pacific Daily News seems to support this theory. According to the report, the definition of the disorder has expanded over the news. Earlier on, autism covers kids with severe language, intellectual and social impairment. They often display unusual and repetitious behaviors. To this date, it has now included related conditions with similar symptoms that are mild in nature.

Since the cause of autism is unknown, it is hard to diagnose the disorder until the kid displays the symptoms. Biological tests like blood exams cannot determine autism. Often, diagnoses are based on the child's behavior. In the past years, teachers and parents have learned to detect the disorder earlier on.

Tara Gleeson, director of the Autism Center at Goryeb Children's Hospital at Morristown Medical Center, seemed to support this explanation. "Right now, we are suspecting that it's a combination of true prevalence, but in New Jersey we believe there is a heightened awareness that is leading to more diagnoses," Gleeson said.

Both parents and pediatricians are now more observant and aware of the symptoms, which leads to increased rates. So this means that the increased rate may not be as dramatic as it seems. People are just more aware of the signs, she said. To know the symptoms, check out the video below: