title: Prevalence of parent-reported diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder among children in the US, 2007.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The reported increasing prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attendant health and family impact make monitoring of ASD prevalence a public health priority.
  
  
  METHODS
  The prevalence of parent-reported diagnosis of ASD among US children aged 3 to 17 years was estimated from the 2007 National Survey of Children's Health (sample size: 78037). A child was considered to have ASD if a parent/guardian reported that a doctor or other health care provider had ever said that the child had ASD and that the child currently had the condition. The point-prevalence for ASD was calculated for those children meeting both criteria. We examined sociodemographic factors associated with current ASD and with a past (but not current) ASD diagnosis. The health care experiences for children in both ASD groups were explored.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The weighted current ASD point-prevalence was 110 per 10,000. We estimate that 673,000 US children have ASD. Odds of having ASD were 4 times as large for boys than girls. Non-Hispanic (NH) black and multiracial children had lower odds of ASD than NH white children. Nearly 40% of those ever diagnosed with ASD did not currently have the condition; NH black children were more likely than NH white children to not have current ASD. Children in both ASD groups were less likely than children without ASD to receive care within a medical home.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The observed point-prevalence is higher than previous US estimates. More inclusive survey questions, increased population awareness, and improved screening and identification by providers may partly explain this finding.
authors.affiliation: Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Health Resources and Services Administration, US Department of Health and Human Services, Rockville, Maryland 20857, USA. mkogan@hrsa.gov
authors.forename: Michael D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Kogan
authors.forename: Stephen J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Blumberg
authors.forename: Laura A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Schieve
authors.forename: Coleen A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Boyle
authors.forename: James M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Perrin
authors.forename: Reem M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Ghandour
authors.forename: Gopal K
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: Bonnie B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Strickland
authors.forename: Edwin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Trevathan
authors.forename: Peter C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: van Dyck
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001741:Black or African American; D002648:Child; D002659:Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents; D015995:Prevalence; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D044465:White People