Autism diagnoses have skyrocketed — from a rare condition to a common reality for 1 in 36 children.
The dramatic rise has drawn national attention, including from President Donald Trump, who recently questioned the surge during a joint address to Congress. Trump said “not long ago” cases were only “1 in 10,000,” perhaps referring to a 1970 study by Darold A. Treffert.
While some see cause for concern, Northeastern University experts also point to better awareness and earlier diagnoses as contributing factors to the increase in numbers.
After all, they say, much is still being learned about autism, which was only officially recognized by Congress as a disability in 1990.
Public awareness and understanding
“I think this reflects a healthy trend of increased public awareness and also increased understanding and societal awareness of autism,” says Zhenghan Qi, a Northeastern University assistant professor of communication sciences and disorders and psychology.
“The biggest change is that we’ve gotten much better at screening and identifying kids,” says Laurel Gabard-Durnam, director of Northeastern’s PINE (Plasticity in Neurodevelopment) Lab.
In addition, “We’ve changed the criteria for what it means to have autism,” she says. “We’ve since acknowledged that it’s a spectrum. So some of this is just labeling differences.”
