Approach to autism may increase autism spectrum disorder prevalence estimates in children worldwide
Autism may be more common worldwide than previously thought, according to researchers from the George Washington University (GW) and Yale University. The researchers conducted an autism prevalence study for the first time in South Korea and estimated that the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder is as high as 2.6 percent of the population of school-age children, equivalent to 1 in 38 children. The study Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder in a Total Population Sample, scheduled to be published online on May 9 in the American Journal of Psychiatry, reports on autism among approximately 55,000 children ages 7 to 12 years in a South Korean community. These children include those enrolled in special education services and a disability registry, as well as children enrolled in general education schools.