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CDC Study: Utah has highest rate of autism in nation

Posted at 11:04 AM, Mar 29, 2012
and last updated 2012-03-29 13:11:33-04

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released its latest report on U.S. autism rates, “Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorders-Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network (ADDM), 14 Sites, United States, 2008.

Utah had the highest estimated autism spectrum disorder (ASD) prevalence, which was significantly higher than all other sites except Arizona and New Jersey, according to the study.

ASD prevalence estimates were significantly higher among boys than among girls in all of the sites studies.  In Utah, boys were 2.7 times more likely than girls to have autism.

A similar 2002 CDC study found that about one in 150 U.S. children had autism compared to one in 133 Utah children. This means that, from 2002-2008, autism prevalence increased 78 percent nationally and 157 percent in Utah, according to a press release from the University of Utah.

Related: Autism in Utah