Opinion
You can help with behavior of children with autism spectrum disorder
Lean on your knowledge of antecedents, behaviors, consequences, and especially gaps to sort out and address problem behaviors.
In 2016, the prevalence of any diagnosed developmental disability in children aged 3-17 years was 6.99% – a statistically significant increase of 21% over the 5.76% recorded in 2014, the NCHS said in a recent Data Brief.
Autism spectrum disorder was up by a similar amount: 23% from 2014, when prevalence was 2.24%, to 2016, when the prevalence was 2.76% among children aged 3-17 years. Intellectual disability rose in 2015 but dropped in 2016, so the overall increase in prevalence was just 3.6%. The prevalence of other developmental delays, on the other hand, held steady from 2014 to 2015 and then took a big jump, 27.5%, in 2016, the NCHS investigators reported.
The estimates are based on reports by parents or guardians of ever receiving a diagnosis of each developmental disability from a physician or other medical professional.
