The numbers of children being diagnosed with autism is rising at a meteoric rate--too fast to be explained by more frequent diagnostic recognition.  The following figures are statistics maintained by the Department of Education for children with autism aged 6-21, who are given Special Education services under IDEA (the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act).  The totals reflect each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, with combined totals below.  Where increase percentages rise past a certain point, approximately 5000%, the rate is given below as "near infinite."  Projections for coming years are listed beneath, based on current figures, rates, and typical research/intervention patterns.  The increasing numbers of students with autism can also be seen clearly when statistics are examined by age group.  Below the nationwide charts are the numbers of New Jersey students with autism as of December 1, 2001 (for the calendar year 2001/2002), broken down by chronological age, taken from data compiled for the upcoming 24th Annual Report to Congress on the Implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act by the Office of Special Education Programs, Trenton, New Jersey.

Explanations for the surge in autism rates abound.  One recent perspective appears in the Sunday Herald, United Kingdom, quoting Autism Autoimmunity Project member F. Edward Yazbak, M.D., F.A.A.P. (http://www.sundayherald.com/print21347), also available on this site.  The argument that autism is primarily a genetic phenomenon has been the leading one over the decades, and still receives significant -- probably the majority -- of scientific funding; however, an astute delineation of the impacts of environmental factors versus genetics on spiralling disease incidence was provided by Dr. Bengt Olle Bengtsson, Professor of Evolutionary Genetics and Chairman of the Department of Genetics at Lund University, Sweden, for FEATNews, April 1, 2002, excerpted at http://libnt2.lib.tcu.edu/staff/lruede/genetheory.html.  Excerpts from a variety of scientific publications are found in "The Causes of Autism and the Need for Immunological Research:  Excerpts from the Autism Literature," elsewhere on this site.

Additional raw data can be accessed at http://www.ideadata.org/tables24th\ar_aa3.htm, for 2000-2001; at http://www.IDEAdata.org/tables/ar_aa2.htm, for the year 1999-2000; and http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/OSEP/Research, for data prior to 1999 (Table AA2), along with complete texts of the Annual Reports to Congress on the Implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 1996 forward.
 
 

Age Breakdown of Students With Autism for the State of New Jersey
December 1, 2001  --  Calendar Year In Progress, 2001/2002

Age 06 Age 07 Age 08 Age 09 Age 10 Age 11 Age 12 Age 13                 514 505 465 439 360 257 208 165   Total number of students represented :  3,501 (presently posted figures do not yet include 2002)   Age 14 Age 15 Age 16 Age 17 Age 18 Age 19 Age 20 Age 21                 145 124 81 73 58 63 30 14

http://www.state.nj.us/njded/specialed/data/ard/