Roughly 1 in every 31 children were diagnosed with autism in 2022, according to a new CDC report, up from 1 in 36 in 2020. The rise continues a two-decade trend researchers attribute largely to improved detection and broader access to services, especially among underserved communities.
The CDC’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network found that boys were diagnosed more often than girls, and diagnoses were highest among Asian or Pacific Islander, Black, Hispanic, and multiracial children. Researchers stressed that the increases stemmed from better early screening and greater service availability—not an actual rise in cases.
The report contrasts sharply with comments from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and President Trump. Kennedy has long claimed vaccines cause autism, a theory repeatedly disproven by scientific research. Trump echoed those concerns during a recent Cabinet meeting, suggesting autism could be linked to “something artificial.”
The Autism Society and other advocacy groups reaffirmed that the data reflects progress in detection, not an “epidemic.”
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