One in 31 American 8-year-olds were identified with autism in 2022, according to new CDC data, reflecting a rise that researchers attribute primarily to broader diagnostic criteria and increased awareness, though the U.S. health secretary has called it an epidemic.
Azeen Ghorayshi reports for The New York Times.
In short:
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that autism rates among 8-year-olds rose from 1 in 36 in 2020 to 1 in 31 in 2022, based on data from 16 U.S. sites covering more than 274,000 children.
- Experts link the rise to better screening practices, expanded diagnostic definitions, and decreased stigma, but Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has launched a controversial federal study questioning potential vaccine links — despite longstanding scientific consensus refuting such connections.
- Diagnosis rates varied by race, gender, and geography: Autism was more commonly identified among Black, Hispanic, and Asian American children than white children, and more prevalent in California and Pennsylvania than Texas.
Key quote:
“We can account for a lot of the increase but perhaps not all of it. But whatever it is, it’s not vaccines.”
— Catherine Lord, psychologist and autism researcher at the University of California, Los Angeles
Why this matters:
Autism diagnoses in the United States have risen dramatically over the past two decades, reflecting changes in how the condition is recognized, diagnosed, and understood. This increase has sparked public concern and political scrutiny, even as scientific consensus maintains that genetics and environmental factors — excluding vaccines — play primary roles. The shift in diagnosis rates among racial and socioeconomic groups suggests long-standing disparities in access to care may be improving, but also highlights how uneven health and education systems shape who gets identified and when. As debates over autism's causes reemerge in the political sphere, the need for evidence-based public health messaging remains urgent — especially as federal leadership amplifies discredited theories that can undermine trust in vaccinations and science more broadly.
