Study: Number of autistic children in Wisconsin elementary schools increases

By Staff Writer

A study reveals that the number of children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has leveled off in most school districts in Wisconsin but has significantly increased in areas with previously low rates.

The overall prevalence of autism increased from 4.9 to 9.0 per 1,000 children in the Badger State.

According to the journal Pediatrics, researchers in Wisconsin studied the special education enrollment in all elementary schools in the state. Districts that had the lowest rates in 2002 experienced rapid increases over six years, while schools that had the highest number of autism cases in 2002 saw no significant changes.

A PhD student who worked on the study believes that the increase could be explained by schools putting more kids in the autism category, Reuters reports. Kids who used to be classified as intellectually disabled may be getting an ASD diagnosis.

The news provider states that the study may also hint that some environmental factors could be impacting brain development in young children.

The Centers for Disease Control reports that an average of one in 110 children in the U.S. have an ASD.