Have autism rates really tripled in the US, or are doctors just getting better at detecting autism?

The number of children with autism has tripled in 16 years, raising questions about whether the condition is becoming more common.

A study by researchers at Rutgers University found that between 2000 and 2016, the rate of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children under the age of 8 increased from about 10 per 1,000 to about 30 per 1,000. within the New Jersey and New York metropolitan areas.

A similar increase can be seen nationwide – with an increase from one in 150 in 2000 to one in 54 in 2016.

There is currently no standard medical test for autism, but major advances in diagnostic capabilities and a better understanding of the disorder appear to be driving the rise, at least in part.

The chart above, from the new Rutgers study, shows estimates of the prevalence of autism per 1,000 eight-year-old children in New Jersey overall and by intellectual ability. The proportion of eight-year-olds diagnosed with autism who do not have an intellectual disability has increased more (represented by the blue line) than the proportion who have not (represented by the green line).

The study, published in the journal Pediatrics, found that the number of eight-year-olds diagnosed with autism who did not have an intellectual disability increased more than those without an intellectual disability – fivefold versus twofold between 2000 and 2016.

The Rutgers team said the main reasons are advances in diagnosis, particularly in identifying autism without intellectual disability.

It refers to children with an average or above average IQ and autistic characteristics such as difficulties in socializing, communicating and doing the same things over and over. These cases of autism can be harder to spot.

National autism rates in America have risen over time. The number has dropped from one in 150 children diagnosed with autism in 2000 at age eight to one in 54 in 2016, according to CDC data

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However, researchers are clear that the increase in autism prevalence has nothing to do with vaccines.

Santhosh Girirajan, associate professor at Pennsylvania State University, told NBC News, “We’ve known for so many years that vaccines don’t cause autism.”

Other reasons for the increase include genetic and environmental factors, but the exact cause is unknown.

Numerous studies have shown that children of older parents are more likely to have the disorder. Birth complications also increase the risk.

The Rutgers study states that universal autism screening is needed at routine pediatric visits to better identify cases of moderate to mild autism.

Because there is no standard test for the condition, doctors must rely on a child’s developmental history and behavior.

But experts say early intervention can make a big difference, with early detection essential to ensuring children on the spectrum get the help they need.

Children still need to see a trained professional to receive an official diagnosis, but the ASDQ questionnaire is another step toward a standardized test for autism.

ASD screenings are recommended at 18 and 24 months to track the child’s language, movement and reasoning skills, as well as behavior and emotions, compared to the rest of their age group.

However, the formal diagnosis must be made by a trained specialist such as a pediatrician or child psychologist.

About one in 44 children in the US has autism, a number that continues to rise as the disorder is destigmatized.

However, despite scientific and social progress, autism is still often diagnosed in childhood.

While the median age of diagnosis in the US is four years, it is even higher in the UK at six years.