Changes in Prevalence of Parent-reported Autism Spectrum Disorder in School-aged

U.S. Children: 2007 to 2011-2012

Brooke Grill
Autism spectrum disorder are disorders such as autistic disorder or Asperger
disorder that cause impairments in social interaction and communication skills. ASP
symptoms can be diagnosed as early as 18 months old, but are usually not
diagnosed until the child begins elementary. The number of reported cases of ASD
has increased in the past ten years from 1997-1999 and 2006-2008 data was
compared and a 78% increase of cases was reported. For the survey being
presented data was taken from 2007 and compared it to a survey conducted in
2011-2012. This survey was held to see if the number of cases of ASD will continue
to rise as the years go on. This experiments hypothesis is that the number of cases
of ASD will continue to rise in school-aged children. (6-17) The hypothesis for the
experiment was proven to be true.
The surveys conducted in 2007 and 2011-2012 were by National Center for
Health Statistics. In the first survey of 2007 they only contacted landlines. Data was
fielded by a random dial telephone survey of households with children 0-17 years
old. They would contact the households with children present and randomly select
one of the children from each family to be identified in the survey. In the second
survey from 2011-2012 they contacted landlines and cell phones. Also would only
contact families with one or more children, randomly selecting one child from each
family to be a part of the survey. Making the only difference between the two
experiments the use of cell phone numbers and the time that the two experiments
were held.
In the results from 2007 1 in 86 children were diagnosed with ASD, in the

results from 2011-2012 1 in 50 children were diagnosed with ASD. There was many
significant increases between the two surveys including: 1.8% to 3.23% male
population reported, an increase in girls from .49% to .7%. School-aged males are
four times more likely to have ASD than the female population according to the
survey conducted in 2011-2012. A significant increases in the prevalence of parentreported ASD were observed for all age groups (from 1.13% to 1.82% for ages 6-9;
1.45% to 2.39% for ages 10-13; and .73% to 1.78% for ages 14-17). (NHSR page
2).
The results for the two surveys were significant besides the age difference
between children in the two studies. The children that were the age of 6-9 in 2007
results were 1.45% in four years they would be 10-13 years of age, which the
results for that age group in 2011-2012 was 1.78%. The difference is very similar in
the same sample of children then it is in two different samples. Most of the
difference statistically between the different sample groups were also diagnosed
after the survey in 2007. Medical advancements in between the two surveys and
health care factors were also not put into account. By using two samples that some
of the children were still be in the previous study makes the prevalence irrelevant.
To make this study relevant and have correct data they should have compared the
data to an earlier survey making sure that all the children that were surveyed in the
previous survey were aged out of the sampled age, or only surveyed children with a
diagnoses of 2007 or previous.
I do not think that this article has any scientific relevance because of all of
the errors that werent taken into account in the two surveys. In 2007 they used a
control of only calling landlines to collect data; in 2011-2012 they used landlines
and cell phones to collect data. In 2011-2012 they collected a significant amount

more of data than in 2007. By making the change in the control the two surveys
shouldnt have been compared. They also didnt use two completely different
population sets in each experiment. Both experiments used children 6-17 yet, the
children used in the first survey werent completely out of the age group by time the
second survey was completed. The children that were used in both surveys would
be from the ages of 10-17 years of age. By using the some of the same children in
both surveys the only group of children that the data would be relevant would be
the 6-9 year olds, because that is the only sample that was two different sets of
children. To make the data that was collected and compared relevant they should
have waited 9 years to conduct the second survey; to be able to come to the
conclusion that ASD diagnoses have raised or lowered. Also the medical
advancement that were made in the four years between the two surveys werent
taken into account. There were many new ASD diagnoses made after the survey in
2007 was conducted.

Work cited

Changes in prevalence of parent-reported autism spectrum disorder in school-aged U.S. children:

2007-2012.
National Health Statistics Reports. March 2013.
Blumberg SJ, Bramlett MD, Kogan MD, Schieve LA, Jones JR, Lu MC.