Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorders

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This page provides details of scientific studies of this issue which have been published in published in peer-reviewed journals. If you know of any other scientific studies we should include please email info@researchautism.net with the details. Thank you.

If you are a UK resident you may be able to obtain full copies of some of the items listed on this page from your local public library, your college library, or the National Autistic Society’s Information Centre (Open in new window)

If you wish to find out recent statistics for the UK, please see Statistics: how many people have autistic spectrum disorders?, published on the National Autistic Society website. (Open in new window)

Arvidsson T. et al. (1997). Autism in 3-6-year-old children in a suburb of Goteborg, Sweden. Autism, 1, pp. 163-173. Read Abstract

Atladottir H.O. et al. (2007). Time trends in reported diagnoses of childhood neuropsychiatric disorders: a Danish cohort study. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med, 10(4), pp. 193–198. Read Extract

Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network Surveillance Year 2000 Principal Investigators; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2007). Prevalence of autism spectrum disorders—autism and developmental disabilities monitoring network, six sites, United States, 2000. MMWR Surveill Summ, 56(1), pp. 1-11. Read Abstract

Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network Surveillance Year 2002 Principal Investigators; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2007). Prevalence of autism spectrum disorders—autism and developmental disabilities monitoring network, 14 sites, United States, 2002. MMWR Surveill Summ, 56(1), pp. 12-28. Read Abstract

Baird, G. et al. (2001). Screening and surveillance for autism and pervasive developmental disorders. Archives of Diseases in Childhood, 84, pp. 468-475

Baird G. et al. (2006). Prevalence of disorders of the autism spectrum in a population cohort of children in South Thames: the Special Needs and Autism Project (SNAP). Lancet, 368(9531, pp. 210-215. Read Abstract

Barbaresi WJ et al. (2005). The incidence of autism in Olmsted County, Minnesota, 1976-1997: results from a population-based study. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med, 159(1), pp. 37-44. Read Abstract

Bello SC. (2007). Autism and environmental influences: review and commentary. Rev Environ Health, 22(2), pp. 139-156. Read Abstract

Bertrand J. et al. (2001). Prevalence of autism in a United States population: the Brick Township, New Jersey, investigation. Pediatrics, 108(5), pp. 1155-1161. Read Abstract

Bhasin T.K. et al. (2006). Prevalence of four developmental disabilities among children aged 8 years—Metropolitan Atlanta Developmental Disabilities Surveillance Program, 1996 and 2000. MMWR Surveill Summ, 55(1), pp. 1-9. Erratum in: MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep, 2006, 55(4), pp. 105-106. Read Abstract

Blaxill, M.F. (2004). What’s going on? The question of time trends in autism. Public Health Rep, 119(6), pp. 536–551. Read Abstract

Bölte S, Poustka F, Holtmann M. (2008). Trends in autism spectrum disorder referrals. Epidemiology. 19(3), pp. 519-520.

Bryson SE, Clark BS, Smith IM. (1998). First report of a Canadian epidemiological study of autistic syndromes. J Child Psychol Psychiatry, 29(4), pp. 433-445. Read Abstract

Burd L, Fisher W, Kerbeshian J. (1987). A prevalence study of pervasive developmental disorders in North Dakota. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry, 26(5), pp. 700-703.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2006). Mental health in the United States: parental report of diagnosed autism in children aged 4-17 years—United States, 2003-2004. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep, 55(17), ppl 481-486. Read Abstract

Chakrabarti S, Fombonne E. (2001). Pervasive developmental disorders in preschool children. JAMA, 285(24), pp. 3093-3099. Read Abstract

Chakrabarti S, Fombonne E. (2005). Pervasive developmental disorders in preschool children: confirmation of high prevalence. Am J Psychiatry, 162(6), pp. 1133-1141. Read Abstract

Charles JM. (2006). Autism spectrum disorders: an introduction and review of prevalence data. J S C Med Assoc., 102(8), pp. 267-270.

Charman T. (2002). The prevalence of autism spectrum disorders: Recent evidence and future challenges. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry, 11(6), pp. 249-256. Read Abstract

Cialdella P, Mamelle N. (1989). An epidemiological study of infantile autism in a French department (Rhone): a research note. J Child Psychol Psychiatry, 30(1), pp. 165-175. Read Abstract

Clarke D.F. et al. (2005). The prevalence of autistic spectrum disorder in children surveyed in a tertiary care epilepsy clinic. Epilepsia, 46(12), pp. 1970-1997. Read Abstract

Conti-Ramsden G, Simkin Z, Botting N. (2006). The prevalence of autistic spectrum disorders in adolescents with a history of specific language impairment (SLI). J Child Psychol Psychiatry, 47(6), pp. 621-628. Read Abstract

Coo H. et al. (2007). Trends in autism prevalence: Diagnostic substitution revisited. J Autism Dev Disord. [Epub ahead of print]. Read Abstract

Croen LA. et al. (2002). The changing prevalence of autism in California. J Autism Dev Disord, 32(3), pp. 207-215. Read Abstract

Davidovitch M, Holtzman G, Tirosh E. (2001). Autism in the Haifa area—an epidemiological perspective. Isr Med Assoc J, 3(3), pp. 188-189. Read Abstract

Dyches, T. T. (2004). Multicultural issues in autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 34, pp.211-222. Read Abstract

Eapen V. et al. (2007). Prevalence of Pervasive Developmental Disorders in Preschool Children in the UAE. J Trop Pediatr, 53(3), pp. 202-205. Read Abstract

Ehlers S, Gillberg C. (1993). The epidemiology of Asperger syndrome. A total population study. J Child Psychol Psychiatry, 34(8), pp. 1327-1350. Read Abstract

Ellefsen A. et al. (2007). Autism in the Faroe Islands: an epidemiological study. J Autism Dev Disord, 37(3), pp. 437-444. Read Abstract

Fernandes A. et al. (2008). 3-year activity in a developmental centre of a portuguese paediatric hospital: autism spectrum disorders clinic review. Archives of Disease in Childhood 93, pw. 474. Read Abstract

Fombonne E, du Mazaubrun C. (1992). Prevalence of infantile autism in four French regions. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol, 27(4), pp. 203-210. Read Abstract

Fombonne E. et al. (1997). Autism and associated medical disorders in a French epidemiological survey. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry, 36(11), pp. 1561-1569. Read Abstract

Fombonne E. (1999). The epidemiology of autism: a review. Psychol Med, 29(4), pp. 769-786. Read Abstract

Fombonne E. et al. (2001). Prevalence of pervasive developmental disorders in the British nationwide survey of child mental health. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry, 40, pp. 820–827. Read Abstract

Fombonne E. (2001). Is there an epidemic of autism? Pediatrics, 107(2), pp. 411-412. Read Full item

Fombone E. (2002). Prevalence of childhood disintegrative disorder. Autism, 6(2), pp. 149-157. Read Abstract

Fombonne E. (2003). The prevalence of autism. JAMA, 289, pp. 87-89.

Fombonne, E. (2005). The changing epidemiology of autism. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 18(4), pp.281-304.

Fombonne E. (2005). Epidemiology of autistic disorder and other pervasive developmental disorders. J Clin Psychiatry, 66, Suppl 10, pp. 3-8. Read Abstract

Fombonne E. et al. (2006). Pervasive developmental disorders in Montreal, Quebec, Canada: prevalence and links with immunizations. Pediatrics, 118(1), e139-150. Read Abstract

Fombonne E. (2008). Is autism getting commoner? – In 100 words. British Journal of Psychiatry 193(1), p. 59.

Fombonne E. (Epub ahead of print). Epidemiology of pervasive developmental disorders. Pediatr Res. Read Abstract

Geier DA, Geier MR. (2006). An assessment of downward trends in neurodevelopmental disorders in the United States following removal of Thimerosal from childhood vaccines. Med Sci Monit, 12(6), pp. CR231-9. Read Abstract

Gernsbacher, M.A., Dawson, M., & Goldsmith, H.H. (2005). Three reasons not to believe in an autism epidemic. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 14, pp. 55-58. Read Full item (PDF document).

Ghanizadeh A. (2007). A preliminary study on screening prevalence of pervasive developmental disorder in schoolchildren in Iran. J Autism Dev Disord, [Epub ahead of print]. Read Abstract

Gillberg C. (1984). Infantile autism and other childhood psychoses in a Swedish urban region. Epidemiological aspects. J Child Psychol Psychiatry, 25(1), pp. 35-43. Read Abstract

Gillberg C. et al. (1987). Infantile autism in children of immigrant parents. A population-based study from Goteborg, Sweden. Br J Psychiatry, 150, pp. 856-858. Read Abstract

Gillberg IC, Gillberg C. (1996). Autism in immigrants: a population-based study from Swedish rural and urban areas. J Intellect Disabil Res, 40(1), pp. 24-31. Read Abstract

Gillberg C, Steffenburg S, Schaumann H. (1991). Is autism more common now than ten years ago? Br J Psychiatry, 158, pp. 403-409. Read Abstract

Gillberg C. et al. (2006). Brief report: “the autism epidemic”. The registered prevalence of autism in a Swedish urban area. J Autism Dev Disord, 36(3), pp. 429-435. Read Abstract

Gurney JG et al. (2003). Analysis of prevalence trends of autism spectrum disorder in Minnesota. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med, 157(7), pp. 622-627. Read Abstract

Harrison, M. J. et al (2006). Prevalence of autistic spectrum disorders in Lothian, Scotland: an estimate using the “capture-recapture” technique. Archives of Disease in Childhood, 91(1), pp.16-19. Read Abstract

Heussler H. et al. (2001). Prevalence of autism in early 1970s may have been underestimated. BMJ, 323, pp. 633.

Hillman RE. et al. (2000). Prevalence of autism in Missouri: changing trends and the effect of a comprehensive state autism project. Mo Med, 97, pp. 159-163.

Honda H. et al. (1996). Cumulative incidence and prevalence of childhood autism in children in Japan. Br J Psychiatry, 169(2), 228-235. Read Abstract

Honda H. et al. (2005). Cumulative incidence of childhood autism: a total population study of better accuracy and precision. Dev Med Child Neurol, 47(1), pp. 10-18. Read Abstract

Hoshino, Y. et al. (1982). The epidemiological study of autism in FukushimaKen. Folia Psychiatrica et Neurologica japonica 36, pp. 115-124.

Icasiano F. et al. (2004). Childhood autism spectrum disorder in the Barwon region: a community based study. J Paediatr Child Health, 40(12), pp. 696-701. Read Abstract

Johnson S. et al. (2008). Autistic spectrum symptoms in extremely preterm children. Archives of Disease in Childhood Read Abstract

Kadesjo B, Gillberg C, Hagberg B. (1999). Brief report: autism and Asperger syndrome in seven-year-old children: a total population study. J Autism Dev Disord,29(4), pp. 27-31.

Kamer, A. et al. (2004). A prevalence estimate of pervasive developmental disorder among Immigrants to Israel and Israeli natives. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 39(2), pp. 141-145. Read Abstract

Kawamura, Y. Takahashi, O. and Ishii, T. (2008). Reevaluating the incidence of pervasive developmental disorders: Impact of elevated rates of detection through implementation of an integrated system of screening in Toyota, Japan Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 62(2), pp. 152-159. Read Abstract

Kaye, J. A., Melero-Montes, M., and Jick, H. (2001). Mumps, measles and rubella vaccine and the incidence of autism recorded by general practitioners: a time trend analysis. British Medical Journal, 322, pp. 460-463. Read Abstract

Keen, D. and Ward, S. (2004). Autistic spectrum disorder: a child population profile. Autism, 8 (1), pp.39-48. Read Abstract

Kielinen M, Linna SL, Moilanen I. (2000). Autism in Northern Finland. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry, 9(3), pp. 162-167. Read Abstract

Kinney, D.k. et al. (2008). Autism prevalence following prenatal exposure to hurricanes and tropical storms in Louisiana. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 38(3), pp. 481-488. Read Abstract

Waterhouse L. (Epub ahead of print). Autism overflows: Increasing prevalence and proliferating theories. Neuropsychol Rev. Read Abstract

Laidler JR. (2005). US Department of Education data on “autism” are not reliable for tracking autism prevalence. Pediatrics, 116(1), e120-124. Read Abstract

Latif, A.H.A. and Williams, W.R. Diagnostic trends in autistic spectrum disorders in the South Wales valleys. Autism, 11(6), pp. 479-487. Read Abstract

Lauritsen MB, Pedersen CB, Mortensen PB. (2004). The incidence and prevalence of pervasive developmental disorders: a Danish population-based study. Psychol Med, 34(7), pp. 1339-1346. Read Abstract

Lin J., Lin L., Wuc J. (Epub ahead of print). Administrative prevalence of autism spectrum disorders based on national disability registers in Taiwan. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders. Read Abstract

Lingam R. et al. (2003). Prevalence of autism and parentally reported triggers in a north east London population. Arch Dis Child, 88(8), pp. 666-670. Read Abstract

Lotter V. (1967) Epidemiology of autistic conditions in young children: some characteristics of the parents and children.Soc. Psychiat. 1, pp. 163-173.

McCarthy P. (1984). Prevalence of childhood autism in Ireland. Ir Med J, 77(5), pp. 129-130.

Madsen, K.M. (2007). Increasing incidence of some neuropsychiatric disorders in Danish children. Evid. Based Ment. Health, 10(4), pp. 127. Read Extract

Magnusson P, Saemundsen E. (2001). Prevalence of autism in Iceland. J Autism Dev Disord, 31(2), pp. 153-163. Read Abstract

Matsuishi T. et al. (1987). High prevalence of infantile autism in Kurume City, Japan. J Child Neurol, 2(4), pp. 268-271. Read Abstract

Merrick J, Kandel I, Morad M. (2004). Trends in autism. Int J Adolesc Med Health, 16(1), pp. 75-78. Read Abstract

Montiel-Nava, C. and Peña, J.A. (2008). Epidemiological findings of pervasive developmental disorders in a Venezuelan study. Autism, 12(2), pp. 191-202. Read Abstract

Newschaffer CJ, Falb MD, Gurney JG. (2005).National autism prevalence trends from United States special education data. Pediatrics, 115(3), e277-282. Read Abstract

Nicholas J.S. et al. [Epub ahead of print]. Prevalence and Characteristics of Children With Autism-Spectrum Disorders. Ann Epidemiol. Read Abstract

Nordin V, Gillberg C. (1996). Autism spectrum disorders in children with physical or mental disability or both. I: Clinical and epidemiological aspects. Dev Med Child Neurol, 38(4), pp. 297-313. Read Abstract

Oliveira G. et al. (2007). Epidemiology of autism spectrum disorder in Portugal: prevalence, clinical characterization, and medical conditions. Dev Med Child Neurol, 49(10), pp. 726-733. Read Abstract

Ouellette-Kuntz, H. et al. (2006). Prevalence of pervasive developmental disorders in two Canadian provinces. Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, 3(3), 164–172. Read Abstract

Ouellette-Kuntz, H. (2007). Trends in special education code assignment for autism: Implications for prevalence estimates. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 37(10), pp. 1941- 1948. Read Abstract

Parner E., Schendel D., Thorsen P. (2008). Autism prevalence trends over time in Denmark: changes in prevalence and age at diagnosis. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine 162(12), pp. 1150-1156. Read Abstract

Petersen D.J. et al. (2006). The population prevalence of child psychiatric disorders in Danish 8- to 9-year-old children. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry, 15(2), pp. 71-78. Read Abstract

Plubrukarn R. et al. (2005). Trend study of autistic spectrum disorders at Queen Sirikit National Institute of Child Health. J Med Assoc Thai, 88(7), 891-897. Read Abstract

Posserud MB, Lundervold AJ, Gillberg C. (2006). Autistic features in a total population of 7-9-year-old children assessed by the ASSQ (Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire). J Child Psychol Psychiatry, 47(2), pp. 167-175. Read Abstract

Powell JE et al. (2000). Changes in the incidence of childhood autism and other autistic spectrum disorders in preschool children from two areas of the West Midlands, UK. Dev Med Child Neurol, 42(9), pp. 624-628. Read Abstract

Rice C. et al. (2004). Public health monitoring of developmental disabilities with a focus on the autism spectrum disorders. Am J Med Genet C Semin Med Genet, 125(1), pp. 22-27. Read Abstract

Ritvo ER et al. (1989). The UCLA-University of Utah epidemiologic survey of autism: prevalence. Am J Psychiatry, 146(2), pp. 194-199. Read Abstract

Rutter M. (2005). Incidence of autism spectrum disorders: changes over time and their meaning. Acta Paediatr, 94(1), pp. 2-15. Read Abstract

Sanchez-Valle E et al. (2007). Estimating the burden of disease for autism spectrum disorders in Spain in 2003. J Autism Dev Disord. [Epub ahead of print]. Read Abstract

Scott FJ et al. (2002). Brief report: prevalence of autism spectrum conditions in children aged 5-11 years in Cambridgeshire, UK. Autism, 6(3), pp. 231-237. Read Abstract

Sponheim E, Skjeldal O. (1998). Autism and related disorders: epidemiological findings in a Norwegian study using ICD-10 diagnostic criteria. J Autism Dev Disord, 28(3), pp. 217-227. Read Abstract

Steffenburg S, Gillberg C. (1986). Autism and autistic-like conditions in Swedish rural and urban areas: a population study. Br J Psychiatry, 149, pp. 81-87.

Steinhausen HC. (1986). A community survey of infantile autism. J Am Acad Child Psychiatry, 25(2), 186-189.

Sturmey P, James V. (2001). Administrative prevalence of autism in the Texas school system [letter]. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry, 40, P. 621.

Sugiyama T, Abe T. (1989). The prevalence of autism in Nagoya, Japan: a total population study. J Autism Dev Disord, 19(1), pp. 87-96. Read Abstract

Tanoue Y. et al. (1988). Epidemiology of infantile autism in southern Ibaraki, Japan: differences in prevalence in birth cohorts. J Autism Dev Disord, 18(2), pp. 155-166. Read Abstract

Treffert, D. A. (1970). Epidemiology of infantile autism. Archives of General Psychiatry, 22, pp. 431-438.

Tuman J.P., Moonie S., Roth-Johnson D. (2008). The administrative prevalence of autism spectrum disorders in Nevada school districts: A pooled time-series analysis, 1996-2004. Journal of the Nevada Public Health Association. 4(1), pp. 15-27. Read Full Item

Webb E.V. et al. (1997). The changing prevalence of autistic disorder in a Welsh health district. Dev Med Child Neurol, 39, p. 1502.

Webb E.V. et al. (2003). Prevalence of autistic spectrum disorder in children attending mainstream schools in a Welsh education authority. Dev Med Child Neurol, 45(6), pp. 377-384. Read Abstract

Wignyosumarto S, Mukhlas M, Shirataki S. (1992). Epidemiological and clinical study of autistic children in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Kobe J Med Sci, 38(1), pp. 1-19. Read Abstract

Williams JG, Higgins JP, Brayne CE. (2006). Systematic review of prevalence studies of autism spectrum disorders. Arch Dis Child, 91(1), pp. 8-15. Read Abstract

Williams K. et al. (2005). Incidence of autism spectrum disorders in children in two Australian states. Med J Aust, 182(3), pp. 108-111. Read Abstract

Williams K. et al (Epub ahead of print). The prevalence of autism in Australia: Can it be established from existing data? Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health. Read Abstract

Wing L. et al. (1976). The prevalence of early childhood autism: comparison of administrative and epidemiological studies. Psychol Med, 6(1), pp. 89-100. Read Abstract

Wing L, Potter D. (2002). The epidemiology of autistic spectrum disorders: is the prevalence rising? Ment Retard Dev Disabil Res Rev, 8(3), pp. 151-161. Read Abstract

Wong, V.C.N. and Hui, S.L.H. [Epub ahead of print]. Epidemiological study of autism spectrum disorder in China. J Child Neurol. Read Abstract

Yeargin-Allsopp M. et al. (2003). Prevalence of autism in a US metropolitan area. JAMA, 289(1), pp. 49-55. Read Full item

Zhang X, Ji CY. (2005). Autism and mental retardation of young children in China. Biomed Environ Sci, 18(5), pp. 334-340. Read Abstract

Research Autism

Research Autism project Research Autism is conducting a project on this issue.

For details, please see the Prevalence in adults project

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Last Updated : 07/12/2011 Back to Top