The following is a news analysis.
The first official autism prevalance estimates in five years are out.
A stunning 1 in 36 American eight-year-olds have been diagnosed with an autism-related disorder, according to CDC. That is much worse than the last disturbing estimate of 1 in 44. The true rate is considered to be significantly higher, say scientists, since it’s understood that many cases go officially undiagnosed.
Autism is four times higher among boys than girls, says CDC, meaning the alarming rate is far worse than 1 in 36 for males.
Autism has been a constant source of controversy since government studies and scientists first linked the disorder to childhood vaccinations as the autism epidemic exploded in the late 90s. The epidemic surged at the same time the childhood vaccine schedule tripled and children began to routinely get more and more doses. The vaccine industry is forecast to be a $125+ billion a year business in 2028. Any vaccine that makes it on the annual recommended schedule is an instant blockbuster in terms of sales.
Vaccine makers use a legal loophole that allows them to advertise without disclosing side effects and risks. All other prescription medicines must mention at least some side effects in ads. Several years ago, the FDA said it was examining the practice of vaccine makers failing to be forthright about adverse events, but the agency has not taken steps to change it. In fact, the widespread advertising of vaccines with no side effects disclosed became even more prevalent with the Covid vaccines even as potentially deadly adverse events were identified.
Vaccines have never been tested for safety and effectiveness in the way they are administered in the real world, with many given in combination with other vaccines and medicines, and to children with a wide range of predispositions that can affect their ability to successfully handle the immune challenges posed.
For year, pharmaceutical interests have fought an unprecedented campaign to censor and manipulate news media coverage, medical school teachings, government actions, and scientific research in order to discourage research and reporting on the vaccine-autism link. They created the term “anti-vaccine,” and often incorrectly apply it to people asking reasonable questions about vaccine safety, to scientists who unearth vaccine safety issues, and to parents of vaccine-injured children.
Over time, the government has acknowledged in court cases, filings, and studies that there is a link between vaccines and autism in some children. However, government and public health officials often deny this is the case.
The government’s top expert in fighting vaccine injury cases in court, Dr. Andrew Zimmerman, testified in recent years that he came to understand vaccines can cause autism in children. He says he informed the Dept. of Justice lawyers for whom he served as an expert witness defending vaccines in vaccine court, but that the DOJ lawyers then fired him as an expert witness, covered up his opinion, and misrepresented his opinion in vaccine court to use against parents of vaccine-injured children.
A senior CDC scientist filed a sworn statement confessing that he and his CDC colleagues covered up a vaccine-autism link in black boys.
In a landmark case, the government secretly paid the family of a vaccine-injured child who got autism as a result of her vaccinations; then conspired to keep the case sealed so other parents wouldn’t know, and continued to publicly deny any vaccine-autism links.
Below, you can read CDC’s latest press release on the topic of vaccines and autism.
Press Release
March 23, 2023, 1:00 PM ET
Contact: CDC Media Relations
(404) 639-3286
Autism Prevalence Higher, According to Data from 11 ADDM Communities
Second report highlights disruptions in early autism detection at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic
One in 36 (2.8%) 8-year-old children have been identified with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), according to an analysis published today in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). The new findings are higher than the previous 2018 estimate that found a prevalence of 1 in 44 (2.3%). The data come from 11 communities in the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network and are not representative of the entire United States.
A second report on 4-year-old children in the same 11 communities highlights the impact of COVID-19, showing disruptions in progress in early autism detection. In the early months of the pandemic, 4-year-old children were less likely to have an evaluation or be identified with ASD than 8-year-old children when they were the same age. This coincides with the interruptions in childcare and healthcare services during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Disruptions due to the pandemic in the timely evaluation of children and delays in connecting children to the services and support they need could have long-lasting effects,” said Karen Remley, M.D., director of CDC’s National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities. “The data in this report can help communities better understand how the pandemic impacted early identification of autism in young children and anticipate future needs as these children get older.”
Shifting demographics among children identified with autism
ASD prevalence among Asian, Black, and Hispanic children was at least 30% higher in 2020 than 2018, and ASD prevalence among White children was 14.6% higher than in 2018. For the first time, the percentage of 8-year-old Asian or Pacific Islander (3.3%) Hispanic (3.2%) and Black (2.9%), children identified with autism was higher than among 8-year-old White children (2.4%). This is the opposite of racial and ethnic differences observed in previous ADDM reports for 8-year-olds. These shifts may reflect improved screening, awareness, and access to services among historically underserved groups.
Additionally, disparities for co-occurring intellectual disability have persisted. A higher percentage of Black children with autism were identified with intellectual disability compared with White, Hispanic, or Asian or Pacific Islander children with autism. These differences could relate in part to access to services that diagnose and support children with autism.
Overall, autism prevalence within the ADDM sites was nearly four times higher for boys than girls. Still, this is the first ADDM report in which the prevalence of autism among 8-year-old girls has exceeded 1%.
Community differences in autism prevalence
Autism prevalence in the 11 ADDM communities ranged from 1 in 43 (2.3%) children in Maryland to 1 in 22 (4.5%) in California. These variations could be due to how communities are identifying children with autism. The variability across ADDM Network sites offers an opportunity to compare local policies and models for delivering diagnostic and intervention services that could enhance autism identification and provide more comprehensive support to people with autism.
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