Prevalence and Characteristics of Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder in the New York-New Jersey Metropolitan Area.
Walter Zahorodny, Josephine Shenouda, Kate Sidwell and 8 others
PMID 37642865WHAT IT FOUND
In a diverse metropolitan area, 17.7 per 1,000 adolescents had autism.
Prevalence was twice as high in high-income areas compared to low-income areas, and one in four cases remained undiagnosed by age 16.
Key findings
01The overall prevalence of autism spectrum disorder among 16-year-olds was 17.7 per 1,000.
02Adolescents with autism from high socioeconomic status areas were twice as prevalent as those from low socioeconomic status areas.
03One in four individuals with autism were undiagnosed by a community provider at age 16.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Individuals who did not attend public school or receive special education services may have been missed, potentially leading to an underestimation of prevalence. The study was limited to a specific metropolitan region in New Jersey, so findings may not apply to other geographic areas. Migration history was not reliably tracked, which complicates the interpretation of cases that appeared at age 16 but not at age 8.
Declared interests
The study was funded by the Governor’s Council for Medical Research and Treatment of Autism.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the lower prevalence in low-income and Hispanic groups as evidence of fewer cases. The authors suggest this likely reflects disparities in detection and access to services rather than a true biological difference.