One in 34 (3.0%) of 8-year-old children in Arkansas were identified with autism spectrum disorder by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences’ (UAMS) Arkansas Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (AR ADDM) program in 2022, according to an analysis published April 15 in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) Surveillance Summaries.
This percentage is about the same as the average percentage identified (3.2%) in all 16 communities the CDC tracks, highlighting the variability across ADDM sites.
Findings from the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network offer critical insights about the number of children with autism spectrum disorder, the characteristics of those children, and the age at which they are first evaluated and diagnosed.
“AR ADDM data show that prevalence was significantly higher among 4-year-olds in 2022 (1 in 41, or 2.5%) than among 4-year-olds in 2020 (1 in 62, or 1.6%),” said Maya Lopez, M.D., a developmental pediatrician at the UAMS James L. Dennis Developmental Center and the AR ADDM principal investigator.
“These findings suggest that the 2021 legislative change to Medicaid requirements for establishing an autism diagnosis impacted the portion of children who could receive a diagnosis by their fourth year of age,” she said. “This legislative change would not have been possible without the ADDM project providing data necessary to demonstrate the need.”
KEY FINDINGS FROM ARKANSAS DATA
About 1 in 41 or 2.5% of 4-year-old children in Arkansas were identified with autism spectrum disorder in 2022. This percentage is lower than the overall percentage identified with autism (2.9%) in all communities where the CDC tracked the disorder among 4-year-olds in 2022.
Among 4-year-olds, Black children were 1.6 times more likely to be identified with autism compared to white children. [White = 2.11%, Black = 3.33%, Hispanic = 2.40%, Multiracial = 1.69%]
Among 8-year-olds, Asian/Pacific Islander children were 1.7 times more likely to be identified with autism compared to multiracial and white children. There were no other significant differences in identification between races or ethnicities. [White = 2.95%, Black = 2.99%, Hispanic = 2.89%, Asian/Pacific Islander = 5.12%, Multiracial = 2.47%]
ABOUT THE ADDM NETWORK
Established in 2000, the CDC’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network is the only collaborative network to track the number and characteristics of children with autism spectrum disorder throughout the United States. In 2023, the ADDM Network expanded from 11 to 16 sites with support from Congress (Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023). CDC’s ADDM Network includes specific sites in: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Tennessee, Texas (two sites), Utah and Wisconsin.
Early identification can help children with autism spectrum disorder receive services and support they may need as early as possible. The CDC’s Learn the Signs. Act Early. program provides free resources to help parents, caregivers, teachers and health care providers track and discuss a child’s development.
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