One in 31 children with autism; 20 years of lies and cover-up

Still no known cause, no real increase, nothing to worry about

As expected, in the midst of the merriment of April, Autism Awareness/Acceptance Month, there is another rate increase announcement.

One in every 31 U.S. children, one in every 19 boys. California: one in every 19 children, one in every 12 boys.

And as expected, it’s not really an increase, and autism’s cause remains a complete mystery (except for the fact that there is no link to the vaccines kids get).

Here’s what the American people are being told by the mainstream press.

CNN: US autism rate continues to rise, CDC says, pointing to greater awareness and better screening

Improvements in early identification of autism “have been apparent,” the authors of the CDC report wrote, and “differences in the prevalence of children identified with [autism spectrum disorder] across communities might be due to differences in availability of services for early detection and evaluation and diagnostic practices.”

Experts say that the rise in autism rates reflects a positive trend. . . .

Dr. Andy Shih, chief science officer for Autism Speaks:

“A lot has changed over the years, and this continued rise in prevalence reflects, in part, real progress: increased awareness, broader diagnostic criteria, and more consistent, standardized screening tools have all contributed to more children being identified earlier and more accurately. . .”

Not an epidmic

The Autism Society of America directly refuted the concept that rising autism prevalence signals an epidemic.

Prevalence data should drive “equity and access — not fear, misinformation, or political rhetoric,” Christopher Banks, president and chief executive officer of the Autism Society, said in a statement. . . .

Dr. Kristin Sohl, who chairs of the autism subcommittee of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Council on Children with Disabilities, called the findings in the new report “encouraging.”

“When children are identified early, appropriate supports and services can be tailored to help them, and their families thrive,” she said in a statement. “Autistic children add value to our communities. . . .”

“While there are many factors driving these numbers, research shows that 60–90% of autism risk is rooted in genetics. . . .”

NBC News: Autism rates have risen to 1 in 31 school-aged kids, CDC reports

“The most striking piece of this is how unbelievably common presentations of autism are,” said Zachary Warren, an author of the new report.

Warren, also the executive director of the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center’s Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders (TRIAD) in Nashville, largely attributed the increases to improvements in detecting the developmental brain disorder.

Doctors are getting better and better

Doctors are better than ever at identifying autism, with awareness at an all-time high. “Without a doubt, we’ve become exceptionally efficient in this surveillance work,” Warren said.

Answers are both inconclusive and wildly complicated. Potential causes have been scrutinized for decades, and there doesn’t seem to be a single smoking gun. The leading theory lies in genetics.

CBS News: Autism rate rises to 3% of children in CDC study

"As the report indicates, more children have access to evaluations for autism and more children are being identified as autistic. This is encouraging because when children are identified early, appropriate supports and services can be tailored to help them, and their families thrive," said Dr. Kristin Sohl, of the American Academy of Pediatrics subcommittee on autism, in a statement.

For years, CDC scientists have said that the data indicating a rise in diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder, or ASD, could be reflecting improved screening and access to autism services in some communities. However, the agency's experts were not made available for a press briefing about the latest findings, marking a change from previous years.

ABC News: Estimated 1 in 31 children have autism as diagnosis rates increase in the US: CDC

Medical experts have previously told ABC News this increase is largely due to better awareness, better access to screening and services, and diagnosis of the wide range of autism spectrum disorder.

There is a wider recognition and a better understanding of what is now understood as autism/ASD, and the definition of what classifies as autism has broadened, according to experts. . . .

In a statement, advocacy group Autism Speaks said the report showing increasing rates "reflects, in part, real progress: increased awareness, broader diagnostic criteria, and more consistent, standardized screening tools have all contributed to more children being identified earlier and more accurately --

The media keeps telling us that the autism rate in 2000 was one in 150 children. Actually, the official rate didn’t reach one in 150 until 2007.

Starting 18 years ago, here are the steady increases in autism AND here are the never wavering official comments telling us nothing was really wrong.

In 2007 it became one in 150 children, one in 92 boys.

CBS News:

CDC officials pointed out that the new figures don't represent all U.S. children, or show whether autism is increasing in the U.S.

But the CDC's study was designed to provide "more consistent and reliable estimates," says the CDC's Marshalynn Yeargin-Allsopp, MD.

"Our estimates are becoming better and more consistent, though we can't yet tell if there is a true increase in ASDs or if the changes are the result of our better studies," says CDC director Julie Gerberding, MD, MPH, in a CDC news release.

In 2009 it soared to one in 110 children, one in 68 boys.

NBC News:

The increase may be due in part to better diagnosis and changes in how well records of it were kept in the study sites,, said Catherine Rice, a CDC behavioral scientist who worked on the new report.

“At this point its impossible to say how much is a true increase and how much is identification,” she said, in a Friday news conference.

Doctors do not know what causes autism, but have been investigating possible genetic and environmental triggers. Results from the environmental research is still years away, Rice said.

In 2012 it was one in 88 children, one in 54 boys.

NBC News:

It's possible the rise is entirely due to better detection of autism, Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the CDC, said at a press conference about the study. We know that doctors and communities are getting better at identifying children with autism. But whether this explains all of the rise is not known, Frieden said.

In 2014 it was one in 68 children, one in 42 boys.

AAP:

“The epidemiologic data doesn’t speak to reasons (for the increase),” said Susan L. Hyman, M.D., FAAP, chair of the Autism Subcommittee of the AAP Council on Children with Disabilities. “It is certainly plausible that we’re getting better at identifying symptoms. . .

Reuters:

"It's not that surprising because as people get more aware, the prevalence has always increased in a psychiatric disorder," Dr Thomas Frazier, director of Cleveland Clinic Children's Center for Autism, said in a telephone interview.

In 2018 it was one in 59, one in 36 boys.

CNN:

“Parents know their child best,” said Daisy Christensen, co-author of the new report and surveillance team lead in the developmental disabilities branch of the CDC’s National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities. . . .

Also, the definition of autism has changed through the decades. “Over the ’80s and ‘90s, the diagnostic criteria expanded to include more children,” Christensen said, “so I think that’s definitely a possibility for the increase that we’ve seen.” . . .

The new government data can’t tell us exactly why the increase has occurred, Christensen said. . . .

Thomas Frazier, chief science officer for the advocacy organization Autism Speaks, said the new government report is “really important because it’s a significant increase. It’s a meaningful increase.”

Frazier agreed that diagnostic changes and increasing awareness have contributed to the increase in autism diagnoses. . . .

Though rates are going up, in some ways, it is actually “good news,” said Dr. Stuart Shapira, associate director for science and chief medical officer in the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities. “Communities are doing a better job of identifying children and connecting them to services.

In 2020 it was one in 54 children, one in 33 boys.

Disability Scoop:

“Some of the increase in autism prevalence might be due to the way children are identified, diagnosed and receiving services in their communities,” said Stuart Shapira, associate director for science at the CDC’s National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities.

“The increase may also reflect reductions in racial differences in identification of autism.”

In 2021 it was one in 44 children, one in 27 boys.

NBC News:

Experts believe the increase in U.S. autism numbers reflects more awareness and wider availability of services. . . .

“There is some progress being made and the earlier kids get identified, the earlier they can access services that they might need to improve their developmental outcome,” said CDC researcher and co-author Kelly Shaw.

Waisman Center:

“We feel that likely one of the main reasons the prevalence of autism is increasing is improved awareness,” Maureen Durkin, PhD, professor of population health sciences and pediatrics and a Waisman Center investigator, says.

“More and more pediatric specialists are being trained to identify and treat autism. The tools for identifying children with developmental concerns have improved and there’s just greater awareness.”

In 2023 it is one in 36 children, one in 22 boys.

NY Times:

The rise does not necessarily mean that autism has become more common among children, and it could stem from other factors, such as increased awareness and screening.

Documenting Hope:

Here’s what the CDC has to say about it:

“We can’t say for sure, but we suspect this is due to increased awareness leading to more children being identified with autism.” –Karen Remley, M.D., M.B.A., M.P.H., FAAP, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities.

ABC News Tampa Bay:

Dr. Callie Gilchrest, with Johns Hopkins, All Children's Hospital, said there's not one factor contributing to the rise in rates.

"We know that increased awareness and acceptance of the diagnosis definitely contributes. We also have better early screening practices as well. So, pediatricians are screening more consistently and earlier on for signs and symptoms of Autism," Dr. Gilchrest said.

NOW 2025, it is one in 31 children, one in 19 boys, and the response from experts is still exactly what it’s always been

This is what we have to accept. These increases will continue forever until there isn’t an unaffected child left standing.

The California numbers, one in 19 children, one in 12 boys, will be the rate for the whole country, I can guarantee it. And I can guarantee that mainstream medicine won’t care why it’s happening.

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