11 Things You Need to Know About Autism Today

According to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control, one in 68 children has an autism spectrum disorder. That number is 30 percent higher than the number of children identified with disorders in 2008 (one in 88) and 60 percent higher than those diagnosed in 2006 (one in 110).

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More US children are placed on the autism spectrum than are affected by cancer, diabetes, AIDS, cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, or Down syndrome — combined, according to Autism Speaks.

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While a reliable autism diagnosis can be given as early as 2 years old, on average, children are diagnosed at 4 years old.

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Boys are nearly five times more likely than girls to have autism spectrum disorders (one in 42).

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Autism diagnoses are more common in white children than black or Hispanic children. According to the CDC, "About 1 in 63 white children, 1 in 81 black children, and 1 in 93 Hispanic children were identified with ASD."

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ASD does not necessarily run in families. According to the CDC, "Studies have shown that among identical twins, if one child has ASD, then the other will be affected about 36-95 percent of the time. In non-identical twins, if one child has ASD, then the other is affected about 0-31 percent of the time. Parents who have a child with ASD have a 2-18 percent chance of having a second child who is also affected."

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Children diagnosed with ASD tend to be very smart. "Almost half (46 percent) of children identified with ASD has average to above average intellectual ability," according to the CDC.

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There is currently no cure for autism and no medicine that treats ASD itself. That said, various educational programs, therapies, and medicines are being used to treat behaviors that cause problems for children with autism. According to the Child Mind Institute, "Applied behavior analysis is a psychotherapeutic regimen that actively teaches and encourages desired social and communication behaviors, which other children learn intuitively. Developmentally based intervention uses subjects, words, and stimuli, to model a typical developmental progression for an atypical child. As every child is different, other appropriate therapies may include occupational, physical, and speech-language."

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Caring for a child on the autism spectrum is expensive. The CDC estimates that it costs families an additional $17,000 per year to care for a child with ASD than one without. Add behavioral specialists to that, and the total cost increases to up to $60,000 each year.

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The National Institutes of Health spends $169 million on autism research, accounting for only 0.55 percent of its budget.

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