Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network

The Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network is a group of programs funded by CDC to determine the number of people with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in the United States. The ADDM sites all collect data using the same surveillance methods, which are modeled after CDC’s Metropolitan Atlanta Developmental Disabilities Surveillance Program (MADDSP).

ADDM’s goals are to:

• Provide data about ASD prevalence (how common ASDs are in a specific place and time period).
• Describe the population of children with ASDs.
• Compare ASD prevalence in different groups of children and different areas of the country.
• Identify changes in ASD prevalence over time.
• Understand the impact of autism and related conditions in US communities.

 

Why is the ADDM Network Important?

Watch this video to learn more
ADDM Network fact sheet

 

What We’ve Learned

CDC’s most recent ADDM data show that between 1 in 80 and 1 in 240 children have ASDs. That’s about 1 in 110 children and an estimated prevalence of about 1%. These results reflect data collected in multiple communities throughout the U.S. from 2006.

The sites that participated in the earlier 2002 study year observed an increase in identified ASD prevalence ranging from 27 percent to 95 percent, with an average increase of 57 percent from 2002 to 2006.

Data are based on health and education records from reporting communities, which includes eight percent of the U.S. population of eight year olds. All children in the studies were eight years old because previous research has shown that most children with an ASD have been identified by this age for services.

In 2006:

• The average ASD prevalence was 8 per 1,000 for 8-year-olds in 2004 and 9 per 1,000 for 8-year-olds in 2006 in several areas of the United States. That’s about 1 in 110 children.
• ASD prevalence was higher among boys than among girls, ranging from more than three to more than six boys for every girl with ASD.
  • Boys: 7.3 per 1,000 (Florida) to 19.3 per 1,000 (Missouri)
  • Girls: 1.0 per 1,000 (Florida) to 4.9 per 1,000 (Arizona)
• ASD prevalence among white non-Hispanic children ranged from 3.4 per 1,000 (Florida) to 14.8 per 1,000 (Arizona). For black non-Hispanic children, ASD prevalence ranged from 1.6 per 1,000 (Florida) to 12.9 per 1,000 (Arizona). Among Hispanic children, it ranged from 0.6 per 1,000 (Alabama) to 8.3 per 1,000 (Arizona).
• The median age of earliest ASD diagnosis ranged from three years, five months (Florida) to five years (Colorado). But for more than half of children with an ASD, developmental concerns had been recorded before three years of age.
   

In 2004:

• ASD prevalence was higher among boys than among girls, ranging from three to more than five boys for every girl with ASD.
  • Boys: 8.9 per 1,000 (South Carolina) to 15.8 per 1,000 (Arizona)
  • Girls: 1.5 per 1,000 (South Carolina) to 3.7 per 1,000 (Wisconsin)
• ASD prevalence among white non-Hispanic children ranged from 3.8 per 1,000 (Alabama) to 12.6 per 1,000 (Arizona). For black non-Hispanic children, ASD prevalence ranged from 3.2 per 1,000 (Missouri) to 12.8 per 1,000 (Maryland).
• The median age of earliest ASD diagnosis ranged from four years (North Carolina) to five years, seven months (Arizona). But, for more than half of children with an ASD, concerns about the child’s development had been recorded before three years of age.
  

CDC considers ASDs to be an urgent public health concern. Increased concern in the communities, continued demand for services, and reports estimating a prevalence of about 1 percent underscore the need for a coordinated and serious response to improve the lives of people with ASDs.

Article: Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorders, 2006 »

Read a full report on the 2006 ADDM findings »

Read a full report on the 2000 and 2002 ADDM findings »

 

ADDM Sites:

 

Current Activities

CDC currently funds a total of 12 ADDM sites. Read about the work taking place at each site by clicking one of the following links:

• Alabama
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• Colorado
• Georgia/CDC
• Maryland
• Missouri
• New Jersey
• North Carolina
• South Carolina
• Utah
• Wisconsin

ADDM Fact Sheet

 

Previous Activities

ADDM’s first phase included funding for 16 sites.  These sites include the current phase list above plus two additional sites.  Read about the work at each site by clicking one of the following links:

• California
• Florida
• Pennsylvania
• West Virginia

 

ADDM Publications

View a list of ADDM publications.  To find other publications related to ASDs, visit our Articles page.