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Study Confirms High, But Stable, Child Autism Rate
MONTREAL, QC -- June 29, 2005 -- Concerns over an 'epidemic of autism' may ease thanks to research by MUHC investigators. The study, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry this month, reveals that although pervasive development disorders, such as autism, are more common than previously believed they are not increasing.
"Our initial study, conducted between 1992 and 1995, revealed that 0.63% of children surveyed, suffered a pervasive development disorder," says Dr. Eric Fombonne, one of the study's authors and Director of the Department of Psychiatry at the Montreal Children's Hospital and Head of the Division of Child Psychiatry at McGill University. "This result was triple the autism rate of 30 years ago." The new study aimed to replicate this research, using subsequent cohorts of children under the same experimental conditions, to establish whether autism is on the rise.
The new study, which involved 10,903 preschool children in the United Kingdom, confirmed the elevated autism rate, but clearly demonstrated that autism prevalence is not increasing. "This study provides the most robust estimate of childhood autism to date, and suggests that epidemic concerns are unfounded," says Dr. Fombonne.
Health researchers are unsure what causes pervasive development disorders such as autism; suggested causes range from childhood vaccinations to pregnancy complications but genetic factors exert a paramount influence. "Today's higher autism rate-which is comparable to estimates gathered as part of an upcoming study on Montreal children-could simply be a result of better diagnosis and awareness," says Dr. Fombonne. "Although it is reassuring that autism is not on the rise, this study also shows that one in 165 children is affected with a pervasive development disorder, which has strong implications on services."
SOURCE: The Montreal Children's Hospital, MUHC
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