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Carmela Currier talks about early detection of autism and a $ 15,000 donation to the Rutgers New Jersey School of Medicine for autism screenings
North Jersey record

WOODLAND PARK, NJ – Preschoolers in New Jersey have the highest autism rates ever measured in the United States, a rate that has increased faster than in the other states studied, reported Thursday researchers from Rutgers University. The autism rate among children in the state has tripled in a generation.

One in 35 children in New Jersey was diagnosed with autism at the age of 4, according to a study released Thursday by the Federal Center for Disease Control (Federal). These children were more likely to have attracted the attention of pediatricians and early childhood educators because of moderate to severe autism symptoms. Even more children are diagnosed with autism when they enter public schools.

The incessant rise in autism rates – from 1% of children born in 1992 to 3% of children born in 2010 – has shown no sign of reaching a plateau, said Walter Zahorodny, an badociate professor at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, who headed New Jersey, part of the study.

20029124A Kathleen Moran of the Binder Autism Center smells of mint chocolatier to Alex Camilo in the St. Joseph's Hospital Garden on Tuesday. Clinicians at Binder Center for Autism use gardening as a way to teach and put into practice the social skills of children with autism (Photo: Georgiev, Marko, Marko Georgiev / NorthJersey.com)

"The explosive rate of autism is impossible to ignore," he said. School districts are facing a growing demand for educational resources for children with autism. Clinicians face long waiting lists for their services. "There is no respite," he says. "I really do not understand why the rate goes up that way."

Researchers can not explain why autism rates have increased in New Jersey and elsewhere.

Contributing factors include genetic mutations and risks related to birth, such as premature birth, multiple birth, pregnant mother during pregnancy or parents over 30 years of age. But the most important influences seem to be unknown environmental factors. factors, said Zahorodny.

Among 4-year-olds, the rate climbed 43 percent in just four years from 2010 to 2014, he said. A 23-year-old 23-year-old boy in New Jersey is now diagnosed with autism.

"We must take prompt and systematic action to improve access to every medically necessary treatment treatment for all children with autism," said Suzanne Buchanan, executive director of Autism New Jersey. "Early identification is crucial to helping families access the services of these preschool children, who need intensive treatment to acquire the appropriate skills for their development and maximize their potential. "

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New Jersey data is included in a seven-state study conducted by the Early Autism and Developmental Disorders Surveillance Network, which has been monitoring autism diagnostic rates for 19 years. Researchers from Arizona, Colorado, Missouri, North Carolina, Utah, and Wisconsin, as well as New Jersey, reviewed the medical records of nearly 71,000 children. Three states used education registers in addition to health registries.

In total, they identified more than 1,200 autistic children. The New Jersey study focused on every 4-year-old from Esbad and Union counties – 18,112 children in 2014 – and identified 514 people with autism.

The data shows that New Jersey boys were three and a half times more likely than girls to be diagnosed. Autism diagnoses among Whites, Blacks and Hispanic children increased at the same rate, but white children were slightly more likely to be diagnosed.

Perhaps the most disturbing: the age at first diagnosis has not changed for 15 years.

In New Jersey, it even increased by a few months, possibly because the growing demand for services and the limited number of providers caused delays in care, said Zahorodny.

"Despite our greater awareness, we are not yet effective in early detection," he said. "Our goal should be systematic and universal screening" by pediatricians and other health professionals at regular visits starting at 18 months.

Autism is a complex disorder that interferes with social interaction and communication. People with autism manifest a range of behaviors ranging from obsessive interest in certain topics and repetitive patterns of speech to self-injurious behavior with little or no communication ability. The development of a child's brain is affected early in life and, if there is no cure, early intervention can maximize the child's ability to function and function. participate in society.

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Across the country, rates of autism ranged from 8 per 1,000 children in Missouri to 28 per 1,000 in New Jersey. According to the study, the national average was 13 per 1,000 children.

"The experience of our special education system and the number of development specialists in our region" means that New Jersey data is probably more comprehensive than those from other states, Zahorodny said. States with lower rates probably did not identify all those affected, he said.

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