Prevalence of Autism in Brick Township, New Jersey, 1998: Community Report

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
April 2000

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Table 1. Children Identified as Possible Case-Children by Source of Diagnostic
             Information and Final Diagnosis.

Source of Diagnostic Information

Final Diagnosis

Clinical Exam

Records

Total

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

43

17

60

     Autistic disorder

30

6

36

     PDD-NOS /  
    Asperger disorder

13

11

24

Not ASD

10

5

15

Total

53

22

75

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Table 2. Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Brick Township, NJ,
               by Age in 1998.

Age in 1998

Diagnosis

3-5 years
(N= 3,479)

6-10 years
(N=5,417)

3-10 years
(N=8,896)

 

 

No.

Rate/1,000
(95% CI)

No.

Rate/1,000
(95% CI)

No.

Rate/1,000
(95%CI)

Autistic disorder

19

5.5
(3.3 - 8.5)

17

3.1
(1.8 - 5.0)

36

4.0
(2.8 -5.6)

PDD-NOS/Asperger’s
disorder

8

2.3

(1.0-4.5)

16

3.0

(1.7-4.8)

24

2.7

(1.7-4.0)

Total ASD

27

7.8

(5.1-11.3)

33

6.1

(4.2–8.5)

60

6.7

(5.1 - 8.7)

PDD-NOS = pervasive developmental disorder–not otherwise specified

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Table 3.   Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Brick Township, NJ, by Sex

Sex

Diagnosis

Male
(N= 4,532)

Female
(N=4,364)

   

 

No.

Rate/1,000
(95% CI)

No.

Rate/1,000
(95% CI)

 

Male/Female
Prevalence Ratio

Autistic disorder

25

5.5
(3.6 -8.1)

11

2.5
(1.3 - 4.5)

 

2.2
(1.1 - 4.4)

PDD-NOS/
  Asperger’s disorder

19

4.2
(2.5-6.5)

5

1.1
(0.4-2.7)

 

3.7
(1.4-9.8)

Total ASD

44

9.7
(7.1- 13.0)

16

3.7
(2.1 - 5.9)

 

2.7
(1.5-4.7)

PDD-NOS - pervasive developmental disorder– not otherwise specified

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Table 4.  Distribution of Intellectual Quotient (IQ) Score* by Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnosis (ASD).

IQ Score

  

<50

50 - 70

71 - 85

>85

Not testable**

Diagnosis

No. (%)

No. (%)

No. (%)

No. (%)

No. (%)

Autistic disorder
(N=30)

6 (20)

9 (30)

6 (20)

5 (17)

4 (13)

PDD-NOS/
Asperger’s disorder
(N=15)

0 ( 0)

6 (40)

4 (27)

5 (33)

0 (0)

All ASD
(N=45)

6 (13)

15 (33)

10 (22)

10 (22)

4 (9)

* IQ information was not available for 15 children.
** Four children could not complete testing with the DAS because of limited language ability and/or cooperation. These children were considered to have moderate to severe mental retardation with Vineland composite and communication standard score of less than 50.
PDD-NOS = Pervasive developmental disorder–not otherwise specified

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Table 5.  Number of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) who have Siblings with a Developmental Disability, by Diagnosis .

Diagnosis

Number of case children with
diagnosed siblings

ASD

7**

Non-ASD developmental disability*

6

   Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

3

   Speech/language/auditory disorders

2

   Down syndrome

1

   Cerebral palsy

1

** Three sibling pairs (including 6 case-children) from three families were included in the prevalence study.
* Numbers total 7 because one child had two siblings with different DD’s.

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Table 6. Summary of Epidemiologic Studies Examining the Prevalence of Autism, by Characteristics of the Studies

Author

Diagnostic Criteria

Rate/1,000
(95% CI)*

No. Children
with Autistic
Disorder

No. Children in Population

Male/Female
Ratio

IQ #70
%

Lotter, 1966

Kanner

0.45
(0.31-0.62)

35

78,000

2.6

84

Brask, 1972

Kanner

0.43
(0.26-0.66)

20

46,500

1.5

-

 

Wing & Gould, 1979

Kanner

0.49
(0.29-0.78)

17

34,700

16.0

70

Hoshino et al., 1982

Kanner

0.23
(0.19-0.27)

142

609,848

9.9

-

Ishii & Takahashii, 1983

DSM III

1.60
(1.21-2.08)

56

35,000

6.0

-

Bohman et al., 1983

Rutter

0.56
(0.40-0.77)

39

69,000

1.6

80

Gillberg, 1984

DSM-III

0.40
(0.30-0.52)

51

128,600

1.8

78

McCarthy et al., 1984

DSM III

0.43
(0.29-0.62)

28

65,000

1.3

-

Steinhausen et al., 1986

Rutter

0.19
(0.14-0.24)

52

279,616

2.3

-

Matsuishi et al., 1987

DSM-III

1.55
(1.16-2.04)

51

32,834

4.0

nr

Burd et al.,

1987

DSM-III

0.33
(0.25-0.42)

59

180,986

2.7

nr

Bryson et al., 1988

DSM-III-R

1.01
(0.62-1.54)

21

20,800

2.5

76

Tanoue et al., 1988

DSM-III

1.38
(1.16-1.64)

132

95,394

4.1

nr

Ritvo et al., 1989

DSM-III

0.25
(0.21-0.28)

241

769,620

3.7

66

Cialdella & Mammelle, 1989

Rutter

0.45
(0.34-0.56)

61

135,180

2.0

nr

Sugiyama & Abe, 1989

DSM-III

1.30
(0.74-1.95)

16

12,263

nr

nr

Gillberg et al., 1991

DSM-III-R

0.95
(0.74-1.19)

74

78,100

2.9

82

Fombonne & du Mazaubrun, 1992

DSM-III

0.49
(0.41-0.57)

154

274,816

2.1

87

Webb et al.,

1997

DSM-III-R

0.72
(0.54-0.95)

53

73,301

6.6

-

Baron-Cohen et al., 1996

ICD-10

0.63
(0.30-1.15)

10

16,000

nr

-

Honda et al., 1996

ICD-10

2.11
(1.26-3.35)

18

8,537

2.6

50

Fombonne et al., 1997

ICD-10

0.54
(0.46-0.62)

174

325,347

1.8

88

Arvidsson et al.,
1997

ICD-10

3.10
(1.16-6.84)

6

1,941

5.0

100

Sponheim & Skejeldal, 1998

ICD-10

0.38
(0.25-0.56)

25

65,688

1.9

64

Kadesjo, Gillberg & Hagberg, 1999

ICD-10

6.00
(1.90-14.10)

5

826

**

60

Baird, et al., in press

ICD-10

3.08
(2.29- 4.06)

50

16,235

15.7

40

* Confidence intervals computed by authors.
** All 5 children were boys

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