CDC announces new autism numbers

On April 15, 2025, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published new survey data from 2022 that shows the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children is increasing. In other words, autism is more common than ever. One in 31 children now have autism, a significant rise in only two years when the prevalence was 1 in 36.

When you consider there are over 71 million children in the U.S., the impact of autism on children and their families can’t be understated.

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“The autism epidemic is running rampant,”

 – U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

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How the new rate of autism was identified

The CDC surveyed the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network to estimate the prevalence and characteristics of autism in children who are 4 and 8 years of age. The network was also used to monitor the age at which children are being identified as having autism.

The ADDM Network was comprised of 16 surveillance sites located in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Wisconsin.

Children in the latest CDC survey were classified as having ASD if they ever received at least one of the following:

  • An ASD diagnostic statement in a comprehensive developmental evaluation
  • Autism special education eligibility
  • An ASD International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision code of F84.0, F84.3, F84.5, F84.8, or F84.9

 

Breaking down the new numbers

The CDC found that the prevalence of autism in children is now 1 in 31. That’s 4.8 times higher today than in the first CDC/ADDM survey two decades ago. Then, it was 1 in 150 children. Here are additional findings from the latest survey:

  • The increase isn’t because higher functioning children were included in the survey.

On the contrary, the percentage of ASD cases with higher IQs (> 85) has decreased steadily over the last six ADDM reports to 36.1% in the 2022 survey. Nearly two thirds of children with ASD in the latest survey had either severe or borderline intellectual disability (ID).

  • Prevalence of autism varied by ADDM Network sites.

The lowest prevalence was in Laredo, Texas at 9.7 in 1,000 children. The highest prevalence was in California at 53.1 in 1,000.

  • Autism continues to be more prevalent in boys than girls.

Autism was 3.4 times more prevalent among boys than girls. In California, prevalence of autism among boys was a staggering 1 in 12.5.

  • Minorities continue to be more severely affected by autism.

Autism prevalence was highest among Asian/Pacific Islander children. Black, Asian, and Hispanic children – 78.9%, 66.5%, and 63.9%, respectively – had either severe or borderline intellectual disability.

  • Children are being diagnosed on average at 4 years of age.

The median age of the earliest known autism diagnosis among children in the survey was 47 months and ranged from 36 months in California to 69.5 months in Texas.

Regarding the last bullet, the 4-year-olds in the survey had more evaluations and identification when aged 0-4 than the 8-year-olds in the survey. This is positive news because the earlier the diagnosis, the earlier children can receive beneficial treatment.

Children can reliably be diagnosed around the age of two (even earlier in certain cases). An earlier diagnosis at the age of two versus the age of four means children can benefit from two additional years of life-changing early intervention like ABA therapy, when their brains are most receptive to learning between the ages of 0-5.

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“Early identification of ASD can help children receive services and supports they might need for their development and to improve long-term outcomes.”

– CDC Mortality and Morbidity Weekly Report, April 17, 2025

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What parents can do

We don’t know what causes autism. According to the HHS Secretary, research is underway on the origins of the autism epidemic and results are expected to start coming in this September.  Hopefully, families can one day exercise preventative measures. Until that day, our focus and attention should be on early diagnosis and treatment.  For parents, that means becoming an expert on your child.

  • Monitor and keep track of your child’s development. They should be meeting specific developmental milestones as young as two months old. Use the CDC’s handy milestone checklists to help you keep track.
  • Make sure your child’s doctor screens for autism at 18 and 24 months of age during well-child visits. Doctors should use a validated screening tool that can identify whether or not a child is learning basic skills and help determine if there might be a delay.
  • Don’t wait to get a comprehensive evaluation from an autism specialist. If you and your doctor suspect autism, get your child evaluated as soon as possible by a qualified professional, such as a developmental pediatrician or child psychologist who specializes in autism. With a comprehensive evaluation, a diagnosis can be finally be made. And in the case of a positive diagnosis for autism, you can start early intervention – like the gold standard ABA therapy – as soon as you find an accredited provider.

 

We’re here to help in North Texas

From fast-tracking ADOS-2 evaluations to expert, caring, and fun ABA therapy designed to support the unique needs of each child, The Behavior Exchange has been making a difference in the lives of families and children with autism for over 20 years.

We’re proud to be the first ABA therapy provider in all of North Texas to earn the highest accreditation in our field – the prestigious 3-year accreditation as a Behavioral Health Center of Excellence®. More importantly, we’re ready to help YOU. Reach out today and get started on a brighter future for your child and family.

 

Get started here by completing our contact form. There is hope!

 

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Ashvina attended University of Bombay and graduated with a Bachelors of Commerce. She got her Montessori Diploma in 1985 and taught ever since. Ashvina came to TBE in January of 2016 as Admin Assistant. During the years she got the opportunity to learn and work in different departments such as HR, Finance, Office Manager and Executive Assistant. Last summer TBE bought billing in house and her current focus area is Revenue Cycle Management. She is detail oriented and enjoys working with people. Ashvina volunteers to deliver meals to seniors and local shelters on the weekend. She loves to spend time with her family and grandkids. Ashvina loves her job because she enjoys hearing different points of view, and she feels her contributions help fuel the direction of our company.

Working with children comes naturally to Angela. Her mom was a special education teacher for 30 years and often had Angela join her for Take Your Child to Work Day. And in high school, Angela spent every summer as the nanny for a little boy with an autism spectrum disorder. It was this experience where her passion for working with children with autism started to blossom.

From there, she went on to graduate from Oklahoma State University with a Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Sciences. She learned about Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) in a non-normative development class and from that moment knew that ABA would be her life’s work.

Angela moved to the DFW area shortly after and began working at The Behavior Exchange as a therapist. She worked on her Master’s in Behavior Analysis at the same time. A year after graduating, she earned certification as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst.

Now, as a Clinical Director at The Behavior Exchange, she brings a life-long passion to her work, holding a special place in her heart for children with limited language skills and working closely with families to develop healthy sleep habits.

Danielle’s passion for working with families is deeply personal and from the heart. Her younger brother has an autism spectrum disorder, and through their journey as a family, she found her purpose in life as an advocate for individuals with special needs.

After graduating from the University of North Texas with a degree in Human Development and Family Studies, Danielle began volunteering at The Behavior Exchange. She saw passionate therapists, meaningful change for clients, and families with hope for the future. After a summer of volunteering, she officially joined the team as Director of Admissions and found her home with The Behavior Exchange family.

With her extensive experience working as a client advocate with insurance providers, Danielle perseveres to help individuals of all ages and abilities receive the services they need to reach their full potential. She feels truly honored by each and every family who entrusts The Behavior Exchange to be part of their journey and is committed to the organization’s core values, mission, and goal of being a beacon of hope for the community.

Adam has always had a passion for helping individuals of all ages thrive and reach their full potential. He’s also an enthusiastic musician, songwriter, leader, and devoted family man, who has been helping children and team members grow with The Behavior Exchange since 2010.

Prior to joining the team at The Behavior Exchange, Adam was a mortgage loan consultant and grad student, pursuing his master’s degree in Education at the University of North Texas. He graduated in 2013 and also earned a graduate academic certificate in Autism Intervention. The following year, after years as a Behavior Therapist and seeing first-hand the power of ABA and the meaningful impact it can have on children and their families, Adam became a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. He then commenced from the Stagen Leadership Academy after completing the Integral Leadership Program (ILP), a 52-week practice-based program designed to develop executives serious about transforming themselves, their teams, and their organizations.

Adam is truly grateful to be a part of a dynamic, inspiring and compassionate team, and he’s dedicated to bettering the lives of all children and their families through the delivery of the highest quality of ABA services, while supporting the amazing team at The Behavior Exchange.

Soraya is from South Africa and moved to Texas in 1996. She graduated from The University of Texas and pursued a career, at that time, in Education. Soraya taught at a Montessori school for a few years and then took on a leadership role.

During her time in the education system, Soraya realized her passion was to assist children with special needs. So she joined The Behavior Exchange as a therapist, transitioned into a supervisory role in 2017, and a year and a half later, was promoted to Clinical Operations Manager.

She quickly learned the ins and outs of ABA operations and scheduling and successfully collaborates across departments to ensure The Behavior Exchange continues to provide quality services to clients and their families. She’s thankful to be part of such an amazing organization and excited to see what the future holds.

You could say Walter’s career started when he spent hours as a young child drawing superheroes and coloring maps. This passion, along with extraordinary swimming skills, landed him a full swimming scholarship at Texas Christian University, where he graduated in 1997 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communication Graphics.

During the next 13 years, his design and art direction skills, conceptual-thinking abilities, and marketing-savvy know-how were honed at a few prestigious advertising and marketing agencies around the Dallas area. In the mid 2000s, he helped his wife Tammy Cline-Soza (founder and CEO of The Behavior Exchange) create a unique and concise brand for her new business. From logos and websites to uniforms, brand voice and visuals, Walter has been the main creative force for all things The Behavior Exchange.

Aside from giving birth to The Behavior Exchange brand, Walter is helping Tammy raise two amazing, beautiful children, River and Sierra. In his spare time (the two minutes he’s got per week), you can find Walter illustrating iconic landmarks of Dallas and Texas or looking around for this next open-water swim. Once he gets back in shape.

After 20 years of building The Behavior Exchange, literally from the ground up,
Tammy couldn’t be more proud of the team, culture, and organization that it has become.

As a family helping families, The Behavior Exchanges looks for opportunities that will make the biggest impact and produce life-changing outcomes – for clients, families, and even for team members. Tammy believes that if a team, a family, a community takes care of each other, the possibilities are endless and the relationships built along the way can make life more enriching and challenges easier to navigate. You could say her goal has been to build a kind of utopia full of support, love, and expertise that brings the best services possible to the community and ensures more families have access to those services.

Tammy and her family have dedicated their lives to the mission of The Behavior Exchange and continue to grow, learn, cultivate, challenge, support, and create better models for success. To that end, she is committed to her own leadership development and actively participates in advanced training, mentoring, and deep self-exploration on how to live out her purpose to love and support her family and help others reach their full potential. She takes her position very seriously and tries to serve as a channel for what the universe wants to come to fruition.

She also loves travel, gardening, being creative, MUSIC!, tennis, yoga, meditation, journaling, reading, being in nature, adventures, and more than anything, spending time with her husband Walter and their two beautiful children, River and Sierra.