More children across the United States are being diagnosed with autism and other developmental disabilities, according to new research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The findings indicate a broad shift in public health data over a five-year period, revealing that developmental conditions are increasingly being identified in American youth across diverse demographic groups.
Between 2019 and 2024, the proportion of parents reporting that their child had been diagnosed with a developmental disability rose from 16.7% to 20.5%. By the time the 2023-2024 survey was conducted, an estimated one in five children between the ages of 3 and 17 had received at least one such diagnosis.
The findings were published recently in the journal Pediatrics. The data driving the study were collected through the National Health Interview Survey, an annual government questionnaire that gathers comprehensive information regarding healthcare experiences from households across the nation.
As part of the survey methodology, participating parents were asked a direct question: whether they had ever been told by a healthcare professional that their child had a developmental disability. These specified conditions included autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, commonly known as ADHD, intellectual disability, or any other type of developmental delay. Additionally, parents were asked if they had ever been informed by a school representative or a health professional that their child had a learning disability. For the purposes of the research, children were categorized as having "any developmental disability" if their parents indicated the presence of any one of these five specific conditions.
When breaking down the data by specific diagnoses among children ages 3 to 17, the researchers found that prevalence rose across nearly every category. The study revealed substantial increases for every condition analyzed, with the single exception of intellectual disability.
Autism diagnoses alone experienced a dramatic surge, jumping by more than 42% over the study period. The research noted particularly sizable growth in autism diagnoses among specific segments of the population, including children ages 3 to 5, girls, children living outside of metropolitan areas, and kids from low-income families.
At the same time, the number of parents reporting that their child had been diagnosed with ADHD climbed by 26%. Learning disabilities and other developmental delays each experienced a growth rate of about 16%, while the reported prevalence of intellectual disability increased by more than 6%.
Overall, the researchers concluded that the percentage of children diagnosed with developmental disabilities increased significantly during the years studied, culminating in the milestone where one in five school-aged children and adolescents had received a diagnosis.
Benjamin Zablotsky, a statistician at the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics who led the study, pointed out that the upward trajectory observed across several specific groups of children—particularly among very young children—represented a distinct pattern that had not been documented in previous federal reports.
"We believe these new increases could be related to earlier detection and awareness," Zablotsky said, highlighting how changing practices in medicine and education may be influencing the numbers.
Outside experts examining the findings have emphasized that the rising numbers should be interpreted through the lens of improved public health outreach rather than an alarming deterioration in childhood health. Scott Landes, a sociology professor at Syracuse University who was not involved in the research, noted that the reported increase in prevalence should be viewed as a positive development for families and healthcare systems alike.
"Research suggests that better screening, greater awareness and reduced stigma explain at least part of the increase, which means that more children are being identified and connected to services they previously would have missed," Landes said. "A higher reported prevalence rate by parents is best understood, at least in part, as progress in finding and serving disabled children who were always there but were not receiving needed services."
The ongoing tracking provided by the National Health Interview Survey continues to offer critical insights into the evolving landscape of child health and developmental support services across the United States. As researchers, educators, and healthcare providers review the data, the focus remains on ensuring that the growing number of children identified with these conditions have timely access to the therapies, educational resources, and medical interventions they need.
