Autism Awareness Month
On April 2, 2013, monuments and buildings across the world were lit up with blue light to raise awareness of Autism and related disorders. Since April is Autism Awareness Month, we decided to look at what NCI data show about individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). We looked at the 2011-2012 Adult Consumer Survey (ACS) results. The results described below were obtained through t-tests comparing adults (over age 18) diagnosed with ASD and those who have not been diagnosed with ASD. For the purpose of this blog, only group differences that were significant at the p<.05 level are reported.
About 12% of the respondents to the ACS were diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The average age of those diagnosed with ASD is significantly lower than that of those not diagnosed with ASD (34 and 45, respectively). Of those diagnosed with ASD, 76.8% were male.
In addition, there is a significant difference in the race/ethnicity of those diagnosed with ASD. Of all White, Non-Hispanic respondents, 10.7% were diagnosed with ASD, while 14.0% of African American, Non-Hispanic respondents and 16.5% of Hispanic respondents were diagnosed with ASD.
|
Race/Ethnicity |
Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder |
Not diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder |
Total |
|
White, Non-Hispanic |
10.7% |
89.3% |
100% |
|
African American, Non-Hispanic |
14.0% |
86.0% |
100% |
|
Hispanic |
16.5% |
83.5% |
100% |
Autism Spectrum Disorder is characterized by, among other things, social and behavioral challenges. We decided to explore the data on these particular difficulties.
NCI data show that significantly more people with ASD say that they do not have friends (12.7%) than those without ASD (7.9%). Similarly, significantly more people with ASD said that they do not have a best friend (31.4%) than those without ASD (23.8%).
Almost fifteen percent (14.8%) of people diagnosed with ASD need extensive support to manage self-injury behavior, compared to 4.3% of those not diagnosed with ASD. Similarly, 18.6% of those diagnosed with ASD need extensive support to manage disruptive behavior (compared with 7.6% of those not diagnosed with ASD). Almost 50% of individuals with ASD (47.9%) take medications for behavior problems, compared with 23.5% of individuals not diagnosed with ASD.
The increasing prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorders demands a deeper understanding of the population diagnosed with the disorders. NCI data can offer a snapshot of that population.
As always, we would love to hear your thoughts on these data. Please contact me at dhiersteiner@hsri.org
Please note: The 2011-12 data reports will be released and placed on the NCI website this spring. For more in depth analysis of previous years’ NCI Adult Consumer Survey data please see http://www.nationalcoreindicators.org.