CARSON CITY - The numbers of kids diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders have surged, according to the latest figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and advocates for these children say they're not surprised. The new figures indicate one in 68 children recently tested has autism, a 29 percent increase since 2008.
Brett Spitale, a spokesman for the organization Autism Speaks, says that while his group would like to see those numbers going the other way, there is an upside.
"The earlier that we can intervene with services, behavioral services and any kinds of therapies that are available to our families, the better off that child is going to be down the road," he declared. "So, intervention and early intervention is definitely a big thing right now."
Spitale says the ultimate goal for groups such as Autism Speaks is finding a cure but that, in the meantime, tracing the origins of autism is a top priority.
"Whether it's environmental is something that we certainly are still looking into. Whether it's biomedical is something that we're still looking into as well," he said. "But we know it's happening in the womb now, which is extremely important for us to identify."
The CDC studied eight-year-olds at 11 clinics across the country in its update of the statistics.[[In-content Ad]]
