wooden pebble shapes stacked on top of each other, at varying heights, and according to colors of the spectrum. — Photograph by Richard Drury

Autism by the numbers: Explaining its apparent rise

Is autism really more common among children today than in generations past? This new downloadable book offers an in-depth guide to the various factors that have helped to drive autism prevalence numbers up.

By Spectrum

22 December 2021 | 1 min read

https://doi.org/10.53053/WSYH3045 Cite this article

Among autism’s many mysteries is its apparent rise in prevalence around the world. But how common is it, exactly? And is it really more common among children today than in generations past? This new downloadable book from Spectrum offers an in-depth guide to the various factors — perhaps chief among them, a greater awareness of the condition and researchers’ shifting ways of defining and measuring it — that have helped to drive autism prevalence numbers up.

Visit our Global Autism Prevalence Map

The map features a collection of studies on autism prevalence around the world. It highlights places where information is available—and places where information is missing. We periodically update the map with new studies as they become available.

Screenshot of the Global Autism Prevalence Map.