Autism is the second most prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder among children. However, only little is understood about the causal mechanisms underlying this complex disorder. Here, we describe and provide graphical representations of important trends in autism epidemiology and research.

Key Points

• Autism is the second most prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder among children, but prevalence estimates vary markedly over time and among countries, depending on multiple epidemiological variables.
• Autism research has increased remarkably in the past few years, resulting in multiple new findings related to autism causes, diagnosis, and therapy.

Misconception

• Autism is a rare disorder affecting very few individuals in the population.

Fact

• Autism is the second most prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder among children. In the United States, the estimated prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is 1 per 88 children[2].

Read about other misconceptions.