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Autism Diagnoses on
the Rise
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May 2008
What Is Autism?
Background
Children are being diagnosed with autism, a disorder that affects a child's ability to communicate and develop relationships, in increasing numbers -- nationally, statewide, and locally. The U.S. Department of Education estimates that autism is growing nationally at a rate of at least 10 percent a year. In California, the number of autistic students enrolled in special education more than doubled between 2001 and 2007, though the numbers remain small. And in nearly every Bay Area school district, the rate of autism grew between 2005 and 2007.
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Across the Bay Area and in California, higher percentages of public school students
who are enrolled in special education were diagnosed with autism in 2007 than in 2001.