Press Releases

The Autism Community in Action (TACA) shared the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports, autism prevalence has taken another jump in the wrong direction. A once rare disability in 1970 at 1 to 2 in every 10,000 U.S. children has continued to rise to 1 in 44 U.S. children.  Since 2000, this is the eighth increase in the autism prevalence rate as released by the CDC in their “Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network” (ADDM) report.

“Since TACA started over 21 years ago, there have been ten autism prevalence numbers announced by the CDC. With each increase, I hope this number will provoke more people to care,” said Lisa Ackerman, Founder and Executive Director of TACA. “The CDC prevalence figure is based on similar methodology and represents a true increase. It is not because we are better at diagnosing autism. There is just more autism. This prevalence rate means even more parents are being told their child has autism. A prevalence rate of 1 in 44 can no longer be ignored. Families are counting on us to act and support them.  We cannot continue to overlook this epidemic.”

Autism is so prevalent today that almost every U.S. citizen has someone in their direct family who is affected by autism, they know someone with autism, or they know a family who is affected by autism.

Autism Fast Facts:

• From the 2021 report, based off of data collected from eleven states in 2018:
• 1 in 44 eight-year-old children have an autism diagnosis
• The 2021 estimate (based off of data collected in 2018), is approximately 241 percent higher than baseline estimates established in 2000.
• Boys were more than four times as likely to be identified with autism than girls
• Over 95 percent of children with autism have co-occurring conditions, the average having 4.9 conditions. Common comorbidities in autism include epilepsy, gastrointestinal issues, sleep disturbances, immune dysfunction, and more.
• In 2020, the U.S. autism annual cost is estimated at $223 billion dollars and is projected to rise to $589 billion by 2030.
• This report does not include information regarding diagnosis during the COVID-19 pandemic. These figures will be shared in the next prevalence release.

The Autism Community in Action (TACA) is a national non-profit organization dedicated to educating and supporting families affected by autism. With 1 in 44 children in the United States diagnosed with autism, support for families is needed now more than ever before. TACA’s mission to provide education, support and hope to families living with autism with the goal of independence and/or recovery.

About The Autism Community in Action (TACA)

The Autism Community in Action (TACA) is a national nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 2000 with the mission to provide education, support and hope to families living with autism. Headquartered in Irvine, Calif. with staff and volunteers working across the country annually serving over 75,000 families and adding 700 new families every month. TACA offers free educational meetings, webinars, parent mentor program, an online Hope and Help support group, two annual National Autism Conferences hosted on the west and east coasts and a free 200-page Autism Journey Guide given to new families at events. TACA has a social media presence of over 365,000 on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

For more information visit www.tacanow.org.