Changes in the administrative prevalence of autism spectrum disorders: contribution of special education and health from 2002-2008.
Half of Utah kids with a medical autism label never get an autism special-ed code—check both systems.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team looked at every Utah child with an autism label from 2002 to 2008.
They compared two lists: medical records from doctors and special-education files from schools.
Goal was to see how many kids each system caught and how fast the numbers grew.
What they found
Autism cases listed by doctors doubled in six years.
School special-education labels rose too, but only half as fast.
Half of the kids with a medical autism diagnosis never got an autism label at school.
How this fits with other research
Raz et al. (2015) saw a 10-fold jump in Israel, then a plateau. Utah kept climbing. The difference is likely timing: Israel’s surge started earlier.
Saloner et al. (2019) shows what happens after the count rises. Kansas’ 2011 insurance law doubled therapy visits for kids who already had a diagnosis.
Laugeson et al. (2014) warns that insurance help is not reaching the neediest states. So more diagnoses do not always mean more services.
Zakai-Mashiach (2023) gives the student view: graduates felt isolated in autism classrooms. This reminds us that labels open doors but also shape identity.
Why it matters
When you plan services, pull both the medical chart and the school file. A child may have a doctor’s autism code yet sit in general ed with no supports. Cross-checking the two lists lets you catch kids who would otherwise slip through the cracks.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This study examined changes in the administrative prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in Utah children from 2002 to 2008 by record source (school and health), age (four, six, and eight), and special education classification. Prevalence increased 100% with 1 in 77 children aged eight identified with ASD by 2008. Across study years and age groups rates were higher when health and school data were combined with a greater proportion of cases ascertained from health. The proportion of children with both a health ASD diagnosis and a special education autism classification did not significantly change. Most children with an ASD health diagnosis did not have an autism special education classification. Findings highlight the growing health and educational impact of ASD.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2012 · doi:10.1007/s10803-011-1265-2