Autism prevalence in China is comparable to Western prevalence

Abstract

Background Autism prevalence in the West is approximately 1% of school age children. Autism prevalence in China has been reported to be lower than in the West. This is likely due to at least two reasons: (1) most studies in China only included the special school population, overlooking the mainstream school population; and (2) most studies in China have not used contemporary screening and diagnostic methods. To address this, we tested total autism prevalence (mainstream and special schools) in Jilin City, and mainstream school autism prevalence in Jiamusi and Shenzhen cities. Methods The study included a three-step process: (1) screening; (2) clinical assessment of ‘screen positives’ plus controls; and (3) research diagnostic assessment of those meeting clinical threshold for concerns at step 2. Prevalence estimates per 10,000 children aged 6–10 years old were weighted for study design using diagnostic criteria applied at the research assessment stage. Results In Jilin City, 77 cases of autism were identified from a total population of 7258, equating to a prevalence of 108 per 10,000 (95% confidence interval (CI) 89, 130). In Shenzhen City: 21,420 children were screened and 35 cases of autism were identified, resulting in a mainstream prevalence of 42 per 10,000 (95% CI 20–89). In Jiamusi City, 16,358 children were screened, with 10 autism cases being identified, with a mainstream prevalence of 19 per 10,000 (95% CI 10–38). Conclusions Results from Jilin City, where both mainstream and special school data were available, revealed a similar prevalence of autism in China to the West, at around 1%. Results from Shenzhen and Jiamusi cities, where only mainstream data were available, prevalence is also in line with Western estimates. In all three cities, new cases of autism were identified by the study in mainstream schools, reflecting current under-diagnosis. Non-significant variation across different cities is seen indicating the need to explore potential variation of autism across diverse Chinese regions with large sample sizes to achieve a fully robust national picture. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13229-018-0246-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Symptom improvement in children with autism spectrum disorder following bumetanide administration is associated with decreased GABA/glutamate ratios

“…Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with an increasing global prevalence ranging from 42.6/10,000 in China to 1/58 in the United States 1,2 . ASD can be reliably diagnosed at 24 months or even as early as 18 months of age 3 , and is a life-long condition.…”

Gut microbiota changes in children with autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review

“…3 Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore. 4 Department of Paediatrics, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore. 5 Khoo Teck Puat-National University Children's Medical Institute, National University Health System, Singapore, Singapore.…”

“…Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) refers to a developmental and neurobehavioral condition characterized by deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts with restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviour, interests, or activities [1]. Recent data suggest that as many as 1 in 59 children are diagnosed with ASD, although other reports not using parental report and school age children generally show a prevalence of 1% globally, with little regional variations in developed countries within North America, Western Europe, Central Latin America, and Asia Pacific [2][3][4][5][6][7].…”

Atypical Resting-State Functional Connectivity of Intra/Inter-Sensory Networks is Related to Symptom Severity in Young Boys with Autism Spectrum Disorder

“…Recent estimates are that ASD affects 1/59 children aged 8 years old (Baio et al, 2018), which is higher than the prevalence of 1/68 children in 2012 (Christensen et al, 2016) and the estimates of 1/110 children in (Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network Surveillance Year 2006Principal Investigators, 2009. A recent search for the prevalence of ASD in China found that Jilin City has a similar prevalence of autism in China to that in the West, at approximately 1%, and the results from Shenzhen and Jiamusi cities are also in line with Western estimates (Sun et al, 2019). Sensory processing differences have long been associated with ASD, and they have recently been added to the diagnostic criteria for the updated diagnostic criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-V) (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).…”