UNITED STATES (April 17, 2025) — New data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests 1 in 31 children in the United States have been diagnosed with autism — the highest recorded prevalence to date.
New findings from the CDC’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network, published on Tuesday, highlight a growing and urgent need for autism-related services across the country. The CDC emphasizes that the increasing diagnosis rate highlights the importance of early identification, equitable access to care, and widespread support and services for families.
“Family Initiative remains committed to being a regional leader in innovating the best quality of care for the autism community. We are proud to be spearheading these conversations and just recently highlighted changes in trends in autism prevalence data from the 2023 ADDM Network at our Speaker Series a week ago, discussing changes in both race/ethnicity, gender, and age of diagnosis. We continue to build support to address the growing need to ensure all families have access to high-quality, equitable services that fit their unique needs,” said Anjali Van Drie, vice president of Family Initiative.
According to the most recent data, autism continues the trend of being more commonly diagnosed among Asian, Black, and Hispanic children than among white children. This trend, first identified in 2020 data, reflects progress in reaching historically underserved populations. This recent ADDM Network data from the CDC also revealed differences in overall prevalence in the various research sites, emphasizing the need for identifying consistent strategies and practices for all families. With this new data, researchers are working to better understand local trends and improve planning for autism services. For more information on how Family Initiative is leading the charge on this call to action, please visit here.
About Family Initiative:
Established in 2015, Family Initiative, Inc. is a Florida-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization dedicated to supporting children with autism and strengthening their families. Its team of clinicians serves children with a compassionate, personalized approach through Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and Occupational Therapy (OT) services. It offers autism play groups, teen meetings, parent education, community conversations, and more. In addition, the organization provides child welfare caregiver training and support through its Family Impact Program. Visit FI-Florida.org or find Family Initiative on Facebook and Instagram at @FamilyInitiative and on X at @FI_Inc.
