What’s behind rising autism rates

The number of 8-year-olds with an autism spectrum disorder rose from 1 in 88 (or 11.3 per 1,000) in 2008 to 1 in 68 (14.7 per 1,000) in 2010, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates. An uptick in diagnoses, perhaps due to better detection, may explain the increase and the regional differences seen. Alabama’s autism rate is just 5.7 per 1,000, while New Jersey’s is 22 per 1,000.