One in every 31 children up to the age of 8 has been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), according to a report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on April 15, 2025. Although based in the United States, the CDC is considered a global reference in public health. The data reflects medical records collected in 2022.
The author of the report, Zachary Warren, Executive Director of the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Autism Treatment in Nashville (USA), attributes the increase in autism cases to improved diagnostic tools for (neuro)developmental conditions.
Recently, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stated that “the autism epidemic has now reached an unprecedented scale in human history.” The statement drew criticism from international autism advocates and health professionals, who argue that referring to autism as an “epidemic” is not only alarmist, but also reinforces ableist narratives.
“Autism is genetic and hereditary. It exists just as much as it did when I was a child, back in the 1960s — but back then, I was invisible”
Brian Bird, autism advocate (UK)
Brian Bird, autism advocate (UK)
Brian Bird, a British activist and founder of the digital platform Autism Support Community, also downplayed the idea of an epidemic. “There is no epidemic — autism is not a disease, but rather a different way the brain functions,” he said.
Bird, who is autistic and the father of two autistic sons, emphasized that broader awareness and greater access to diagnosis have significantly impacted the numbers. “Professionals are now seeing the full spectrum and identifying individuals who, in the past, went unnoticed,” he added.
The CDC report is part of a monitoring program conducted every two years, offering a snapshot of autism prevalence and how the condition is identified by medical professionals among children aged 4 to 8. The latest count gathered data from 16 sites across 14 U.S. states.
Findings indicate that boys are diagnosed with ASD at three times the rate of girls. The data also shows higher diagnosis rates among Black and Latino children compared to white children — a trend that is believed to be linked to increased awareness and improved access to diagnostic services.
WHAT CAUSES AUTISM?
There is no simple answer. To date, a single cause for determining ASD remains elusive. There are many potential factors that could lead an embryo to develop autism. Genetics appears to be a key determinant, with studies showing that 97% to 99% of cases have genetic origins. However, Robert Kennedy Jr. suggests that vaccines may be a cause, despite numerous global studies consistently denying any correlation between autism and vaccines, particularly the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. Nearly the entire international scientific community agrees that vaccines do not cause autism.
Donald Trump and Robert Kennedy Jr.
The cause of autism appears to be a focus of the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, particularly in relation to his health program aimed at detecting chronic conditions in childhood.
Dr. Déborah Kerches, pediatric neurologist (BR)
“Recent research suggests that environmental and epigenetic risk factors may also contribute to this increase, by interacting with genetic predispositions,”
Déborah Kerches, pediatric neurologist.
Brazilian pediatric neurologist and autism specialist Dr. Déborah Kerches links the increase in autism incidence to factors such as updates to the criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), improved prevalence studies, greater societal awareness, and professional training. However, she believes that these factors do not fully explain the observed growth. “Recent research suggests that environmental and epigenetic risk factors may also contribute to this increase, by interacting with genetic predispositions,” according to the doctor.
Dr. Kerches emphasizes that the prevalence of autism remains 3.4 times higher among boys, contrasting with clinical practice, and suggests that more subtle cases, especially in girls, may be underreported. “The report itself indicates that 39.5% of children diagnosed with ASD also present intellectual disabilities, reinforcing the idea that cases with greater impairment are still the most easily recognized,” the specialist said.
The next CDC report is expected to be published in two years. Until then, international autism communities, including autistic individuals, their families, therapists, doctors, and researchers studying ASD, will continue to follow each step of the ongoing discoveries that are continuously surprising the world, dispelling myths and prejudices, and proving that autism is more common than previously thought.
Fatima Kwant is a Brazilian journalist and published author living in the Netherlands. She is an autism advocate, author of autism-related articles, and the creator of the International Autimates Project – Overcoming Prejudice with Information. Fatima's youngest child (28 years old) was previously diagnosed with severe autism. In 2011, this diagnosis was revised to ASD-Level 1 (mild autism). Fatima is also an expert in many aspects of the Autism Spectrum, particularly Autism & Social Communication.
