NJ tops all other states’ autism rates

WOODLAND PARK, N.J. – New Jersey preschoolers have the highest rates of autism ever measured in the United States, a rate that has increased faster than in other states studied, researchers at Rutgers University reported Thursday. The rate of autism among children in the state has tripled in a generation.

One in 35 children in New Jersey was diagnosed with autism by their fourth birthday, according to the study published Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those children were more likely to have attracted the attention of pediatricians and early-childhood educators because of moderate to severe symptoms of autism. Still, more children are diagnosed with autism when they enter public schools.

The climb in autism rates – from 1% of children born in 1992 to 3% of children born in 2010 – has shown no signs of hitting a plateau, said Walter Zahorodny, an associate professor at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School who directed the New Jersey portion of the study.

Researchers can’t explain why autism rates have increased in New Jersey and elsewhere.