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Posted by chshkt
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Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, February 9, 2007; Page
A06
Approximately one in every 150 children in the United States has autism or a
closely related disorder -- a figure higher than most recent estimates --
according to a federal survey released yesterday, the most thorough ever
conducted.
The new data, from 14 states, do not mean that autism is on the rise, because
the criteria and definitions used were not the same as those used in the
past.
But the sheer number of children apparently affected -- 560,000 nationwide if
the new statistics are extrapolated to all 50 states -- makes autism an "urgent
public health issue" and a "major public health concern," said Marshalyn
Yeargin-Allsopp, chief of the developmental disabilities branch of the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, which conducted the survey.
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