Delaware Valley’s response to the rising rates of autism

Hour 1

A new estimate the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests the rates for autism in American children is rising ever faster. Now, about one in 88 children in the United States has autism or a related disorder, with the rate for U.S. boys one in 54, almost five times the one-in-252 rate for girls, in whom the rate is one in 252. The overall rate spike up about 25 percent since the last analysis in 2006 and almost doubles the rate reported in 2002. Joining us to discuss the rising autism rates, the challenges and strain this puts on the social safety net & families, the science and cutting edge of research and treatments, and finally, the resources in and around the Delaware Valley, are CRAIG NEWSCHAFFER, professor and chair of the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Drexel University’s School of Public Health and the head of the new A.J. Drexel Autism Institute, the nation’s first autism center focused on public health science; MICHELLE ROWE, executive director of the Kinney Center for Autism Education and Support, and Professor of Health Services at St. Joseph’s University; and AMY GOLDEN, parent services coordinator for Autism New Jersey and a board-certified behavior analyst based in Cherry Hill.

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[audio: 040412_100630.mp3]