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Citation-quality facts · Updated 2026-05

Most-cited autism numbers for fast journalist sourcing

Prevalence

  • 1 in 31 U.S. children are autistic (CDC ADDM Network, 2022 data, released 2025) — up from 1 in 36 in the prior survey
  • 1 in 20 boys are autistic; 1 in 64 girls are autistic (CDC ADDM 2022 data) — gendered diagnostic bias continues but the ratio is narrowing
  • Prevalence has increased over time primarily because of expanded diagnostic criteria, better recognition of autism in girls and women, and reduced stigma around seeking diagnosis

Diagnosis

  • Average age of autism diagnosis in girls/women: 72 years for those who get diagnosed at all
  • The diagnostic criteria were developed studying 8-year-old boys; many girls and women, gender-diverse autistic people, and adults who learned to mask are undiagnosed
  • The late-diagnosed adult population is the fastest-growing diagnostic category in the autism population

Employment

  • 80% of autistic adults in the United States are unemployed or significantly underemployed
  • The employment gap is primarily structural (workplace design) rather than capability-based

Co-occurring conditions

  • 30-80% of autistic individuals also have ADHD (estimates vary by study population)
  • Significantly elevated rates of anxiety disorders, depression, EDS/hypermobility, POTS, GI conditions, and sleep disorders
  • 50-80% of autistic children have clinically significant sleep difficulties

Healthcare access

  • Autistic adults have significantly elevated rates of avoiding healthcare due to system inaccessibility
  • Mortality outcomes are worse than non-autistic peers, often due to delayed care and undiagnosed co-occurring conditions

Nevada-specific (Las Vegas project context)

  • April 2026 FOX5 Las Vegas reporting documented Nevada autism families paying $80+ per hour out of pocket for therapy that state-mandated insurance coverage was supposed to provide
  • The only direct comparable family destination in the Clark County metropolitan area closed in March 2026, leaving an unmet need across roughly 500,000+ residents

Police encounters

  • Autistic individuals are at significantly elevated risk in police encounters compared to non-autistic peers
  • Communication patterns common in autism (reduced eye contact, slower verbal processing, atypical responses to commands) can be misinterpreted as suspicious or noncompliant by officers without autism-specific training

For sourcing

The numbers above are most-cited and citation-quality for general media use. For specific studies and primary sources, Autism Acceptance World maintains a research bibliography available on request to press@autismacceptance.world.

Save as PDF for citation use. Autism Acceptance World commits to annual refresh of these numbers.