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Our Market Research
In 2018, the CDC’s Missouri Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (MO-ADDM) Network estimated that 1 in 59 eight year old children had been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This is an increase of 15% from 2016 when the CDC concluded ASD affected 1 in 68 eight year old children. The study was conducted by taking samples of children receiving services from medical and school records, across 11 Missouri communities, including the St. Louis area. This did not take into account children not receiving services through their school and/or primary care physicians, along with discrepancies in record keeping between communities.
Alternatively, the National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) direct prevalence study concluded that as many as 1 in 40 eight year old children are affected by ASD, showing that 35% of affected individuals are not currently receiving any services. This study was conducted by physically accessing communities to directly screen for autism.
In 2008 the CDC’s ADDM Network reported 1 in 110 eight year children had been diagnosed with ASD. Compared to the 2018 statistics, there was an 86.4% increase in autism over ten years. If the rate of increase remains constant, by 2028 1 in 33 eight year old children will have an ASD diagnosis.
While the prevalence of ASD will increase, these 8 year old children will become adults over the next decade, creating a growing demand for personal assistance services.