New Jersey – A study conducted by Early Autism and Developmental Monitoring Network shows that New Jersey has experienced a high increase of about 40 percent from the period of 2010 to 2014 in autism cases. The organization has been monitoring the rate of autism diagnoses for the past 19 years in association with Rutgers University on the occurrence of autism disorder.
The study was conducted in seven states namely Arizona, Wisconsin, Utah, Colorado, North Carolina, Missouri, and New Jersey. Results, however, show that New Jersey has the highest increase in Autism rate which has called for huge concern. The state also has the highest number of African American and Hispanic children living with the disorder. According to the study, the rate of autism diagnoses in New Jersey among children of 4 years old increased from 19.7 per 1000 in 2010 to 28.4 in 2014. The study also indicated that the disorder is more likely to occur among male children than their female counterpart.
Reacting to this, Walter Zahorodny, a Professor at Rutgers Medical School, New Jersey and also the director of the study for the New Jersey section said the researcher had not given any reason for the increase in autism rate in New Jersey or any other state. He claimed New Jersey having the highest percentage of autism shows the state has more complete data than the states with the lower rate. He also hinted that children born prematurely to ill mothers, children born to parents who are above 30 years of age or children who have some specific genetic mutations have a high possibility of developing this medical condition.
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