Brief report: prevalence of autism spectrum conditions in
children aged 5-11 years in Cambridgeshire, UK.
Fiona JS, Baron-Cohen S, Bolton P, Brayne C.
Autism Research Centre, University of Cambridge, Department of Psychiatry, UK.
The study aimed to establish prevalence of the broader autistic spectrum,
including Asperger syndrome, in 5- to 11-year-olds in Cambridgeshire, UK. Cases
of diagnosed autism spectrum condition (ASC) in children who were in
Cambridgeshire schools and aged between 5 and 11 years on 31 December 1999 were
sought using public records, screening instruments, educational psychology and
special educational needs coordinator (SENCO) records. We report a prevalence of
ASC in the age group 5-11 years of almost 0.6 percent (57 in 10,000). This is 11
times higher than the rate of classic autism but in line with other recent
national and international rates for the broader spectrum. In the responding
mainstream schools the prevalence was 0.33 percent. In the responding special
school population it was 12.5 percent. The overall sex ratio of the children
with ASC replicated findings for classical autism of 4:1 (M:F), but in those
children being educated in mainstream schools the sex ratio was 8:1 (M:F).
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