Incidence of autism spectrum disorders in children in two Australian states

Abstract

Aim: To ascertain the incidence of autism spectrum disorders in Australian children. Setting: New South Wales (NSW) and Western Australia (WA), July 1999 to December 2000. Design: Data were obtained for WA from a prospective register and for NSW by active surveillance. Main outcome measures: Newly recognised cases of autism spectrum disorders (defined as autistic disorder, Asperger disorder and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified [PDD-NOS]) in children aged 0-14 years; incidence was estimated in 5-year age bands (0-4 years, 5-9 years, 10-14 years). Results: In WA, 252 children aged 0-14 years were identified with autism spectrum disorder (169 with autistic disorder and 8..