Autism rates jump in NJ, US, new report shows

When her son, now 19, was diagnosed with autism as a young child, Mosca got a crash course on the available services, programs, resources and opportunities—or lack thereof—where she and her family live in Atlantic County.

Now, an increasing number of families in New Jersey and the United States are finding themselves navigating what can be a complex lifestyle as a new report finds that one in 59 children have autism, showing that the prevalence of autism is growing faster than experts have predicted.

“(Rates) are significantly higher, showing us that it’s picking up and hasn’t leveled off like some experts had predicted,” said Dr. Walter Zahorodny, Rutgers University lead researcher. “And to me, the biggest, most unknown question we’re left with is, what are the factors producing this escalation in autism?”

The new U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report showed rates of autism were up in all 11 states that participated in the surveillance, and New Jersey’s rate—one in 34 children—was the highest in the nation.

Zahorodny and other researchers collected and analyzed 2014 data from selected regions across the country as part of the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network, which started mapping data in 2000.

New Jersey’s data came from Ocean, Essex, Hudson and Union counties, and rates reflect estimations for most of the state, researchers said.

In 2000, only about one in 100 New Jersey 8-year-olds had autism, according to the CDC. Zahorodny said the upward trend could point to the fact that the medical community has gotten better over the years at recognizing symptoms and diagnosing the developmental disorder.

Dr. Shereef Elnahal, Commissioner of the state Department of Health, said the high rates seen in New Jersey may be related to families who are drawn to the states diagnostic and intervention services.

“New Jersey has one of the best systems in the nation for identifying, diagnosing an documenting children with autism spectrum disorder , so more children are getting evaluated and referred for services than in areas where diagnostic services are scarce,” he said.

But because those diagnoses are made with many of the same procedures and methods used in the past, Zahorodny said the data is also showing that there is a true increase in the number of children who are living with autism.

“Real advancement will be understanding why. What are the factors that have changed in this 10-, 15-year that makes children more likely to have autism?” he said. “I really thought we’d identify the risk factors by now, but we really haven’t gotten a good handle on that and in the meantime, more children are affected.”

State health officials said the state’s high rates could be linked to risk factors like prematurity, low birth weight, multiple births or advanced maternal age.

For families like Mosca’s that already have diagnosed children, the most important things center on how to best support those children through the rest of their lives.

Mosca, of Ventnor, who founded the South Jersey-based FACES 4 Autism organization, said diagnosing is just the beginning of a lifetime of problems and challenges, describing navigation of the autism spectrum as daunting and exhausting.

“Maybe more people move here because they think New Jersey has better programs, but that is not why we see no let up to the phone calls from parents in crisis and the families who attend support group meetings in search of answers which we as peers offer them,” she said.

About $170 million is set aside in the state budget for early intervention services, and advocates say more may be needed if rates continue to rise. Parents in South Jersey have said they have had to travel longer distances north and to the Philadelphia area sometimes for more care opportunities.

“This is not an easy life, and I never would have chosen it,” Mosca said. “He (son) did not choose autism either. But he does ask for help, and his teachers, aides and others who help him to become more independent need support and school budgets to make meaningful employment and independent living a reality for the growing population of future adults with autism.”