One In Six US Children Have A Developmental Diasbility, Reports CDC

Recent estimates suggest that approximately one in six children aged between 3 to 17 years in the United States are diagnosed with one or more developmental disabilities. Developmental disabilities include several conditions caused due to impairment in a child’s physical, language, learning or behavior areas.

Such disabilities start during a child’s developmental stage and can affect day-to-day functioning. It might also persist throughout their lifetime.

By tracking the number of children diagnosed with such developmental disabilities, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has found out if the number is rising, dropping or remains unchanged. Their estimates from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) have reported a 17 percent increase in the number during the period 2009-2017, compared to the previous decade.

According to Dr. Benjamin Zablotsky et al, “The prevalence of any developmental disability increased among boys, older children, non-Hispanic white and Hispanic children, children with private insurance only, children with birth weight >= 2,500 g, and children living in urban areas and with less-educated mothers”.

The increase in developmental disabilities in the recent times have been driven greatly by increases in the number of children diagnosed with Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Intellectual disability.

The increase in the number of ADHD cases reported could be driven by better identification of children who meet the criteria. The CDC experts opine that the increasing number of ASD diagnoses in the U.S. and other developing countries in recent times are also not surprising. "However, understanding changes to ASD prevalence remains particularly challenging given that the diagnosis of ASD is based on a symptom profile, and health care provider and school practices for ASD screening, diagnosis, and classification continue to evolve," they noted.

And the survey had another option called 'Other developmental disability' which alone had a significant decrease over time. And the experts opine that this might be due to the fact that the parents rarely picked this option as their children might have been diagnosed with other developmental disabilities mentioned in the list.

The CDC experts feel that further research is required to understand the characteristics of children with developmental disabilities better and the complex risk factors linked to such disabilities, and the accessibility of interventions and help, which have been found to improve long-term outcomes for the children diagnosed with ADHD, Autism, Intellectual disability or other developmental disabilities.