A comparison of temporal trends in United States autism prevalence to trends in suspected environmental factors.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The prevalence of diagnosed autism has increased rapidly over the last several decades among U.S. children. Environmental factors are thought to be driving this increase and a list of the top ten suspected environmental toxins was published recently.

Methods

Temporal trends in autism for birth years 1970-2005 were derived from a combination of data from the California Department of Developmental Services (CDDS) and the United States Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Temporal trends in suspected toxins were derived from data compiled during an extensive literature survey. Toxin and autism trends were compared by visual inspection and computed correlation coefficients. Using IDEA data, autism prevalence vs. birth year trends were calculated indepen

SUBMITTER: Nevison CD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4177682 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature