Autism Prevalence Among 8-Year-Olds In New Jersey Averages 3.6%; 18% Of School Districts Have Rates Between 5% & 10%

Autism prevalence among 8-year-olds in New Jersey averaged 3.6%, but in Essex, Hudson, Ocean, and Union counties the rate ranged from the low of 3.1% in Hudson County to the high of 5.4% in Ocean County. Within 74 public school districts in the four counties, autism prevalence among 8-year-olds ranges from 0.08% to 10.8%. In 18% of schools, autism rates are greater than 5.0%.

These findings were reported in “Prevalence Of Autism Spectrum Disorder In A Large, Diverse Metropolitan Area: Variation By Sociodemographic Factors” by Josephine Shenouda, Emily Barrett, Amy . . .