LEAWOOD, Kan. — In March 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network released new information on the prevalence of autism in the United States. The report found in the year 2020, one in 36 8-year-old children had autism spectrum disorder. This is up from the last report which listed one in 44 children age 8 as having autism in 2018.
The CDC first established its ADDM network in 2000. Estimates from that year listed the prevalence of autism at one in 150. April is Autism Awareness Month.
The latest data proves more adults will be living with autism. Some will live in group homes or with family their whole lives, others will be more independent. Several organizations in the Kansas City metropolitan area provide supported employment for adults with autism like The Golden Scoop, PawsAbilities, Project RISE at Children’s Mercy Hospital, and more.
“I have friends who have adult kids that live on their own, that have supported employment, that drive,” Mary Anne Hammond said.
She is the mother of Kailey, who just turned 30. Kailey has autism spectrum disorder among other intellectual disabilities that prevent her from speaking or taking care of herself. Families like the Hammonds can struggle to find in-home healthcare, day care, or host homes to assist with daily needs.
“We say there’s not much that’s hard about [Kailey], it’s just a million things that you have to do every day because she requires help with all activities of daily living,” Hammond said.
The state of Kansas provides Kailey with a case worker who helps the family and provides some financial assistance.
Hammond works at Children’s Mercy Hospital as education coordinator for autism where her experience with Kailey lends itself well to helping other families. While Kailey and some of her client’s children may never work or live on their own, Hammond says they offer perspective and deserve attention.
“The world gets to see her, the world gets to encounter her. The more we can encounter, the more we can accept, the more we can know how to interact. I just think that’s so critical with any disability,” Hammond said.
There is no official evaluation for diagnosing autism in an adult. Many doctors and psychologists rely on in-person meetings to make determinations later in a patient’s life.
