California – An increase of 8pc in school children diagnosed with autism has been recorded by the Californian Department of education as reported by the Sacramento Bee.
3,100 in Sacramento students now have a diagnosis which is a seven fold increase since 2000. A 2009 study in the Scientific American implied the increase in diagnoses could not be down to improved medical techniques alone.
The state of California has around 79,000 children in mainstream schools with an autism diagnoses according to the Bee. The full report can be read here.